Third party delivery workers may not be employees of Chick-fil-A, but they are critical to the restaurant’s performance as it expands in NYC. The chicken chain has opened a storefront pop-up where gig workers can take a break between deliveries. How do you expect Chick-fil-A’s Brake Room to affect its relationship with delivery workers in New York?

New Orleans-based PJ’s Coffee is offering franchise opportunities to open up coffee shops inside high schools with the foremost purpose of providing vocational skills to students. What do you think of retailers opening stores inside high schools to provide class-accredited business skills to students?

Mental health oriented messaging is quickly becoming table stakes for retailers that cater to next gen consumers. Seventy-one percent of Gen Z consumers like when brands make mental health a part of their marketing, according to the American Psychological Association. Will Gen Z consumers become more or less interested in positive mental health messaging in the coming years?

Artists Sunday, a new artist-focused retail holiday, looks like it is picking up steam in an already crowded calendar of holiday shopping days and its organizers hope to make it the most profitable day of the year for local artists. Should regional and national chain retailers consider partnering with local artists for Artists Sunday?

A new university study finds being asked to donate at cash registers heightens anxiety for shoppers, despite good intentions. Do you see donation requests at checkout as more of a positive or negative to the in-store shopping experience?

A new recommerce venture offers all of the benefits of buying second hand plus a means to help fund social service programs in local communities, such as job training and youth mentorship. Do you see retailers trying to raise the visibility of their secondhand offerings in light of rising prices?

Timed to International Youth Day, The Body Shop has launched a youth voter engagement and registration drive across its U.S. stores and website ahead of the November midterm elections. Does Body’s Shop’s voter engagement and registration campaign make sense for the cosmetics chain as well as for many other retailers?

On July 19, Canada will celebrate its third annual Grocery Heroes Day, an industry-backed holiday meant to honor frontline grocery workers. Should the U.S. grocery industry adopt its own version of a heroes day for frontline workers?

Retailers in Miami, San Diego and Cambridge, MA, have joined those in other cities in recent years complaining about the addition of protected bike lanes, although studies show they eventually drive shopper traffic. How confident are you that bike lanes elevate retail traffic for local communities even when they replace parking spots?

The Pedigree brand has launched a program designed to keep pandemic puppies and other dogs in their forever homes even at a time when many pet parents are finding it more difficult to make ends meet. Are programs designed to alleviate pet homelessness essential for retailers in the pet products business?

L.L.Bean is taking a vacation from social media. The retailer on Monday hit pause on making any social media posts for the month and left a “Gone fishin’ – See you on June 1” message on its Instagram page. What do you think of L.L.Bean’s decision to hit pause on its social media posts for the month of May?

Office Depot is combining humanity and technology to become more customer focused. Are retailers generally more focused on technology than human intelligence? Is store personnel expertise leveraged as much as it should be?

On March 22, 2021 a gunman opened fire inside the Table Mesa King Soopers grocery store in Boulder, CO. A year later, how have King Soopers and Kroger done? What lessons can be learned from how Table Mesa King Soopers responded to its crisis?

Over the last couple of years, major retailers have increasingly offered discounts to teachers during the back-to-school season. Now some retailers and brands are extending their promotions even further. Should other retailers that offer teacher discounts consider extending them beyond the back-to-school season as Meijer has done?

American Express said sales on the 12th Small Business Saturday, November 27, reached an all-time high, but other reports point to challenges facing local shops this holiday season. Are Small Business Saturday and overall buy-local movements losing or gaining momentum at this stage of the pandemic?

Giant Food has become the latest grocer to partner with Flashfood, an app that lets customers save money and reduce food waste by purchasing items near their “best by” or “sell by” dates. What do you think of the potential of Flashfood, Too Good To Go and other apps designed to reduce food waste?

Meal kits appear to be experiencing a resurgence at the present moment and one startup in Georgia is meeting demand while offering those who would not normally be able to afford the product an opportunity to buy it.  Do you see a “pay what you want” model having a benefit for meal kit brands and other companies?

