PROFILE
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Richard Hernandez
Merchant DirectorWith over 30 years’ experience in the retail sector, Richard’s expertise spans across a broad range of fields:
Pricing, strategic initiatives, store operations, category management, product development, data analytics, retail consultancy, as well as being a coach and a mentor to those in and out of the retail sector.
He has worked for several top retail companies adding to his experience and gathering tools from his retail toolbox to continue his adventure in retail.
Richard believes that we can learn something from everyone.
He is excited to be part of the RetailWire BrainTrust, not only to share his knowledge, but to continue to be a student of retail.
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- Posted on: 03/20/2023
Saks Asks Associates to Sell Luxury Travel Subscriptions
This is called attachment sales, and there is not anything wrong with that. Saks can easily become a destination just as travel centers can for other clients. - Posted on: 03/20/2023
Do Good Looks Matter in Retail Sales?
This is just wrong. I know a lot of associates that do livestreams or sell product in a customer-facing capacity and they are not runway models. They hold their own in selling their products. - Posted on: 03/17/2023
Sephora Trains Brands to Become TikTok Stars
Until it does get completely banned, it is unfortunately a tool used to market products and if you are not using it, you are out of the fishbowl looking in. If anything, this will lead to some next generation app that can accomplish the same thing, just not related to foreign sources. - Posted on: 03/17/2023
Is Google Glass Finally Dead and Buried?
Gene, I thought it was cool too ,but many years ahead in the future , I see this type of technology as a tiny microchip embedded in our heads to provide the same functions as the glasses. - Posted on: 03/16/2023
Should Online Retailers Pray For Rain?
I have always heard this, and to an extent it makes sense , however, I think there is an added element this time around- less discretionary spending. For example, if you look at the financials of HSN/QVC, they are not good and they are making changes to offset the losses. - Posted on: 03/16/2023
Robots Will Play a Part in BJ’s Expansion Strategy
Yes, exactly. I believe they will try them out and realize the same thing. - Posted on: 03/15/2023
Are Retailers Getting Returns Under Control?
Returns are definitely a part of doing business and each retailer has to set rules on, and implement technology to, handle them. I am very curious to see how Target's drive up returns will work. It's an interesting take and a possible model for other retailers. - Posted on: 03/15/2023
Will Wendy’s Chili Have a Long Shelf Life in Grocery Stores?
Yes. I love the idea, but the packaging is a little plain. I hope that is not the final rendition -- I would have used the Clara Peller "Where's the Beef" tag line on the can, assuming the chili is 100 percent beef? - Posted on: 03/14/2023
Do retailers need a more data-driven approach to in-store merchandising?
George, I am all for attachment sales and they work very well. At the end of the day, the store gets the sale- period. In this day and age, every penny counts. - Posted on: 03/14/2023
Will low prices win Easter? Target and Walmart think so
Food inflation is still an issue, gas pricing is about to go up with summer blends, and discretionary spending is still limited. Any message and investment in price will definitely be welcome by shoppers. - Posted on: 03/06/2023
When will Best Buy’s sales recover?
Agreed. People are holding on to their money and electronics are the first buys that get chopped. Best Buy will have to pivot again and rethink their stores and how they can serve their customers during this time. - Posted on: 03/06/2023
Will Amazon Go ever get going?
Yes thank you. This was very much like electronic shelf labels 20 or so years ago. The technology was too expensive to implement and costly to maintain. The Go technology is the same at this early stage. It will take some time before the technology is more widely used, when it becomes cheaper to implement and maintain. I believe Amazon is still in the learning phase. It seems like they had to install the technology to test it and the store was an afterthought. - Posted on: 03/03/2023
Do grocers need a fresh approach to boost online sales of meat and produce?
I believe we discussed this topic sometime ago but I will say what I said then -- I am just picky when it comes to choosing meat or produce items and I am not comfortable that the associate will 100 percent know what to pick, even if I describe what I want. I think it would be cumbersome to photograph a meat or produce item each time for customer approval. I can see this getting tiresome if I am buying a large amount of produce or meat items. - Posted on: 03/03/2023
‘All you need is love, love, love’ to work at Trader Joe’s
For Trader Joe's, great people and great service are the cornerstones of their identity as a retailer. They emit authenticity. Every time I go into their stores, I can see that the associates that work there really like working there. And they have great products -- what else do you need? - Posted on: 03/02/2023
Are grocers under-marketing their store brands?
Gene, Yes those marketing funds are pretty nice, but if those major brands are passing along cost increase after cost increase, you better believe I am going to use private label as leverage to counter multiple cost increases -- especially if I can grow my private label sales in that category. The sword cuts both ways.
