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Commentary and Discussion From the Retail Community
Asda Says Covert Op Exposes Price Gouging
Asda, Wal-Mart’s division in the UK, is accusing competitors, Boots and Jessops, of taking advantage of consumers by charging up to 10 times its own rate to develop digital prints…
Slotting Fees Called Payola
Nicholas Pyle, president of the Independent Bakers Association, has strong feelings about slotting allowances and he’s not afraid to share them. “Slotting fees are just another form of payola, commercial…
Let The Discounting Begin
It doesn’t take long when sales are down for retailers to turn to special promotions and discounts as a means to drive consumer traffic and store sales. That’s why, despite…
Indy Dollar Stores Compete Against Big Guys
The large dollar store chains are growing quickly and independents in the channel are concerned about the impact that will have on their business, reports the Oregonian. Will independent, non-franchise…
Saddam Claus
They both wear long beards, but there was no mistaking the photos of Saddam Hussein, the disheveled former dictator of Iraq captured by US troops this weekend, for Santa Claus…
FDA Issues Warning on Mercury in Fish
The Food and Drug Administration has issued an advisory on the health risks associated with the consumption of certain types of fish including canned albacore tuna. Do stores selling fish…
Study: Lands’ End Most Customer Focused
Lands’ End has been named the winner of the first annual Online Retail Study for Customer Focused Excellence. The study sponsored by the marketing services boutique, Future Now, Inc. used…
Chief Execs More Concerned With Company Image
Jeffrey Resnick, executive vice president and director of Opinion Research’s corporate reputation practice, told Timothy Henderson, editor-in-chief, STORES magazine, “We no longer live in a world where, as business leaders,…
Cheeseburger, Cheeseburger, Cheeseburger Fry
The old Saturday Night Live skit with John Belushi working a lunch-counter, offering consumers anything they want as long as it is a cheeseburger, might have a slightly different script…
Public Sympathetic To Union
Experts interviewed for a Christian Science Monitor piece say the general public may be more inclined to support the position of the United Food and Commercial Workers Union (UFCW) than…
Web Sites More Consumer Friendly
Online sales are off to a strong start for the holiday season and part of that is due to consumers being more comfortable with the process of ordering goods over…
Shoppers Get Software-To-Go At CompUSA
Twenty-five CompUSA stores in the Dallas, San Francisco and Seattle markets will soon have a system in place that allows them to display a virtually limitless library of software titles…
Study: Consumers Less Brand Conscious
A new survey by America’s Research Group says only 32 percent of consumers think the brand of a product is “extremely important” in choosing a gift for the holidays. Only…
Giant Cuts Back Associates’ Hours
The company says employees are overreacting. Still, store managers and associates are scratching their heads over a decision by Giant Food to cut employee hours during the busiest time of…
Kroger and UFCW Reach Agreement
Kroger and the United Food and Commercial Workers Union (UFCW) have reached a tentative agreement on a new labor contract for 3,300 store employees in West Virginia, Ohio and Kentucky…
A&F Quarterly No More
Abercrombie & Fitch has decided to get out of the kitchen. The fashion retailer, which has taken a lot of heat over its A&F Quarterly magazine, has decided to cease…
Consumers Changing Shopping Patterns
It’s been documented that many consumers research a purchase online before going to buy it in a store. Now, new research indicates a growing number of shoppers are doing their…
The King of Pop and Music
Coca-Cola announced yesterday it is going to take on the likes of Apple, Microsoft, Virgin and Wal-Mart in launching an online music store in the United Kingdom. What are your…
Is Boston Market’s Chicken Cooked?
Is Boston Market’s chicken cooked? Will McDonald’s cut off dough to Donato’s Pizzeria? Does it make sense for the hamburger chain to say “adios” to its Chipotle Mexican Grill business?…
What’s Going On Inside J.C. Penney?
J.C. Penney has confirmed plans to close 12 of its U.S. department stores by the end of the year. This move follows last week’s announced closing of Penney’s sale of…
Customs Joins Food Protection Efforts
In case you missed it, US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) signed a Memorandum Of Understanding (MOU) last week paving the way for…
