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Commentary and Discussion From the Retail Community
Amazon’s Partners Are Happy
Toys R Us and Target are at the beginning of long-term contracts with Amazon.com to create and run their Web sites. Both are losing money online but publicly express happiness…
Downloadable Coupons On The Rise
Despite the growing concern of merchants and manufacturers about counterfeiting activity, coupons downloaded from the Internet for redemption in stores are gaining in popularity. What are your thoughts on the…
Everybody’s Got To Get Victoria’s Secret
Despite the frequent meeting of the music and fashion worlds, there is still a bit of an uproar over Bob Dylan’s decision to not only lend (sell actually) his song,…
Americans Staying Put
“Go west young man” may have been the call to Americans for generations, but it now appears as though it is falling on deaf (or the very least hearing impaired)…
Burnout and Productivity Rates Go Hand-In-Hand
American workers have found that they are working longer hours, as companies have laid-off workers as a means to bolster the bottom line. The result nationally has been what a…
Georgia-Pacific Undertakes Relationship Marketing On Its Own
Georgia-Pacific is stepping up with an online relationship marketing program. Their objective is to better manage their online interactions with customers of their U.S. consumer brands. Should supermarkets view steps…
Eckerd Finally Sold
J.C. Penney has signed agreements with CVS and the Jean Coutu Group of Canada to sell Eckerd drugstores for $4.525 billion. CVS will acquire 1,260 Eckerd stores and support facilities…
The Doors To Gateway Are Being Shut
Gateway, the only major manufacturer to run its own stores (not counting Apple), announced it was going close all 188 locations on April 9. The move will result in 2,500…
Four Seasons Focuses Year-Round on Customer Service
At the recent Retail Industry Leaders Association (RILA) Marketing Conference, Barbara Talbot, executive vice president marketing for Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts, presented a case study on how they built…
Free At Last, Free At Last, Trans-Fat Free At Last
With medical authorities agreeing that there is no amount of trans-fat that can be deemed either good or necessary for human consumption and new labeling requirements to start in 2006,…
Forrester Questions Wisdom of Pursuing RFID
A report from Forrester Research. RFID At What Cost?, argues that, with an annual price tag of $9 million, there is no short term business case to be made for…
Kmart Sues For Property Tax Relief
Kmart has filed suit against nearly 500 local governments contesting $8.6 million in property taxes it says it was overcharged by the communities. What are your thoughts on Kmart’s decision…
Kraft CEO In Hospital
Kraft Foods’ chief executive, Roger Deromedi, has been admitted to a hospital with an undiagnosed medical condition, prompting the company’s chairman, Louis Camilleri, to take over his duties on a…
Starbucks’ Chairman: We Underestimated Opportunity
Starbucks is growing at a rate of about 3 and a half new coffee shops a day. That probably isn’t fast enough to meet pent-up demand, says the company’s management…
What Impact Are Gas Prices Having?
David Stewart, a professor of marketing and consumer psychology at the University of Southern California, told the Christian Science Monitor, “Gasoline is what we refer to as a convenience purchase…
No Replay of SoCal in D.C.
It appears as though the United Food and Commercial Workers Union (UFCW) and the Giant Food and Safeway supermarket chains will be able to avoid a contentious strike like that…
Costco Petitions For Worker Comp Reform
Costco is known for having good relations with its union and non-union employees but some are having a problem with the retailer’s support for a petition initiative in California which…
Customer Service Stinks
It’s amazing, in a day and age when businesses spend so much time talking about customer service, how little of it customers feel they actually get. Do you agree that…
Consumers Shop ‘n’ Scan
A piece in the Dallas Morning News says Albertsons “is taking supermarket self-checkout to the next level by introducing handheld scanners that shoppers can use as they move up and…
Complaints Over Costco’s Treatment of Employees
According to a piece in the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, analysts have a complaint with Costco. The company “treats its employees and cardholders better than it does investors.” In light of rising…
Creating the Store Best Customers Want
Using shopper purchase history to better serve your best shoppers will improve your performance. What do you think of professor Lal’s contention that retailers need to concentrate on rewards for…
