The New Frugality

I'm all for saving a buck or two. Snatching something on sale, striking a deal, or getting something for nothing. Yet, I'm also one of of those types that gather coupons in my house and car, dragging them out for redemption two days after expiry. I have tried to read flyers and check sales, but I just get bored and end up shopping at the same places as always. After all, no matter what I might hope for, wine and camembert just never seem to be good items to hang your frugal hat on.

So I read, with a certain amount of bemused fascination, an article on the "new frugality" that people have embraced. Of course frugal living is a by-product of the recent economic malaise. Coupon hoarders have been around for decades. Carrying in their binders and organizers packed with clipped bargains, we've all heard the stories of these "coupon heads" leaving the grocery store with carts of food stuffs and paying $1.25.

But that is passe. The new frugal living folk fill blogs with tips and tidbits on extreme frugalness. Splitting two ply toilet paper into two rolls, grabbing ketcchup packs from fast food restaurants for home use, and in one case, bragging that you live in a house without a toilet (Which of course saves you a great deal in the two ply to one ply activity). At the most extreme, the new frugal folks even recycle and reuse dental floss. These activities might save a few pennies, but they hardly seem sensible, or even very practical.

For retail and service industries, all these uber frugal practices create one big headache. Frugalites brag of their conquests with restaurants to score free meals with their endless criticism of minor imperfections. After chowing down on free burgers, they go shopping, scoring discounts for slight imperfections in clothing. Asking for (and receiving) dollars off on products that are slightly banged and bruised. When that does not work, they go dumpster diving, looking for case off merchandise and food.
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Whats the lesson here? Well for one, "The Retail Muse" is far too high maintenance to unroll toilet paper and reuse dental floss. Besides that, awareness if the lesson of the day. While these individuals might be the extreme of frugal living, College stores should be aware of this movement, and assess their customer refund and discount expectations in light of the possibility of uber frugalists living on campus.

Beware the new frugalist, and grab only as many ketchup packs as you need for one meal.

Retailing Spring

Spring has sprung! As the sun shines and the unpronounceable Icelandic volcano quiets down, The Retail Muse has found a few weird and wonderful items while trend spotting. Garden postcards, Heart attack burgers, runway sounds, bra sizes and carstaches. Nothing says spring like carstaches!

Monster Fast Food
The latest foodie trend seems to be the heart attack inducing burgers peddled by fast food companies. After the 2007 introduction of the mega Wendy's Baconater, now KFC brings out the "Double Down", a concoction of bacon and cheese and sauce between two pieces of chicken. These fatty, enormous calorie sandwiches are part of an extreme junk food movement. While definitely not healthy, they seem to be more of a shock fad than an actual dietary suggestion. Still, even the New York Times food critic got in the act, chowing down on the KFC burger, calling it a "new low". Is it any wonder that people are getting bigger and bigger? Which brings us to:

Bra Sizes
Yes it's true. Bra sizes are getting bigger. Manufacturers and retailers report there is a growing demand for bigger and bigger bras in response to the whole obesity epidemic. The median bra size a decade ago was 36C. Now demand is growing for DD, DDD, G Cups. According to "Fashion Gossip Weekly" some bra builders are looking to manufacture a K Cup.

Life in On Line Grocery?
The on line grocery business is growing. Well for FreshDirect anyway, a company that has built a profitable online business in delivering groceries to urbanites in New York and New Jersey. Unlike all the other companies that tried and failed, FreshDirect has been successful in focusing on heavily urban areas where convenience and lack of a car, makes shopping on line a great deal of sense. They are planning to expand into other high density areas in the country. Interestingly, the overall profits for FreshDirect is almost 10% - much higher than the 6.2% reported by Kroger, the largest US Supermarket. There's money in those online apples.

