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Commentary and Discussion From the Retail Community
Coupon Counterfeiting Scam
Atlanta’s grocers took notice when shoppers tried to cash in computer-generated coupons giving them $150 in free merchandise, reports the city’s Journal-Constitution newspaper. The coupons, offering items such as Häagen-Dazs…
Message in a Box, Not a Bottle
Mokelumne Rim Vineyards has produced a super-premium, oak-barrel-aged zinfandel packaged in a box holding the equivalent of four 750-milliliter bottles. Marketed under the brand name, Le Cask, it retails for…
Zydeco is the Way to Go for McD’s
McDonald’s is opening a new restaurant in New Orleans, according to The Associated Press. The menu, however, will not include Big Macs. Chef Mac’s, a Cajun-style restaurant with an interior…
C-Store Sniper Strikes Again
Investigators in West Virginia are not willing to say three convenience store shooting incidents were connected, even though evidence appears to be pointing to the same weapon being used in…
Supermarket M&A Activity Up
The Food Institute says merger and acquisition activity was up in the supermarket industry in the first half of this year compared to 2002. In all, 20 M&A deals…
RFID for Improving Supply Chain – Period
A report on the CNET News.com Web site says Gillette is only interested in testing radio frequency identification (RFID) technology to improve supply chain operations. The company has no interest…
Blackout Thursday
A major power failure left consumers and businesses from New York to the Midwest in the black yesterday with many still wondering when the lights will come back on. Wal-Mart…
Grocer Tries to Stop Fights at Checkouts
Safeway in Australia is doing away with its eight items or less express lanes in an attempt to reduce arguments between customers at the checkout. The arguments, which can be…
Some May Pay More Online
An Associated Press report suggests that access to personal information may help retailers get top dollar on sales to some consumers while others pay lower prices for the same items…
Kings Not For Sale Again
Reuters reports Marks & Spencer has decided to take Kings Super Markets off the market citing current market conditions, which made it impossible for potential buyers to raise sufficient cash…
Wal-Mart Hires Image Consultant
Wal-Mart hired the consultancy of Fleishman-Hillard to research how stakeholder groups, including consumers, employees, community leaders and vendors, view the relationships each has with the retailer, reports The New York…
Drugstore.com Going Au Naturale
Drugstore.com has launched a new online store featuring natural HBC products produced by environmentally friendly companies. The natural store features the slogan “Good for You. Good for the Earth.” The…
Companies That Lose Weight Together, Stay Together
VSM Abrasives, a maker of industrial sandpaper, needed to find a way to reduce health insurance costs for its employees and so it did. The company created its “Get Healthy…
Drivers Should Be Liable For Being Drunk
The Quad City Times reports restaurant and bar owners are unhappy about a rate hike in their dram-shop insurance. The coverage offers protection for establishments sued for selling alcohol to…
Amazon Targets Future Growth With Agreement
Amazon.com and Target have extended their agreement for Amazon to provide order fulfillment and customer service for Target’s online businesses including Target.com, MarshallFields.com and Mervyns.com until August 2008. How important…
Eckerd CEO: “Shame on me and shame on us.”
Wayne Harris, Eckerd’s chairman and chief executive officer, is looking for answers after the drug store subsidiary of J.C. Penney announced weaker than expected operating results last quarter. Eckerd’s operating…
Meijer Pays Union Its Dues and Likes It
The Associated Press reported yesterday that Meijer and the United Food and Commercial Workers Union have reached a tentative agreement on a labor contract for 36,000 Michigan employees of the…
The Same Approach to Being Different
In a recent editorial, Warren Thayer describes a trip to Chicago during which he searched for a grocery operator who was trying to find points of differentiation that didn’t begin…
What’s Up With Milk Prices in Seattle?
If the government-set price for milk in the state of Washington is one of the lowest in the country, then why are consumers in Seattle and Tacoma paying more for…
Home Depot Trades Spaces With Lowe’s
Home Depot has signed an agreement with Discovery Networks, the television home of “Trading Spaces”, making the DIY retailer the sole home improvement category sponsor for the popular show. The…
Consumers Beware Retailers Bearing Discounts and Rebates
An article in The Washington Post warns consumers to be wary of sales promotion deals offered by or through retailers. It turns out, according to the piece, retailers understand consumers…
