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Commentary and Discussion From the Retail Community
Retailer Can’t Afford to Change for the Disabled
A report in the Sacramento Bee last week covered a court case brought against Mervyn’s by Californians for Disability Rights alleging the retailer is violating state law by not providing…
Whodunnit – Sorting Through the Fleming Rubble
The Topeka Capital-Journal provides a post mortem report on Fleming that says the wholesaler died because of its reliance on Kmart and suppliers’ demand for upfront payment before goods were…
The Pantry Loads Up On Gold Gallon Stores
The Pantry convenience store chain has signed an agreement to purchase 138 Gold Gallon convenience stores from Ahold USA, reports Reuters. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. According to…
Sears Softer Side Firmed Up By Lands’ End
Sears stores selling Lands’ End clothing posted apparel sales two to four percent higher than those that didn’t, reports the Internet Retailer Web site. The consumer response to Lands’ End…
PublixDirect Goes Offline
Publix Super Markets announced on Friday it was closing its PublixDirect shopping service. Maria Rodamis, a spokesperson for Publix said the decision was made because, “The service did not…
Associates Paid Too Much
Labor costs, particularly those in unionized businesses, have put supermarkets at a competitive disadvantage against non-union competitors such as Wal-Mart, reports Reuters. Mark Husson, a Merrill Lynch supermarket industry analyst…
Rethinking How to Deal with Spam
The more effort and dollars are spent on trying to rid the Internet of spam, the bigger the problem becomes. According to a Wall Street Journal report, “Efforts to…
Retailers Go Up Front with Wi-Fi
Wi-Fi technology is being used for more than just warehouse and backroom tracking inventory by a growing number of retailers and other companies who have discovered these systems can substantially…
Nothing’s Made in America
An Industry Week article asks if the ‘Made in America’ label still matters to consumers. The piece points out that even Wal-Mart, the poster company of American retailing, has…
Zero Calorie Slurpee Debuts
7-Eleven has announced it is rolling out a new Diet Pepsi Slurpee today. The 0-calorie beverage is a first of its kind at 7-Eleven with a target consumer audience of…
Targeting Back-to-School Deals
WPXI 11, a local television station in Pittsburgh, went shopping for back-to-school supplies and found Target had lower prices than Wal-Mart, Staples, OfficeMax and Super Kmart. The items chosen were…
Layoffs Predicted
Optimism in the economy may be evident in recent retail sales figures and the performance of stocks, but the outplacement firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas is cautioning that unemployment may…
Albertsons-Savon Remodels Complete in El Paso
Albertsons says it has completed remodels to offer a complete food store and a complete drug store shopping experience under one roof at all eight of its El Paso, Tx…
Dude, You’ve Got Savings
Dell has announced price cuts of up to 22 percent on computers, printers and other items it sells. The move is not unusual for the company, according to a Reuters…
Credit Card Thief Caught, Say NC Authorities
Police in North Carolina have arrested a Maryland man on 10 counts of financial identity fraud, according to The Associated Press. Authorities claim the man was in possession of 1,700…
Walgreens Espanol Goes Online
Walgreens has become the first national pharmacy retailer to launch a Spanish language Web site to meet the needs of its Hispanic consumers. The new site will provide consumers with…
Why It’s More Important Than Ever Not to Be Overpriced
“Price continues to be an important element in the shopper’s value equation, but it’s not always clear what this means in today’s retail environment”, writes RetailWire BrainTrust panelist, Bill Bishop…
Starbucks Banks on New Location
The Albany Times Union reports Starbucks will open a full-service shop inside a branch of a Charter One bank next month. Charter One plans to keep the branch open from…
Creating the Shopping Experience
The Food Marketing Institute’s (FMI) Todd Hultquist says supermarkets ‘want consumers to think of shopping as fun, not a chore.’ One-way stores are looking to accomplish this goal is by…
The Low-carb Big Time
USA Today reports that the low-carb lifestyle has gone mainstream as millions abandon popular dietary wisdom in search of weight loss via bacon consumption. Specialty shops (200 and counting) are…
Association Calls For Blackout Relief
The Associated Food Dealers of Michigan are calling for $75 million in disaster relief for the state’s food industry to deal with the losses incurred as the result of last…