Fashionable Sounds
Wondering what to play at your next fashion show? Bach? Beethoven? Air Supply? Agenga.inc compiled a list of the most played songs at fashion shows in Paris, Milan, New York and London. The top ten list included songs by Iggy Pop, Franz Ferdinand, Michael Jackson, Duran Duran and even the Beatles. Top songs (with video links) include:
Dimestore Diamond by Gossip
Shoes by Tiga
No You Girls by Franz Ferdinand

Tori and Dean and IKEA
IKEA is teaming up with Tori Spelling and Dean McDermott in their latest reality show venture. Tori and Dean will travel the country on a road trip (watch out all!), and somewhere along the way (at least for two episodes), IKEA will perform a kitchen makeover for a happy guest. Will Tori and Dean put the IKEA kitchen together themselves? Stay tuned.

Scratch and sniff
Germany is releasing scratch and sniff postage stamps (you remember postage stamps and letters right?). In four fruity flavors like lemon and blueberry. They even raise money for charity. You can see them here. Order some today and send a scented letter to your loved one.

Macho Grills
If smelly postage is not manly enough for you, check out http://www.carstache.com/. Another of the ever growing category of "you can't make this stuff up", is giant mustaches that can be affixed to the grill of your muscle car. You can order the "Classic Black Stache", or the Hulk Hogan like "legendary Blonde", and so much more.. One can only marvel at the business acumen to come up with this idea, and who the buyers are. Slap on your stache and gun your engines!

Garden Postcards
Here's a great little product. It's a gift card that opens up to create a 3D Victorian garden. Sprinkle the included seeds and display in a sunny spot. Viola a small little postcarden. Great idea. You can find out more about this company (including wholesale orders) at http://www.postcarden.com/

The Business Book Olympic Medal Round

Seems like the last week or so, it's all Olympics all the time. I try desperately to understand the nuances of curling, or the judging of skating, or what Ice dancing is all about. In between the 1800 heats of 723 individual speed skating events, I had some time to catch up on my reading and found some medal contenders for fine business book reads.

Gold Medal
Goes to "Switch: How to Change Things when Change is Hard" Written by Chip and Dan Heath (columnists with Fast Company magazine), the book is a brightly written tome on how to bring about change in everyday life, both personally and work related. A whole host of analogies and examples are given, centering around the concept of getting the rider and the elephant he is on, to go in the riders direction of choice. Although there is a dearth of these enthusiastic "I can do it!" books out there, this is one of the smarter, and more sound choices in the field, although I'm not completely sold on the whole Angelina Jolie change example as being one that any of us can emulate in any practical way.

An exclusive excerpt is available on the Fast Company Website HERE, as well as some handy hints from the authors, about handling everyday elephants in the workplace, HERE.

Silver Medal
Awarded to Lewis Maltby, Author of "Can They Do That?", a summary of rights in the workplace and employment law. Maltby is founder of the National Workrights Institute, so his dialogue skews decidedly pro employee. Yet, his true employee examples are fascinating and often frightening to hear. A good read for anyone in the workforce. Lessons to be learned, for employees and employers about basic rights and appropriate actions. You can hear Maltby talk about his book, and read more of his examples, HERE

Bronze Medal
Is slipped around the necks of Robert McChesney and John Nicols, for their book "The Death and Life of American Journalism" . Both authors set out to illustrate the free fall of national news media, detailing the loss of city newspapers, journalists, and news bureaus. The numbers are staggering, and they point out that the level of journalism and news reporting of the past is all but gone and not being replaced by on line content.

Of course the decline in news publishing is all about money. Corporations demanding higher and higher profits, as advertising revenues shrink. I'm not sold on their proposal to save the newspaper industry, but that aside, it is highly recommended for anyone wondering about the fate of newspapers and journalism in America.

Also noted
Not true medal contenders, but the Dallas news has a good article HERE on the Container Store Co Founder going undercover in his store to assess customer service and staff sales ability. A practical and interesting article, clearly on the heels of the new TV Show "Undercover Boss". I figure every CEO in the country will be going undercover soon, but that is not necessarily a bad thing. The article has some good basic advice for any store manager, just ignore some of the hokey sales pitches that are touted.

