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Commentary and Discussion From the Retail Community
National Academy of Sciences Wants to Change American Diet
The National Academy of Sciences has issued new exercise and dietary guidelines suggesting that people double their exercise, cutback on foods with added sugar and increase fiber in the diet…
McDonald’s Customers Aren’t Smiling
In an internal memo, McDonald’s described its hourly employees as rude, slow and bungling. Is customer service in fast food operators any worse today than it has ever been? What…
You’re as Old as Your Clothes
A recent study on how consumers dress found that 12% of people wear clothes they believe make them look either younger or older. What are the most effective ways…
Fleming Fights Back
Yesterday, Fleming’s shares fell more than 20 percent as the market reacted to a class-action lawsuit against the company alleging that Fleming misled shareholders about its financial conditions. Fleming is…
Good News and Bad News for Kmart
Kmart’s Joe Boxer line has turned out to be a big hit , however the retailer expects further bumps ahead in the road as it attempts to emerge from Chapter…
Sears Stops Selling Offending T-shirts
Sears has stopped selling a line of T-shirts that critics said were making fun of the mentally ill. The National Alliance for the Mentally Ill (NAMI) acknowledged Sears’ action and…
Consumers Clip Coupons to Save
The PMA’s Coupon Council has announced September as National Coupon Month. Their recent survey found that more than half of the respondents redeemed coupons in the last year…
Analyst Downgrades Pathmark and Opens Rumor Mill
Pathmark’s share price fell to a two-year low after Gary Giblen, analyst, C.L. King & Associates downgraded his investment rating on the chain from “strong buy” to neutral. Can Pathmark…
Will Teens Make New 7UP Theirs?
Cadbury Schweppes will be introducing a new green, fruit-flavored version of 7UP targeted to teens, branded with the 7UP name spelled upside-down – dnL. Will the new 7UP be…
Big and Small Boxes Pumped Up for Gas Wars
Mass merchandisers and supermarkets now account for 5.5% of retail gasoline sales nationally up from 3.9% at the beginning of the year. This share number is expected to reach…
McDonald’s Cuts Trans-Fatty Acids in Fries
McDonald’s is reducing the trans-fatty acids in its fries by 47%. The reformulated french fries are expected to be rolled out in all McDonald’s U.S. restaurants by February 2003. Which…
Price Optimization Systems Increase Retail Profits
Retailers as diverse as Longs Drugs, Meijer, Saks and Winn-Dixie are utilizing automated optimization systems to improve pricing decisions and increase gross margins by as much as 10 percent. How…
Supermarket Distributes New Degradable Plastic Bags
An English supermarket is distributing a 100% degradable plastic bag to its shoppers to reduce landfill waste. What role should the retail and CPG manufacturing industries play in protecting the…
Female Associates May Sue Wal-Mart Over Birth Control Policy
Female employees of Wal-Mart denied health insurance coverage for birth control can sue the company as part of a class-action suit after a ruling last Friday by a U.S. District…
Michelob Shape Shifts for Younger Crowd
Anheuser-Busch is preparing to reposition Michelob against imports with a bottle redesign. Does A-B need to recast Michelob’s image to grow the brand with twenty-one and something consumers?
Parenthood Hits Glass Ceiling
A new study predicts that parenthood will be behind the next big wave of gender-discrimination lawsuits. Is parenthood an impediment to career advancement, particularly for women? Is it discrimination or…
Businesses Cry for More Tax Cuts
According to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s chief economist, further tax cuts are necessary to keep the U.S. economy afloat, particularly as downside risks to economic growth remain. Are further…
Kids of Boomers Shop Till They Drop
Children of baby boomers are surpassing their parents in size and impact as the most coveted market ever. How are N Geners affecting retail marketing and merchandising strategies and tactics?…
Kmart Speaks Spanish
Kmart says it will publish a Spanish-language version of its weekly advertising circular to be featured in 10 Spanish-language newspapers nationwide and in 160 stores serving large Hispanic communities beginning…
Target 86es 88
Target is pulling red-and-black baseball caps and shorts carrying the insignia “88” off the shelves of its 1,100 stores nationwide. Did Target make the right decision in pulling its “88”…
One Third of Americans Are Pre-Diabetic
As many as one in three Americans has a condition called insulin resistance syndrome, putting them at high risk of diabetes and heart disease, according to a committee of experts…