With a seemingly never-ending series of hurricanes, floods, wildfires, earthquakes and other natural disasters, federal authorities can quickly become overwhelmed. Reactions to Hurricane Ida again show how large retailers often help fill the void. What should be the first, second and third priorities in how big box retailers respond to natural disasters?

Drawing inspiration from Pokemon Go, a new loyalty program in Olympia, WA, rewards downtown visitors for “checking in” with their mobile phones at local stores, restaurants, bars and entertainment venues. How should downtown shopping districts design loyalty programs to provide the greatest benefit for the retailers involved?

Environmentalism was already on the rise before the novel coronavirus pandemic, but a recent study indicates that since the pandemic, consumers are even more driven by environmental concerns. Do you think that most retailers are engaged in good faith efforts to reduce their environmental impact, or is greenwashing commonplace?

The “Save my business!” plea that helped many local stores and restaurants salvage sales in the early months of the pandemic is losing relevance as the economy and job market recovers, according to a new survey. Have local retailers begun to lose much of their pandemic-related support and goodwill?

Kroger has just joined a few other retailers in launching a contest in search of new suppliers. The competition encourages local and regional growers across fresh categories to apply online for a chance to partake in the Go Fresh & Local Supplier Accelerator. What do you think of competitions and pitch programs as a path for retailers to discover new brands?

Starbucks has partnered with Arizona State University to open an innovation center dedicated to testing environmental sustainability initiatives.  Does establishing separate innovation centers focusing on sustainable solutions make sense for retailers?

New research suggests there is little downside for companies offering free products to Americans who have gotten vaccinated against COVID-19. Where do you come down on the business case for retailers offering promotional rewards to people getting COVID-19 vaccines?

Regional grocer Schnuck Markets’ latest store concept experiment will let customers get themselves fashionably outfitted while getting their groceries. Do you see a lasting trend in supermarkets partnering with non-grocery brands on store-within-a-store concepts?

Toms, the pioneer of the one-for-one charitable model, will no longer donate a pair of shoes to a child for each pair purchased. Instead, it plans to give a third of annual profits to local community-focused organizations. What, if anything, does Toms’ decision to end its one-for-one charity model say about cause marketing at this point in time?

For the 22nd year, ShopRite associates will be featured on limited-edition Cheerios boxes to recognize their efforts fighting hunger in their local communities. Do you see significantly more advantages in using employees to support campaigns over models, influencers and celebrities?

Retailers and other companies are very keen to get employees and customers on the COVID-19 vaccine bandwagon with the hope of bringing their businesses back to some semblance of pre-pandemic normalcy. Do you expect to see large numbers of promotional offers from retailers and brands around COVID-19 vaccinations?

During the pandemic, successful brands were able to adapt an online presence to build trust and establish a deeper level of connection with the customers, teams and communities they serve. Do brands and retailers have an authenticity perception problem with consumers?

Nursing home residents and staff have been among the hardest hit populations since the pandemic broke out in 2020. Yet 60 percent of those working in nursing homes and 20 percent of residents say they would refuse the vaccine. Do you think vaccine reluctance will dissipate as more and more Americans are immunized against COVID-19?

Communities that have long had trouble attracting grocers that sell fresh and nutritious foods may find they have pulled the short straw when it comes to COVID-19 vaccinations, as well.  What do you see as the biggest internal and external challenges facing retail pharmacies when it comes to immunizing large numbers of people against COVID-19?

Surveys show consumers are eager to buy from independent retailers and restaurants faced with challenges created by the spread of COVID-19. Some of this community support may have been extended to local farmers and food purveyors as well. In what ways have you witnessed the local foods movement gaining momentum during the pandemic?

While many businesses have added tech services due to the pandemic, two direct-to-consumer brands featured in a virtual session at the 2021 NRF Big Show doubled down on existing brand values. How important do you think company values are when it comes to successfully navigating a disaster, and what advice do you have for institutionalizing those values?