Finally, all medals aside, I couldn't help but find a couple of things that, well, just fall into that weird and wonderful category. The first is the American Academy of Pediatrics wanting manufacturers to redesign the hot dog. Presumably the lowly dog, already much maligned for it's contents, is the number one choking hazard for children. Now that's a concern yes, but adding warning labels to the packaging and making the dog less cylindrical? Hmm.

Second, I found this great, lovely, kitchy song from the 1970's by the group "Buddy and the Boys", called "Working at the Woolco Manager Trainee Blues" Remember Woolco? Woolworths? - well this song brings back memories of the store for me. Hard to find a lot of retail type songs, but this one is on my play list, for evoking memories of $1.44 day specials and bad cafeteria food.

Of Fonts and Hamburgers

February is the cruelest month. The cold, the snow, the gray dreary existence of February, makes shopping for retail trends a less than rewarding task. But beside the endless commentary of Super Bowl 2010 Commercials, "The Retail Muse" has been spending time baking up some inspirational fonts, chowing down on $600 burgers and shucking Times New Roman for a typeface that's a little more creative.

What Font are you?
If there is a car that matches your aesthetic, your dog looking like you, or a color that provides you energy, there must be a font that says volumes about who you are. Enter, "what type are you?", a website that asks you a few questions, and provides a font and typeface that is all about you. Give up on the Times New Roman default and discover your true passion in fonts like "COOPER" (for those imposing types), "EXPANDED ANTIQUE" (for those looking to make a big impression), and BASKERVILLE ITALIC, ( A font that says you are well read, but a little short sighted).

You don't have to be a "typeface geek" to play. Choose the font that shows the world how assertive, emotional or traditional you are. After all, Wouldn't your budget presentations look so much better in Perpetuta Tilting Light?

You can go through the fun Freudian exercise (complete with your font therapist talking you through four questions), at www.pentagram.com/what-type-are-you. You'll need to turn your speakers on, and enter your name to discover your typeface enigma. "The Muse" typeface is Bifur, a font that is both bold and subtle. Not a bad description! Let's hear what typeface YOU are. Leave a comment and let us know your font!

Baking typefaces
Once you know your font, time to bake cookies! If you are into sugar, cookies and the Helvetica font, you can now order cookie cutters shaped like fonts from http://www.beverlyhsu.com/cookies.html. If your budget proposal doesn't go over well with your deep meaning font, at least you can sway em with your new font-cookies!

The Value of Nothing
Readable economics treatise are rare, but a new book, by economist Raj Patel, is on "The Muse" bedside table. Called "the Value of Nothing", Patel points out the hidden cost of endless consumerism, and shows how that lunchtime burger at the fast food joint should really cost you $600 bucks once you add up all the costs. A fascinating and well written read. Naomi Klein just called it "Deeply Thought-provoking.....a brilliant book"

Patel is making the rounds, so if the book is not your gig, check him out on public radio, PBS and all the business talk shows. He's a great writer, and a charming interview. You can also check it all out at http://rajpatel.org/

A thought about Haiti

As "The Muse:" thinks about his nephew, Andrew, a UN Peacekeeper, lost in Haiti, a few things stand out in the last week.

First, How can you not notice the power of text messaging right now? Check out this story from the New York Times. Reporting on the $20 million in donations raised last weekend, all from texting donations.

Isn't it amazing? That $20 million plus can be raised just by people texting their financial support for a disaster? Finally a "good" reason for text messages. A defensible rationale for the ubiquitous text message. If it is convenient, and easy, to text your friends about what pub you've settled into, or the concert you're seeing, then obviously the ability to text donations for a disaster like Haiti is a step ahead of the mobile text curve.

