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Commentary and Discussion From the Retail Community
Skin Care For the Straight Guy
American men are getting older, more concerned about their appearance and less worried how it might look for them to be found using a skin care or other beauty product…
Americans In Search of Simpler Pursuits
A report in this past Sunday’s Observer said new magazines with titles such as Real Simple and Budget Living are the fastest growing on newsstands. Does the popularity of magazines…
Wal-Mart Creates Office of Diversity
Wal-Mart announced yesterday it opened a new office of diversity to address hiring practices and career path issues for people of color, women and minority groups, according to a Reuters…
FTC Slotting Report: $900,000, 120 Pages and Nada
Three years, up to $900,000 in taxpayer dollars, and 120 pages in pdf format later, the FTC has issued its report, The Use of Slotting Allowances in the Retail Grocery…
Dollar General to Expand Market Store Test
Dollar General announced yesterday it planned to expand its new format test by opening 20 Dollar General Market stores next year. What are your thoughts on Dollar General expanding its…
Kids R Us No More
Toys R Us has decided that its future is not in children’s apparel. The chain announced it would close all 146 free-standing Kids R Us clothing stores by the end…
Dressing Consumers For Less Than Wal-Mart
Ross Stores’ Dress For Less unit and competitors such as T.J. Maxx and Marshalls are winning customers the old-fashioned way. They’re selling apparel and accessories that consumers can find in…
Retailers Go Shopping For Millennials
Tim Larson, vice president of marketing for Jostens, a leading marketer of recognition products such as class rings and yearbooks, says today’s high school kids, AKA millennials, are different than…
It’s Now or Never to Shop
Paco Underhill, executive director of Envirosell and author of Why We Buy, told Business Week in an interview that he expects to see consumers to splurge a little more this…
Consumers Prefer Machines to People
Dexter Thomas does it because he doesn’t want to “deal with the cashiers and their attitude.” Kimberly Ward does it because it’s “a lot more convenient” and besides, dealing with…
Women Love Lowe’s
Painter Joycelyn Marks says she loves shopping at Lowe’s and, evidently, she’s not the only woman to feel that way, reports Bloomberg News. Is the perception of Lowe’s “being better”…
Central Market: The Happy Habit
“Most people view grocery shopping as a weekly chore,” says Stephen Butt, senior vice president, H.E. Butt Grocery Co. “We’re trying to replace that mundane habit with a habit of…
Target Goes With Shabby Chic
Target announced, as part of its conference call regarding the company’s third-quarter results, it will add another exclusive brand to its product portfolio in the near future with the launch…
McDonald’s Not McKidding About Licensing
McDonald’s is looking to extend its brand by putting its McKids logo on a wider range of licensed products including toys, kids clothing, interactive videos and books. What do you…
USDA Administrator Criticizes Inspectors
You may have seen or heard reports that the administrator of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Food Safety and Inspection Service, Garry McKee, is unhappy with his own agency’s…
Reflection Time for UFCW and Chains
Peter J. Hurtgen, director of the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service, is the man credited with helping to find an end to last year’s dockworkers strike on the West Coast…
‘Tis The Season to Shop Early, Say Retailers
Retailers are trying to get consumers out of their last minute shopping ways and into stores to do their Christmas shopping early this year with special promotions and discount price…
Toy Maker Tries to Keep Up With Demand
One of the hottest products this upcoming holiday season may be LeapFrog Enterprises’ line of educational toys including LeapPad and Leapster for kids, ages of infant to high school. It…
A Party of One
For the first time in history, according to the November issue of American Demographics magazine, there are more single-person households in the US than there are families with a husband,…
Skogen’s Uses Boomerang to Compete
Skogen’s IGA and Festival Foods stores do a big business in Wisconsin despite some pretty stiff competition from Wal-Mart Supercenters and others, reports the La Crosse Tribune. Does the Skogen’s…
Home Depot for the Holidays
Home Depot wants in on the gift-giving business this holiday season so the home improvement retailer is launching its first ever Christmas catalog. What are your thoughts on Home Depot…
