Drugs Will Again Lure Customers

One of the most clever things a store can do is uncover a way to simply get more customers walking in the doors.  Everything else (sales) tends to fall into place once you figure out how to do that.  And these days no idea is left unturned, so it’s news when someone figures out how [...]

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Tell Me Something About Linens -N- Things…

They’re considering bankruptcy, right?  So how did they fail while Bed Bath & Beyond has not?  I mean that with all sincerity.  I really want to learn something from this: What does BB&B do right that Linens -N-Things does not?  Because I think they are very similar.
LnT posted $2.79 billion in sales last year, but [...]

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Wal-Mart’s Linux Test Explained

There was much tech media hullabaloo when Wal-Mart decided to discontinue its test of the Everex Linux-based PC.  And every report I read was wrong. 
Again I’d like to commend the buyers at Wal-Mart for Check Out Blog.  How many other retailers are trying to be transparent?  In this case, Computer Buyer Ryan Halford posted straight [...]

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That Didn’t Take Long: iTunes Now #1

On February 26th iTunes moved into 2nd amongst music retailers.  And I said this:
“(Behind Wal-Mart.  Which sucks, because I’m ready for iTunes to be #1.  Wal-Mart carries a crappy, streamlined, force-fed selection of music appropriate only for fans of top 40, pop, and country-western music. No, no, and no.)  iTunes will pass Wal-Mart eventually.”
Welp, now [...]

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Watch Wal-Mart Pwn America

Just curious, but how does this video (demonstrating Wal-Mart store openings since the company’s birth) make you feel?

A) Neat-o. I like shiny things.
B) Proudly capitalistic
C) A tad alarmed
D) Flat-out nauseous
It’s pretty amazing, no matter how you feel about Wal-Mart. One thing’s for sure, they are the retail powerhouse.

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Wal-Mart Buyers Blog! Honestly!

I just gained a brand new respect for Wal-Mart.  This New York Times article nearly knocked me out of my chair.
Wal-Mart buyers (aka merchants, aka merchandise managers) are openly blogging.  They are encouraged to do so.  They are blogging not only about their personal lives but about the products they choose for resale in Wal-Mart [...]

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Apple is #2 at Something Again

You know, I’ve long maintained that the most amazing thing Apple has pulled out of its hat isn’t any of its lovely desktop or laptop computers, not it’s operating system, not any of the nonstop stream of iPods, not the Apple Stores, and not the iPhone.

It’s iTunes.  ‘Twas announced today that iTunes is now the [...]

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Target Gets Bigger, Better, Greener

Target announced today two new store prototypes expected to launch in 2009, not-so-descriptively named P2009 (general-merchandise stores, which don’t sell groceries) and S2009 (SuperTargets, which do sell groceries). 
In both prototypes there will be more focus on food and pharmacies will move to a more prominent location.  Both will feature more floor space for electronics.  And both types [...]

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Finding Stores via 411

I’ll never ever ever dial 411 again thanks to 800-FREE-411, or 800-GOOG-411.  No one deserves to be charged a few bucks just to track down a phone number or address.  This isn’t about GOOG-411, just wanted to throw that plug in there.  This is about which retail stores people are looking for when they use [...]

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Good Luck CompUSA Vets… Retailers, Take Note

CompUSA has gone out of business with the start of the new year.  They struggled the last few years, closing 126 stores earlier in 2007, and finally liquidating in December.
There are plenty of places on the Web for you to find CompUSA-bashers if you’re into that sort of thing, but I’m not doing that here.  From [...]

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