To raise so much money, and to offer so much support, in such an easy fashion, is a good example of the power of mobile devices. No longer does the moment of existential angst and emotional resonance pass unnoticed. Now the moment is there, right at your fat fingertips, a quick few seconds to text a word and there it is. Your commitment is done. Your support is finalized. A text to save the world, or at least to help a nation.

Thanks to all those who spent a minute or so to support the survivors of Haiti. Thanks, to those who think of the peacekeepers, the UN Troops, and the ground personnel, like doctors and nurses. Giving their time so willingly. Because of you, we can move beyond this tragedy, fix the problems, and above all, move back to thinking about events and trends that don't hurt and scare.

peace

the retail muse

Ten4Ten - The Muse predicts 2010

"The Retail Muse" has hauled out the crystal ball, blown off the dust from January 2009, and peeked through the haze to predict the future. In the murky depths, "The Muse" complies a list of predictions for 2010. Covering retail, culture, society and ephemera. A veritable "10 four" of thoughts for the coming months, as we name 2010 the year of:

RATIONALIZATION. Mainstream retail will focus on rationalization and retrenchment. After 18 months, battled by the economy, retailers are running out of gas. Major chains will look at their business models. Close unprofitable locations, reduce expenses and keep inventory levels low. To combat consumer unrest, look for retailers to cautiously discount, preserving profit margins into 2011.

AUTHENTICITY. Consumers will only part with hard earned dollars when the product and the store provides an authentic, and new experience. Look for specialty retailers (like campus stores), to provide new products and services, that are just a little bit outside the norm. This gives customers an authentic, newer than new experience. Customer service will also play a role in the authenticity arena, as those that provide compelling levels of service, will stand out in the customer's eyes, from those that just go through the motions.

ECOCENTRICITY. If the environment and global warming seem to be endlessly cliche, this is the year for retailers to pounce on environmental and eco issues. 2010 brings about the death of the plastic shopping bag. By the end of the year, reusable totes will be the norm as Americans embrace the tote as the bag of choice for most trips to the store. Eco friendly products will continue to grow, and the 100 mile diet will gain traction into the general public. The electric car will be the big story for automakers in 2010, as they recover from the Annubis Horribus of '09. Everyone will want an electric car. Save for Al Gore, no one can get one.

SIMPLICITY. Forget the Dubai infused glimmer of last year. Urban and industrial design will focus on simplicity. But not the cold hard edges of the past. Simple design with an encouraging warmth. A sense of home, evoking the spirit of Bauhaus architecture. Look for less emphasis on the bling, but a greater spartan design aesthetic on everything from clothes, to general merchandise, to urban development.

ECOMMERCE-CATION. Six weeks ago, and the news was full of Black Friday and Cyber Monday. While Friday was a bit of a sales yawn, Monday was a surprise. Double digit sales growth from many major merchants on Cyber Monday, says that something big is going on. Look forward to the final quarter of 2010, and check out the major retailers re-acquainting themselves with the possibilities of E-commerce. Customers have finally grasped buying on-line as a safe, simple and secure way to buy. It's not the same E-commerce of the past. Now retailers are embracing like products and industries, driving the trend of E-Commerce shopping plazas. A trend that should send Campus Stores scurrying to their IT developers to capitalize on.

REVIEW-A-NATION. If you are a retailer suffering from out of stock situations, bad customer service or restrictive operating polices, then Review-A-Nation is the trend for you. With the ubiquitous build up of social networking sites like Twitter, and the power of instant good and bad reviews, retailer operation assessment is now in the hands of your customers. Deny a refund? Confusing and anachronistic sales policies? Crabby and angry cashiers? Don't worry, your customers will tell everybody, before you have a chance to even notice the drawbacks in your business. Use January to review your polices and operations. By the fall of 2010, your customers will have your number, and will be letting everybody (and their dog) know.

