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Commentary and Discussion From the Retail Community
Customers Control Privacy; Business Builds Loyalty
As reported in Inside 1to1 Privacy, in order for customers to get certain benefits with HP products, they must share some information. Rather than assume customers wish to accept these…
Kid’s Must-Have Bedrooms Replace Toys
This past holiday season demonstrated that there really are very few, if any, must-have toys anymore as kids look to entertain themselves with electronic games and other means beyond simply…
A Dog’s Life
It’s not news that most Americans think of their family dog as part of, well, the family. What’s surprising to those who don’t own dogs themselves and downright upsetting to…
Mail Order Brings Bad News to Walgreens
You’ve probably seen the commercial where a ton of bricks is dropped in the flatbed of a pickup truck to demonstrate its ruggedness and strength. Today, Walgreens management may be…
Retailer Sued in Tobacco Case
Martin & Bayley Inc., the parent company of the 150-store Huck’s Food and Fuel convenience chain, is being sued along with Philip Morris for deceptively scheming to get consumers to…
Talking Out of Work Causes Unemployment
David Pilgreen was tired of seeing his employer kicked around and he wanted to set the record straight. That was his first mistake. Where do you stand on the right…
When Wal-Mart Says No, It Means No
Wal-Mart’s decision to close the first company store in Canada to get union representation shouldn’t have come as a surprise to anyone. The company said in October that closing was…
Who Will Own Whom?
While the May and Federated Department Stores merger deal doesn’t appear to be going anywhere, Neiman Marcus may be on the block. The company has a policy of not commenting…
What Would Jesus Buy?
“What would Jesus do? is a question that many a Christian has asked himself or herself. In this month’s issue of Marketing News, the question posed is “What would Jesus…
Sears Hopes Stores Become Essential Shopping Destinations
Sears, Roebuck and Co. has decided what it wants to be when it grows up (even before it formally joins with Kmart). It wants to be Kmart…or Target…or Wal-Mart or…
Shoppers Come in All Shapes and Sizes
It’s obvious that many clothing retailers did not get the memo that consumers come in all shapes and sizes. Well, the memo may have been late in being received, but…
Online Shopper Universe Expands
Retail merchants doing business online found a lot to be jolly about this past holiday season as 17.7 million new shoppers helped drive a 22 percent increase in dollar sales…
Gender Diversity Called Business Imperative
A new white paper from the Network of Executive Women (NEW), Leveraging Management Diversity for Competitive Advantage, says companies in the retailing and consumer goods industries have made some strides…
Former Diversity Director: Actions Speak Louder Than PR
Richard L. Cozart, who was once the director of Kmart’s supplier diversity initiative, said his former employer said all the right things publicly but, in practice, discriminated against suppliers run…
Hard Hitting Loyalty Initiative Sacked
According to foxsports.com, MasterCard has asked the Redskins to rescind an earlier requirement that season ticketholders who use a credit card to pay for season tickets, use only a Redskins…
Super Dull Bowl
In newspaper sports sections all across the U.S. today are stories about the New England Patriot’s win in Super Bowl 39. Yesterday in households across the America, however, many were…
Union Asks For Arbitration in Wal-Mart Talks
The United Food and Commercial Workers Union (UFCW) representing employees at a Wal-Mart store in Jonquiere, Canada have asked Quebec’s Labor Minister Claude Bechard to appoint an arbiter to get…
Is a Third Nordstrom Too Much of a Good Thing?
Nordstrom has done very well catering to upscale shoppers with its two stores in the Atlanta market, but at least one industry veteran thinks the chain is making a mistake…
GHQ Cover Story 02/05: Anomalies of Scale
The moral of the Grocery Headquarters’ cover story for February is that size doesn’t matter when it comes to being successful in the grocery business. Try doing without some innovative…
Dallas Is Wal-Mart’s Promised Land
If you’re a Wal-Mart shopper and you’re looking for the closest thing to Wal-Mart heaven on earth, don’t even think about going to Arkansas. No, the Promised Land for Wal-Mart…
Target: It’s All About Customer Service
Target doesn’t mind a little stiff competition, reports the Los Angeles Daily News, even if it’s coming from itself. In one area of Southern California, the retailer currently has…
