Retail Watchers

Not seeing here in Michigan the dire reports you're reporting from CA.

Interestingly, the clearance sections universally (i.e. at all stores) have cold/flu merchandise (generally more esoteric SKUs and CPAP/digital thermometer merchandise) recently added around here.

When I was at KFC in the late 80s the lifespan of a KFC box was 30 years...I don't think they have done anything that would cause a step-change in that life since; the reasoning was that the technology and decor/setup/offering changes the older buildings become obsolete. You can see that as they hav...

Albertsons definitely failed with the Plated meal kits, those only lasted two years. It is strange Safeway launched Ready Meals instead of trying to re-launch Plated. I'm not sure when these stores will give up on these programs and quit tolerating the shrink. When they work at all it is always in ...

I think y'all are missing the point here....this is nothing more/less than retail and restaurant has always done to fill their management pipeline...in the 50s (at least) onward all the chains (both department, Sears/Penney and dime store) had pipeline programs....they have just migrated toward Targ...

Re: AT&T--very common to have the proprietary pre-pay service of any of the carriers only work on their network...post-pay is allowed all feasible carriers. The days for mandated coverage ended in 2008 with the analog sunset. Re Kroger---this would be a terrible move optics-wise; and you're righ...

To do a successful upper-end private label (cough, Presidents' Choice, cough) you've got to have dedicated product teams who have the mandate to create interesting offerings within the realm of the shopper you've got/want to get. It can't be a second-job for a mass private label product team. You mi...

Spent a few days in St. Louis, and strolled through the new Dierbergs in Crestwood (the successor development to the 1957-era Crestwood Plaza which has taken about 15 years to be re-developed with housing and a grocery-strip). Directly across Watson from Schnucks (itself the successor to the final L...

Not sure that extending Hy-Vee trucks along I-80 another couple hours from their furthest east extent now would work very well (isn't most of Hy-Vee's distribution along I-35 between Osceola and West Des Moines)

Honestly, it would be kind of malpractice-y for any competitor to NOT go after Kroger in their uninvolved-with-Albertsons markets (while they're distracted). If Meijer (for instance) isn't taking this opportunity to go for the jugular in Michigan/Indiana and go after them while distracted with poten...

Just visited Palm Springs RA---what I've got to think is a high-volume store. From the entry, store looks great--fully stocked. As you walk down the diagonal aisle toward the pharmacy, there are some out-of-stocks in various categories but appears more to be specific manufacturers (i.e. impending re...