EREADING. 2010 will be the year of the E-Reader. By September, every major news source will see the E-Reader as the next big product development. Time will name the new Apple "itablet" as the Man of the Year. Everyone company, from Amazon and Apple, to Microsoft and Zoom will have an E-Reader. Talk of sales figures will be all the rage. Battles will ensue on which reader is the best. Consumers, including Universities, will be confused and leery. By the end of the year, E-Readers will be all the next big thing. Of course the question will not be who is buying, but rather, who's reading?

EIGHTIES-CATION. With Pantone naming turquoise as the color of the year, expect more than a few manufacturers to jump on the color bandwagon. Turquoise was one of "THE" colors for the eighties, so look for designers to capitalize on this color flavor with a bevy of Eighties infused fashion and design statements. It must be time for narrow ties, big hair and Santa-Fe Prairie skirts to make their way down the runway.

PINK FATIGUE. There is something admirable about raising money for breast cancer, and supporting a worthy cause. What is not admirable, and even a little cynical, is the products brought to market simply to capitalize on what seemed like a nice colorful cause. Now everything in pink for breast cancer month. From hammers and Handi-Wraps to Monopoly and Triscuits. Enough already! it's all so cliche now, and customers must be tired of it. If "The Muse" is seeing pink products sitting sadly on the dollar store shelves, well then the fatigue has set in and the trend is over. Better just send your money directly to breast cancer research than wasting your time on the pink fruit juice carton.

AVATARNATION. James Cameron might not win an Oscar for his ground breaking, multi-million dollar film, AVATAR, but he single handily has created the biggest entertainment trend for the year. 3D Televisions will be available by springtime. Cable networks are planning to offer 3D programming. Even wine makers are offering 3D bottles of wine. With 60 plus films being released in 3D format, it's the 1950's all over again.

Will Oprah be in 3D? Will we need to don glasses to watch 3D-CNN? The winner will be the creator of the first 3D Ebook reader, made from reclaimed materials, and endorsed by Al Gore.

We guarantee it.

Sometimes a Great Notion - Research Edition

Each week brings a new round of surveys, reports and research on retail and consumers. Wading through all the paperwork, "the Retail Muse" stumbled across these three studies that campus stores can glean some insights from.

Happy survey notions!

Impulsive Millennials.
Brandweek carries an interesting summary of a new report, called "Winning with Millennial Women Shoppers" In the report, and survey, they found that this demographic tends to shop less, buying more on each trip, and prefers the "supercentre" experience of Wal Mart and Costco. Other findings included a need to "get the job done", instead of focusing on price, and a interest in healthy, and good for you food alternatives, providing the price point was reasonable.

Gen Y tracking
Chris O'Brien, with the Mercury News, writes a fascinating article on his trip to the suburban shopping center, in search of Generation Y shopping habits and interests. Joined by Kip Yarrow, he visits MAC Cosmetics, Lids, and Forever 21, and learns a great deal along the way.

A highly recommended read for anyone retailing to Generation Y, and of course a reminder that sometimes the best lesson for retailers, is to go shopping in the mall and watch what their target demographic is up to.

Cold Hard Concrete
A Marketing professor has found that products look more inviting, and you are more likely to purchase them, when you are standing on concrete floors versus carpet. It's an inverse relationship, and counter-intuitive, but the study showed that when customers have a slight level of discomfort under foot, they view the products much more positively, which converts to sales.

It's not just the floor though. Professor Joan Meyers-Levy has also studied ceiling height, discovering that high ceilings make consumers look at the bigger picture, while low ceilings make shoppers focus on details.

Sometimes a Great Notion - Wild Rumpus Edition

While The Retail Muse was glued to the tube watching the increasing bizarre saga of "Balloon Boy", a riot broke out at the Burlington Coat Factory, Wal-Mart starts a book price war, Kindle comes up spades, and, with all the pomp and circumstance of a visit to the Magic Kingdom, Disney might actually get their retail presence right this time.

All this, including ER Iphone apps, and of course, Maurice Sendak and the Wild Things Let the wild rumpus begin notions!

