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Commentary and Discussion From the Retail Community
Was Amazon’s Prime Early Access sale a bellwether event for the retail industry?
Amazon last week held its second Prime Day event of the year and, as it turned out, the sales promotion may not have been the kickoff to the holidays that…
CVS battles the ‘pink tax’
CVS is slashing prices on its menstrual products and working to eliminate sales tax on such items across states as part of a broader push against the “pink tax,” a…
Kroger and Albertsons are merging
Kroger and Albertsons have agreed on a deal that will combine the first and second largest supermarket operators in the U.S. The deal valued at $24.6 billion will see Kroger…
What’s holding back creativity in marketing?
The biggest impediment to creativity is not a lack of direction or failure to be bold enough, it’s a risk-averse culture, cited by 51 percent of marketers, according to new…
Are pop-ups ready to become a permanent fixture in retail?
The pop-up model has brought some retailers a lot of success in recent years, so much so that some retail experts see pop-ups as a standard component in the future…
Why are Amazon’s brand knockoffs ‘foul play’ if other retailers do the same thing?
Amazon finds itself coming off as a corporate bully when its private label teams find small and growing brand products and then produce knockoff versions that it sells at a…
Walmart is looking to bring apparel manufacturing back to the USA
Walmart has been public about supporting American manufacturing wherever it makes business sense and that commitment was reinforced last week at a ribbon cutting ceremony for a new factory in…
Is Victoria’s Secret’s inclusivity messaging resonating?
Victoria’s Secret’s new campaign, “Undefinable,” builds on last year’s rebrand and marks a further step from its controversial 2014 campaign, “The Perfect Body.” What further steps might be necessary for Victoria’s…
Will a cheaper, faster Uniqlo catch on in the U.S.?
Fast Retailing, mother company of Uniqlo, is bringing the fast fashion retailer’s faster, cheaper sibling brand to the U.S. with a new store in Manhattan’s Soho neighborhood. Will negative sentiment…
Is TikTok on its way to becoming the next big thing in e-commerce?
Heads up Amazon.com, Qurate, Walmart et al. TikTok is staffing up in preparation to building its own online fulfillment centers in the U.S. The nation’s and world’s most popular video…
Hollister intros new way for kids to shop on parents’ dime
Hollister yesterday introduced Share2Pay, which allows customers (primarily teenagers) to shop for the items they want and then share their digital cart with their mom, dad or some other adult…
Has McKinsey given the consulting industry a black eye?
A new best-selling book from journalists at The New York Times, “McKinsey Comes To Town,” documents decades of scandalous behavior by the consultancy, raising questions to some about the legitimacy…
Do retailers have the right stuff for Christmas?
New research forecasts that imports to American ports will fall to the lowest level in nearly two years by the end of 2022. How do you explain the forecasted drop in…
Schnucks lets associates pick their own stores and shifts
Mimicking on-demand working, Schnucks has introduced a “Schnucks Flexforce” option at select St. Louis-area stores that lets associates select both their shifts and preferred store locations. What do you think…
Will P.F. Chang’s members upgrade to its new subscription plan?
P.F. Chang’s has launched a paid subscription program that offers its members special perks in exchange for a $6.99 monthly fee. Do you see more potential revenue drivers than margin…
Why is the turnover rate so high for technology leaders?
Nordstrom last week announced that Edmond Mesrobian, its chief technology and information officer since 2018, is stepping down, adding credence to the perception that turnover remains high for information technology…
‘Special day’ promotions can give retailers the distinction they need
A new university study finds that consumers are more likely to use discounts celebrating a “special day” than for standard holidays or one-day sales events. Does it make sense that…
Will a lawsuit leave CVS and Walgreens feeling sick over homeopathic remedies?
Major retail pharmacies are facing legal battles over placing homeopathic remedies in the medicine aisle with the rest of the pills. What should a retailer’s responsibility be when it comes…
Can retailers sustain their current delivery practices?
A global survey finds that only 38 percent of consumers feel retailers are doing a good job of using sustainable delivery practices. Over half, however, indicated they were quite/very interested…
Walmart makes a deal to automate and own the last mile
Walmart’s strategy for owning the last mile has come into clearer focus with news that the retailer has acquired the robotics automation specialist Alert Innovation. What will Walmart’s acquisition of…
Should Rite Aid put its stores under lock and key?
Rite Aid has a shrink problem in New York City and it’s forcing the drugstore retailer to consider taking aggressive measures to keep goods from being walked out the door…
