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Commentary and Discussion From the Retail Community
Study sees The Great Resignation heating up in 2023
In early 2021, reports of mass numbers of employees leaving jobs in search of greener, more lucrative pastures led to the phenomenon known as The Great Resignation. A new survey…
Do Silicon Valley’s layoffs present an opportunity for retail?
Laid-off workers from Meta, Google, Twitter and other tech hubs are creating a rare opportunity for old-school sectors such as retail to snag skilled talent and accelerate digital plans. Do…
Did holiday promotions drive gains or only pain?
In the first major assessment of holiday selling, Mastercard estimated U.S. retail sales grew 7.6 percent year-over-year from November 1 through December 24. The performance topped Mastercard’s prediction that called…
McD’s gets decidedly mixed reactions to its robot servers
McDonald’s last week opened its first partially automated restaurant, with machines handling everything from taking orders to delivering the food. The opening sparked both positive and negative responses on social…
Will digital assets stay fashionable with Millennials and Gen-Zers?
A new study finds Millennials and Gen-Zers are the demographics that are purchasing digital fashion assets and fashion NFTs (non-fungible tokens) the most. Will interest by Gen-Zers and Millennials in…
Walmart Drone Delivery Breakthrough Incoming 99%
After a successful three-store pilot program, Walmart drone delivery has launched in a handful of markets, with plans to expand soon to six states. How confident are you that drone…
Will DSW’s owned brand push pay off?
Designer Brands Inc., the parent of DSW, recently set a goal to double sales of its owned brands in response to direct-to-consumer efforts by national brands. Its acquisition earlier this…
Will Amazon’s antitrust battles get worse before they get better?
Amazon has made several commitments related to business practices in Europe as part of settlement over alleged unfair treatment of third-party sellers. Do Amazon’s concessions under the European Union settlement…
Just Walk Out – Just in time or just too soon?
Amazon recently installed Just Walk Out (JWO) at a grocery retailer it does not own for the first time. 2023 will see even more buzz around the technology. Do you…
Should Barnes & Noble shift back to store-expansion mode?
Barnes & Noble looks to have stabilized and now plans to expand its store footprint next year, even amid an unpredictable economic landscape. The book seller will debut 30 new…
SPAR Ireland is all about ‘finding Christmas’ and Walmart looks at ‘all the ways we holiday’
The year 2022 has been a big one for grocery stores in the RetailWire Christmas Commercial Challenge. This week’s matchup pits SPAR Ireland, the largest convenience store chain in the…
Does Walmart Self-Checkout Make Harmful Theft Easy?
As theft from stores continues to be a big problem for Walmart, one report says both employees and customers are pointing to one factor as a particular enabler for shoplifters…
Is holiday music torturing retail workers?
At least three Change.org petitions are seeking to ban a holiday hit. One implored the FCC to prohibit the song from playing in retail corridors and on the radio called…
Where are all the retail ad dollars going?
If only the legendary merchant John Wanamaker was alive today and using digital media. He’d have less cause to say, “Half the money I spend on advertising is wasted; the…
Is porch piracy a retailer responsibility?
Since November 23, Tom Ryan has been receiving weekly email warnings about package theft at his apartment building in New York City. The notes read, “The holidays are approaching and…
Would Kroger’s smart apron calm your holiday cooking anxieties?
Marking its first-ever wearable-tech product, Kroger has developed a smart Holiday Apron that taps all five human senses to reduce the stress of holiday cooking. The apron supports an influencer-led…
Is the clock ticking on TikTok?
TikTok is facing restrictions in some U.S. states, with some government figures pushing for more comprehensive, and even federal, bans, with big implications for brands and retailers promoting content on…
Will Walmart throw high-price suppliers off the shelf?
Inflation has become enough of an issue to rattle Walmart’s everyday low price positioning and the chain is considering taking a drastic move that may keep its customers happy, but…
‘Just in time’ and ‘just in case’ systems leave retailers with too much inventory
Too many retailers had the bad habit of over-buying long before the pandemic created the supply chain chaos we are still living through. “Just in time” systems failed to prevent…
Can Express find success teaming up with Toys ‘R’ Us’ owner?
Express is one of many apparel brands struggling to find new relevance without the draw they once enjoyed during the heyday of the shopping mall. Now the brand is entering…
Will Super Saturday be the most super ever?
Tomorrow is going to be a big day for retail, perhaps the biggest. A record number of consumers are expected to go shopping tomorrow (AKA Super Saturday), according to a forecast…