There's a Riot Going on.

Another one of those "you can't make this stuff up" articles, concerning one Columbus, Ohio Burlington Coat Factory, a stretch Hummer limo, a lottery winner, and a riot in the racks.

Showing up in a giant stretch Hummer Limo at the Burlington Coat Factory, Linda Brown walked into the store, telling the shoppers that she had just won 1.5 Million in the lottery. To celebrate, she was buying everyone in the store a coat - up to $500. Naturally, bedlam ensued with 500 customers lining up at the registers, cashiers ringing up sale after sale, and another 1000 customer waiting outside to get in and take part in the freebie winter wraps.

Brown, who it turns out had not won the lottery, had her limo driver take her to a bank machine, and then returned to the store empty handed. admitting she had no money to pay for all the merchandise.

Customers acted in the most sensible manner possible, grabbing merchandise, demanding their free stuff and throwing merchandise on the floor. Store employees called in 2 dozen police officers to handle the crowds and restore order. Too late. As one Detective commented, "it was like Hurricane Katrina had swept through the store"

Talk about crying wolf coat.

How low can you go?

Wal-mart.com, drove new book prices down to $8.99 for upcoming hardcover releases. Amazon matched the price point, and an all out price war hasdeveloped, driving hardcover books down 50% to 70% off the publisher suggested list price.

Publishers and booksellers responded that this price dumping wasn't good for the industry, and puts some publishing houses and authors in peril. Other industry observers noted that this price discount model on new titles rarely works, and only further erodes a fragile industry.

Kindle on campus? The results are mixed.

Two hundred students, who received free Kindle book reading devices from Amazon this year, have less than stellar reviews for the device. Many mentioned that the traditional textbook still seems to work. While the Kindle was praised for being a light and handy device, many students found the highlighting and note taking features to be lacking, confusing and not necessarily a good format for learning information.

Still, one student pointed out that using Kindle to listen to her textbooks while sitting in a traffic jam was a great feature, raising the possibility that Kindle could play an important role for students with disabilities in accessing and understanding material from textbooks.

While the jury is still out on the effectiveness on Kindle in the classroom, Amazon plans to use the information culled from this trial for further enhancements and modifications, with an eye of making Kindle an essential part of the student learning experience.

Disney Does Retail (again)

Been to a Disney store lately? No we didn't think so. Once profitable and engaging, Disney stores have fallen on bad times. Poorly and cheaply merchandised, and lack of customer service, the chain has struggled to regain its footing in the malls of America.

Now, with a little help from their Apple friend, Steve Jobs, Disney has launched a new prototype store called "Imagination Park" Gone are rows of merchandise. Instead, a new entertainment theme has been developed. Children can now watch movie clips, chat with Disney stars live via satellite, and sing along to their favorite Disney song.

Microchips in products would unveil hidden entertainment within the stores, fiber optic trees would come alive through the space, and cashiers would be equipped with handheld wireless devices to ring up purchases on the sales floor.

A dramatic change? For Disney retail, definitely a new outlook. Inspired by Jobs comments to "think big", access to Jobs wildly successful Apple stores, and a desire to re emphasise entertainment within a traditional store setting, Disney is setting it's sighs high.

With each store costing a reported $1 million to create and overhaul, it's a big risk for Disney, but has been met with overall enthusiastic response from industry watchers.

DID YOU KNOW?

Apple Store sales average a whopping $4,700 a square foot. By far the highest for a chain retailer. By comparison, Best Buy clocks in at $1000/sq foot. How does your store compare?

Doctor Doctor, Give me the news.

If you are driving down the freeways of Florida, and wondering how long it would take a doctor to see you at the local ER, well you are in luck! Hospital Corporation of America (East Florida Div) has installed large billboards which include an RSS feed showing the estimated wait times at your ER. (Hmmmm says the Muse.....Didn't we talk about this as a good idea recently?)

