Retail Watchers

These Circle offers--they aren't incenting me to do my own shopping--I refuse to use my smartphone inside Target. Now, as I peruse the Circle offers, it's easier to create and pick up an order than it was before (don't even have to "clip" the coupon). I have no confidence, though, that I'd...

I think the Rite Aid/McKesson situation is important. Rite Aid despite continually shrinking is still a very large customer for McKesson. Safeway uses McKesson as well. I wonder at this point if McKesson is part of why Rite Aid is still around. I don't think their pharmacies are having the supply i...

https://www.freep.com/story/news/local/michigan/2024/05/29/amazon-fresh-planned-to-bring-9-michigan-sites-but-has-gone-silent/73822901007/ Not much new here but some good atmospherics...Madison Heights is in a strip currently with a BJs Warehouse and was formerly the location of a reasonably success...

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...