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Commentary and Discussion From the Retail Community
Employers to Employees: Your Life is Not Your Own
As a report in USA Today makes clear, what employees do on their own time is very much their bosses’ business. Lewis Maltby of The National Workrights Institute said, “The…
HP, eBay and Wachovia Take Loyalty to the Boardroom
Writing for Inside 1 to 1, Elizabeth Clampet covers three companies who have elevated loyalty to the boardroom. HP, eBay and Wachovia Bank all have initiatives that focus executive level…
Act Would Bring Common Sense Tort Reform
In introducing the Commonsense Consumption Act of 2005, S. 908, Sen. Mitch McConnell (R – KY) observed, “Most Americans believe in the old adage, ‘you are what you eat.’ …
Taking the Mystery Out of Mystery Shopping
As with most market research, the information received from mystery shopper trips doesn’t do any good if a retailer doesn’t know what to do with it. The value of mystery…
Made in the U.S.A. Gets a Big ‘So What’
Check carefully. Those red, white and blue flags you were waving at the Memorial Day parade probably weren’t even made in the U.S.A., and if you’re like many consumers here,…
Were Grocery Stores a Terrorist Target?
Investigators now say they have no evidence that men arrested for allegedly lying to the FBI about their involvement with al-Qaeda had specific plans to carry out an attack in…
Customers Hold All the Cards
Just about every retailer today (at least it seems) has some type of loyalty/discount card program. Drugstores, department stores, grocery stores, book and music stores, etc. all offer them and…
Macy’s Discovers Killer Sales App
Kent Anderson, president of Macys.com, told attendees at the Internet Retailer conference that his company had found the “killer app” for getting people to buy online. “Keep it simple, straightforward…
Broadband Opens Way to Greater Sales Online
Dan Hess, senior vice president of comScore Networks, told attendees at the Internet Retailer 2005 conference that the growth of broadband connections in homes is helping to drive an increase…
Truck Drivers Wanted
A study conducted for the American Trucking Associations (ATA) by the research firm Global Insight said there was a national shortage of truck drivers, particularly long-haul heavy-duty drivers, that “has…
Resort Spa Uncovers Cultural Anthropology to Cultivate Male Clients
The Fairmont Princess Resort in Scottsdale, Ariz. wanted to target men in addition to its female clientele and hired a cultural anthropologist who uncovered intrinsic differences in the way men…
Out-of-Sight Pretty Much Means Out-of-Stock on Grocer’s Cold Meds
According to research by Information Resources, Inc. (IRI) performed in Oklahoma and Illinois, laws in those states that require retailers keep products containing pseudoephedrine (PSE) behind the counter has affected…
Eating and Cleaning with One Hand Tied Behind the Back
More consumers than ever are eating while they drive, walk and engage in various other forms of transport. As a report in The Wall Street Journal puts so succinctly: “A…
Workers Tracked On the Job
The idea is straightforward. Companies in the U.K. are having warehouse workers wear mini computers on themselves to improve communication and enhance operational efficiencies. It is this continuous “surveillance” that…
The Me-Too Path to Success
There hasn’t been anything revolutionary in what J.C. Penney has done in recent years to get its business turned around. In fact, if anything, the retailer has been successful borrowing…
P&G’s Lafley Shows How Loyalty Begins at Home
“The simple principle in life is to find out what she wants and give it to her. It’s worked in my marriage for 35 years and it works in laundry.”…
Wal-Mart Sets Three Goals for Next Year
Wal-Mart didn’t get to be the world’s largest retailer by resting on its laurels and the company’s chief executive, Lee Scott, told shareholders at the company’s annual meeting last week…
Wild Oats Says Set Our Chickens Free
Wild Oats Markets announced it would only sell eggs laid by hens that were cage free. The United Egg Producers said Wild Oats is misleading the public about the animal-welfare…
Eat and Run Becomes Run and Eat
The American diet used to consist of three square meals a day – breakfast, lunch and dinner. In today’s mobile society, sit-down meals are becoming more rare. Snacks have become…
Food For Sale – Everywhere
Looks like just about everyone is in the food business today…even drugstores. “If you think of what a drugstore really is, it’s two things. It’s where to pick up prescription…
Wild Oats Wants Customers to Stop & Shop
Wild Oats Markets has opened the first of its store-within-the-store boutiques inside a newly remodeled Stop & Shop in Plymouth, Mass. What do you think about the strategy of putting…