The company has developed an iphone and texting app (called itriage) that allows you to send a request, and receive information on the closet ER, access to a ER nurse and of course the estimated waiting time.

This is not going to work when you are having a heart attack! The company is quick to point out that 911 should be your first call in critical situations. Yet, it is an intriguing and smart use of technology. Dancing on the line between brilliant and gimmicky; which all great marketing campaigns are made of.

Wild Thing..you make my heart sing.

Offer a children's literature course on campus? Then time to head to the textbook stacks and brush off your copies of "Where The Wild Things Are", Maurice Sendak's Caldicott award winning book. Considered one of the finest children's picture books ever, (although the Muse has a soft spot for Brown's Goodnight Moon"), Sendak's magnum opus is getting big press as the movie adaptation opened in theatres this weekend.

It's a curious amalgamation of the best in children's literature, one of the best directors in the country (Spike Jonze), and a script penned by McSweeny's founder and "Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius" author David Eggers.

Reviews have been lukewarm for the film, but displaying the book in your store along with a few plays of the Troggs hit "Wild Thing", and you are sure to attract attention and re-live those moments when you wanted to be just like Max.

Happy campus rumpus!

Sometimes a Great Notion - Halloween Horrors

Potato chips, candy, dressing as vampires! Has The Retail Muse gone all Halloween three weeks early? Seems like it, and as the muse gorges on salty snacks and tightens his cape, he checks out student bloggers, Vooks, silly walks and "who loves yeah baby". All this and more in the Muse's personal Zombieland.

The economic pillar of salt.
Presumably, an indication of how bad the economy is, can be measured by the quantity of potato chips consumed. Not an economic theory yet, but salty potato chip snack sales have risen 22% since the economy tanked. As the economy recovers, sales will rise a modest 4% per year.

Why? Experts say it's because salty snacks are a good value (which The Muse thinks means "filling"), and a growing trend to chop down on chips between meals. Although 2/3 of shoppers say they want healthier alternatives to chips, with over 300 new salty snacks hitting the market in the last year, it's clear that wants, and needs are not translating into increased sales.


Candy Land

If your idea of a good time at the store is slipping into a diabetic coma, then Dubai is the place for you. Candylicious is the name of the worlds largest candy store, recently opened in Dubai, UAE, spanning 10,000 square feet of sweet fun. Pillars embedded with candy and a candy airplane flying overhead are just two of the out of the world experiences at this candy haven.

The Twilight of True Blood

Even if consumers are going all frugal this Halloween season, Vampires are the #1 choice for adults as a costume. The success of True Blood, and excitement building for the new Twilight movie, have made vampires a must costume this season. Pirates, costume choices. Nurses and politicians have fallen down on the list of most popular.clowns and the Muses' favorite, - Wenches/tarts/vixens, round out the top five Health Care Fatigue?


Recruiting Student Bloggers

MIT has ramped up the blogging of students, encouraging enrolled students to blog on anything and everything about their campus experience. There must be a few good nuggets about campus retail in these blogs, one guesses, but recruiters are using these blogs to appeal to High School students, and prospective recruits to show the
human fun side of college life. MIT has grasped it in a big way, but Amherst, Yale and Vasser are all seeing these blogs as an effective recruitment tool for new students.

When panic sets in

Book publishers, checking out their financial statements, are developing multi media applications for popular ebooks. After years of trying this with college textbooks, publishers are embedding video, charts and music within popular fiction and non fiction titles to ride the Kindle craze. The moniker for all this multi media mania is "vooks" (Video Books), one of the most unpleasant product names of all time.

Silly Walks.

It"s been forty years since the first episode of Monty Pythons Flying Circus sketch show, but interest and enthusiasm still runs strong. New documentaries, a stage show with the 5 remaining cast members, and a host of products are hitting the bookshelves and theaters in the next month. Interest in Python has never waned, with 12 year old to college students still reciting the lines of "bookshop" and "dead Parrot" and "ministry of Silly Walks" to anyone that doesn't roll their eyes in tedium. Still, a great and fun product line to sell in many a campus store.

