RECENT discussions
Discussions
Commentary and Discussion From the Retail Community
See Dick and Jane Sleep, Work, Watch and Buy
Based on numbers from the American Time Use Survey put out by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, Americans, on average, spend more time sleeping than engaged in any other activity…
Don’t Do It Mr. Greenspan
While many, if not most, economists support the Fed’s action to date, USA Today reports that some are beginning to wonder if Mr. Greenspan and associates need to be as…
Luxury – A Deal at $5 Billion
The cost of luxury is quite high – precisely $5 billion. That’s what it cost the equity firms of Warburg Pincus and Texas Pacific Group to buy the luxury retailer…
National Sales Tax – Fair or Foul
The Americans for Fair Taxation want to get rid of the Internal Revenue Service. The group advocates what it calls the FairTax plan which would eliminate the need for the…
Health and Loyalty
According to a recent poll conducted for Target Stores, 60 percent of prescription-drug users have taken medication incorrectly. Target introduced a new design for prescription bottles on May 1. Why…
Retail as a Career
A fine art print entitled Born for Retail says: “Has always had the soul of an artist, but the instincts of an attack dog, so of course he went into…
Mall-Mart
Just as mall-based retailers such as J.C. Penney and Sears are increasingly looking to build standalone stores, others that have traditionally done business in freestanding locations are opening new units…
Empowerment — Fuhgetaboutit
It’s one of those words you hear all the time from executives and employee motivation gurus — empowerment. The idea behind the word is simple. Give employees the authority to…
Ford Develops Pickup for Latino Market
Ford is bringing its F-150 limited edition Lobo pickup truck, made in Mexico, north of the border to sell in Texas. The Lobo is, according to AdAge.com, “the first vehicle…
Beyond Bubba
Convenience stores once were the place to gas up, and buy smokes and beer. They were a Bubba paradise. But today’s convenience stores are broadening their offerings to appeal to…
The New World Order
Add Mandarin Chinese to the list of languages being taught to kids in schools today. “China is becoming the world’s largest economy, and with one-quarter of the world’s population,…
Grocers Look to Gas Up Business
Shop ‘n Save is the latest seller of groceries to announce it is installing gas pumps on its premises to drive traffic in its stores. The Pittsburgh-area supermarket chain expects…
Sears Holdings Sorts Out Employee Situation
It’s not a surprise, but Sears Holdings Corp. is deciding which of the 4,000 employees at Sears’ headquarters in Hoffman Estates, Ill. and the 2,000 at Kmart’s offices in Troy,…
Publisher Rubs Apple the Wrong Way
Steve Jobs of Apple Computer is not at all happy about an unauthorized, albeit largely flattering biography, being published by John Wiley & Sons. This unhappiness led Apple to remove…
Make Wednesday Wendy’s Day
Now that Anna Ayala’s litigious history has been revealed, and she has been arrested and charged with attempted grand larceny, Wendy’s may finally be able to put the finger found…
Group Says Consumers Fed Diet of Obesity Hype
The Center for Consumer Freedom, a group representing restaurants and food manufacturers, has launched an advertising campaign accusing the government, medical authorities, trial lawyers and the “food police” of distorting…
Online Exchanges to Merge
While there’s no question GlobatNetXchange (GNX) and WorldWide Retail Exchange (WWRE) have had an effect on how information is shared amongst trading partners and how product is moved through the…
Getting Tough on Shopping Cart Crime
City officials in Rialto, Cal. want shopping cart thieves to know that crime doesn’t pay, but it sure can cost you if you’re caught with a store’s property off the…
Living in a DIY World
According to a report in the Chicago Tribune, Americans are getting a little sick and tired of self-serve while filling up their gas tanks, banking or checking out at the…
To Market for Loyalty, Choose Message Over Media
According to the 2005 Yankelovich Marketing Receptivity Survey, 55 percent of all consumers would be willing to pay a little extra to get only the kinds of marketing they prefer,…
Banking on Illegals
The Latin American immigrant population is growing quickly, yet it is a population that is largely unserved by financial institutions. According to most estimates, less than half of the 17.5…
