One of the buzzwords in retailing today is the use of the word “curated” to describe a selection of merchandise.  The person who selects these goods would logically be described as a curator, which is defined by Merriam-Webster as “one who has the care and superintendence of something; especially one in charge of a museum, zoo, or… Read More

Amazon Go is the latest attempt by this giant firm to revise the future of retail. The idea behind Amazon Go is that customers can walk into the store, scan the QR codes of the items they want, and leave without any checkout procedure. Their purchases are automatically posted to their Amazon account.   The… Read More

“Holidays cast pall over department stores,” reads the headline on an Associated Press story by Joseph Pisani.  “The future of department stores seems bleak as they close locations — and thus give shoppers fewer options at the mall and more reason to just stay home and shop online,” the article states. The demise of department… Read More

Are you ready for the new version of the I-9 form that recently made its debut? Not the most exciting news for the start of 2017,  but it’s good to know that as of January 22,  all employees hired on or after that date must complete the new I-9 form to verify their identity and work… Read More

You may be wondering why today’s blog illustration is of a clock with a statue of Napoleon.  Bear with me, because there is a reason.  This post is about the need for triage after the holidays, a term that is thought to have originated from the work of Dominique Jean Larrey doing the Napoleonic Wars.  Those… Read More

We got an email today from Fishs Eddy, one of our newer suppliers, recommending their gift boxed sets of products for lazy shoppers.  At this time of year, I think the appeal should not be to lazy shoppers, but to busy ones. We want to make it as easy as possible for last-minute customers to… Read More

Don’t you love a good infographic when you want some quick ideas? They’re not really new — once source claims the first one was created In 1626, when Christoph Scheiner published a book that depicted his research about the rotation of the sun. But I’m looking at one that is less than a week old… Read More

If you are a prairie dog, it’s a good idea to keep on digging.  In fact the average prairie dog burrow is some 9’ underground, and up to 33’ long.  But in retailing, we need to pay attention to the concept of sunk cost and quit while we’re ahead. The term sunk cost, also known… Read More

We have heard so much lately about the failure of Big Data to predict the outcome of the presidential election, but we may not realize that this technology is used by large retailers to make decisions all the time.  Described by one provider as “the ocean of information we swim in every day,” big data evaluates… Read More

Are you doing all you can to tap into the corporate gift market? According to the Advertising Specialty Institute, $48 was the average purchase by companies giving gifts to clients and potential customers  last year, a 9% increase from the year before. Food and beverages were the most popular items, the ASI reports, followed by useful… Read More