Girl Scouts of the USA has kicked off its 2021 cookie drive with a partnership with Grubhub. It marks its first collaboration with a national delivery service as the national organization pivots to online selling and contact-free delivery during the pandemic. How can Girl Scout cookie selling be reimagined during a pandemic?

Even with COVID having a near existential impact on many retailers, the focus will remain squarely on corporate social responsibility (CSR) like never before in 2021.  Are companies being held to higher standards by consumers when it comes to proving commitments to corporate social responsibility?

A website with a provocative domain has seemingly overnight become a go-to directory to reach more than 4,000 independent stores across four Canadian cities. The success is more surprising considering it was created by a social media manager as a side project with no plans to make money. Would a website such as Not-Amazon.ca work in the U.S.?

In time for New Year’s Eve, North Carolina and Oregon have joined at least 30 other states in allowing restaurants and bars to sell mixed drinks for offsite consumption. Do you see more pros than cons in allowing sales of to-go cocktails?

It is not uncommon to find a table stacked with discount books for sale outside of a bookstore in Manhattan. Now, New York City hopes to motivate other retailers to take on outdoor selling as a way to keep their doors open.  Will an Open Storefront-like solution work for retailers dealing with the likely continuation of COVID-19 restrictions on shopping?

Gift giving during the novel coronavirus pandemic could drive the heaviest season for package delivery in history and Krispy Kreme is showing appreciation to the people who will be working to make it happen. Do you think more promotions like Krispy Kreme’s should be aimed at delivery workers, mailer carriers, etc., year round?

A Target store near its Minneapolis headquarters gained national attention in May when it was looted. Now, the retailer is reopening the store with the goal of doing better by this community going forward. What is your assessment of Target’s response to racial equality protests in Minneapolis and elsewhere?

Santa Monica is running a scavenger hunt to support local businesses. Participants are encouraged to visit local businesses this month with a chance to be entered into a sweepstakes to win $1,000 in merchandise. What creative solutions do you see helping to amplify efforts around shop local campaigns?

The retail world is anticipating a difficult Halloween season, but retailers, grocers and brands have begun exploring creative strategies that could save the holiday. Do you think promoting boo bags, holding curbside trick-or-treating events and employing other creative Halloween-themed strategies will enable retailers to have a successful Halloween?

Mall of America is donating temporary space to several local businesses hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic and civil unrest. Do you see Mall of America gaining more than good press from Community Commons?

Patagonia, known for its environmental roots, added the message “Vote the a**holes out” to the back of label tags on some products as a statement against climate change. Do you see more risks than benefits to Patagonia’s move to elevate its political messaging amid the election cycle?

With a tagline “Shop Brooklyn, Not Bezos,” Cinch Market is a newer online marketplace aggregating the inventory of local Brooklyn businesses to support same-day delivery. What do you see as the potential pros and cons of the Cinch Market business model?

The Red Wing Shoe Co. announced that instead of offering sales discounts on its boots, it will help unemployed Americans by promoting job opportunities within its organization and at other businesses.  Will Red Wing Shoes’ #LaborDayOn initiative elevate the brand and its sales in the U.S.?

Retailers have at least three paths to join in on the upcoming elections: giving their employees time off to vote, encouraging customers to go to the polls and selling election merchandise. What advice would you give retailers and brands for taking advantage of marketing or merchandising opportunities around the upcoming presidential election?

For its first California Power Store, Foot Locker has committed to hiring local by partnering with the City of Compton to recruit talent within a five-mile radius of the location. Should hiring local be a priority for retailers, and is it a feasible goal for most?

Walmart Wellness Live, a three-day online health and wellness event, will kick off on Friday with the goal of providing customers with simple ways to improve their lives through better nutrition, exercise and mental health activities. Are American consumers at this time looking for more health content online from retailers and brands?

Consumers’ recently renewed refocus on their local communities amid the pandemic will become a long-term trend bringing about the “Decade of the Home,” according to an Accenture study. Is the “Decade of the Home” ahead of us as Accenture predicts?