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Commentary and Discussion From the Retail Community
Dollar Store Exec Joins Wal-Mart to Direct HR Strategy
Wal-Mart Stores announced yesterday that former Dollar General president and chief operating officer, Lawrence Jackson, is joining the company as its new executive vice president of the retailer’s People Division…
Work Places Staying Casual
Those who were pleased with Target’s decision to require more formal attire in the workplace and were hoping it was the beginning of a trend are likely to be disappointed…
Flu Bug To Hit Businesses Where It Hurts
Typically, in recent years, five to 20 percent of the U.S. population has gotten the flu. This year, however, is promising to be anything but typical after the availability of…
Americans Think Buying Rx Online is Risky Business
A San Jose Mercury News article points out that, while Americans are quite comfortable handling a wide variety of transaction online, most view ordering prescriptions online as risky business. Will…
How Would You Build a Loyalty Program?
According to Colloquy.com, number two consumer electronics chain Circuit City is planning to launch a loyalty program. The details of Circuit City’s new customer loyalty program may already be public…
Did the Chains Strike Out in SoCal?
When the Southern California grocery workers’ strike/lockout finally ended earlier this year, it was generally agreed that the chains had won the fight after squeezing wage and health benefit concessions…
Sears to Give Stores Multicultural Makeover
Sears announced yesterday it plans to revamp 97 of its full-line stores this month as part of a pilot project to determine how it can better appeal to the minority…
Consumers Want Workers Redeployed to Improve Service
An IDC white paper, Self-Checkout Systems: Creating Value Across the Retail Store, says self-checkouts are freeing up store employees to fill valuable customer-service roles in other parts of the store…
Report: Prepare for RFID Failure
A report by Gartner Inc., Prepare for Disillusionment with RFID, says at least half of all the radio frequency identification (RFID) technology projects currently underway will fail. Jeff Woods,…
Another Magazine Published For Wal-Mart Customers
American Media plans to publish a new magazine, Looking Good Now, exclusively for distribution in Wal-Mart stores beginning in January, reports the New York Daily News. Are the exclusive deals…
Consumers Find Penney’s Off-mall Concept On Target
The consumer reviews are coming in and by a Detroit Free Press account, at least, they are positive for JCPenney’s new off-mall store concept. Is JCPenney on track with its…
Update: The Wal-Mart RFID Initiative
In less than three months, the world as retail, wholesale and manufacturing professionals will change dramatically. In January 2005, Wal-Mart’s edict that its top 100 suppliers start shipping cases and…
Toys ‘R’ Us Looking for Some Holiday Magic
Toys ‘R’ Us has a plan for being successful during the upcoming holiday selling season, reports the Associated Press. ‘We are looking at making the shopping experience magical, where consumers…
States Defy FDA on Rx Imports
The states of Illinois and Wisconsin have launched a new program, I-SaveRx, to help residents without insurance buy cheaper prescription medicines from Canada, Ireland and the U.K. In doing so,…
Designing Women
What do Kmart, Sears and Kohl’s have in common? They’ve all hired popular Latina entertainers to design and endorse product lines that bear their names. The goal: win share among…
Stockings To Be Stuffed Lighter This Year
A new study from The NPD Group says there may be less cheer in the air for retailers this upcoming holiday season as 90 percent of consumers plan on spending…
Kmart’s Makeover
Gary Ruffing, a retail consultant for BBK Ltd. in Southfield, Mich. and a former executive at Kmart says the company isn’t willing to be the Rodney Dangerfield of the retailing…
Beyond Brands
Kevin Roberts, CEO Worldwide of Saatchi & Saatchi, told a GMA (Grocery Manufacturers of America) gathering last week that brands are a thing of the past, and “lovemarks” are the…
New Concept Takes Best Buy In Different Direction
Best Buy has announced it is testing a new health and wellness products store targeted to women 45 and up. The new concept, Eq Life, will sell a variety of…
Relevance Revs Up Auto Buyers
Customer retention, a critical metric for automotive dealership AutoNation, has gone from 10.3 percent in early 2004 to 16.7 percent. Inside 1to1 Executive Editor John Gaffney writes that Scott Zientarski,…
Pharmacies Make It Easier To Take Meds
A byproduct of aging is memory loss, and pharmacists such as Richard Brisson are finding that making it easier for consumers to remember what medicine to take is a service…