Who loves yeah?

According to Internet Retailer the most talked about companies online include Amazon, Target and Ikea. The new survey tracks references to the retailers name over 100 million blogs, including analyzing the tone of each reference. Other most talked about retailers, include discounters like Wal-mart, Costco and Kmart. Other top fifty references include tech retails like BestBuy, and fashion depots such as H&M.

Pop up in Airports.

Campus retailers can always look to airport retail as a good example of what might come their way some day. In Glasgow, Scotland, pop Up retail has taken on a new form with the company Planeshop. This company is setting up pop up retail sites throughout the airport with the intent of changing the brand and product selection on a regular basis. A carousel of ever changing products for consumers. Customers can vote for the brands they would like to see in the store for the future, and as each brand "pops" up, the outside graphics change to lure new shoppers in.

Walgreen's Basics

Rather than roll out more locations, Walgreen's is taking a new tack, renovating existing stores and reducing inventory. Many of the nations Walgreen's will be renovated to update the in store experience. Additionally, Walgreen's is reducing the amount of products they carry, reducing a typical 22,000 item Walgreen's by some 5000 items. The hope is to make products more visible, weed out slow selling products and make the shopping experience more worthwhile for the customer.

Now, when was the last time you thought a campus store could take a page from Walgreen's?

She's Leaving Home (clutching a cell phone)

What happened to make back to school shopping the second largest retail event of the year? Just six years ago, college spending on back to school (excluding textbooks), was $16.7 billion. Now in 2009, spending is estimated to almost double, $30 Billion.

One suggestion for these huge increase in numbers, is that the Back to School season speaks, not only to the practical need for items to get students through the school year, but of the emotional, and psychological need of parents, as their children leave home for the first time.

Ken Nisch with brand and design firm JGA is quoted in a recent USA Today article that "back to school has become a little bit like a Hallmark holiday". The need of parents to control the transition to college, along with a desire to share in the student's campus experience, has created this emotional need to embrace the back to school shopping experience.

This is the emotional side of shopping and purchasing. The need to be part of a major life event. Shopping calms parental anxiety as young ones head out the door, while at the same time, evoking warm fuzzy feelings of their own school or college bound experiences.

These are powerful emotional triggers. It is no surprise then that the focus at this time of year is less on the practical and more on the connectedness between parents, sons, and daughters. Communication devices such as cell phones are the primary purchases as parents adjust to the anxieties of staying in touch with their loved ones.

All this anxiety shopping speaks, as well, to Generation Y, and their relationship with home. Generation Y wants to stay connected to the family unit. Conversely, the Gen Y "helicopter" parent is more than happy to stay knitted into their children's life.

Those retailers that serve the campus back to school crowd can speak to parent's emotions by considering them as a vital and different sales channel. Supporting and speaking directly to parents when they are shopping in the campus store, opens up many possibilities to increase sales, and connect with a new customer group.

Gone is the concept that Back to School shopping is a function. Now it's role is that of emotional fulfillment. Which does, at the end of the day, means that line of Hallmark cards marking the occasion can't be far away.

Sometimes a Great Notion - Sept 7. 2009

Oh the post Labor Day malaise! After laboring all weekend, The Retail
Muse dons his mop top wig, sings Christmas with Dylan, gets tangled up
in blue receipts, checks out the lost symbol, gets blinded by OLED lights, and channels his inner Steve McQueen.

Happy Musical Notions!

Labor Day 2009
Nothing like the Labor Day weekend (or Labour Day for those north of the 49th). The unofficial end of summer, and packing the school, and
college kids back to school and academia. Did you know that Labor Day was actually started in Canada? In the 1870's in Hamilton and Toronto. Noticing a good idea, and dropping a vowel, the first Labor Day rally was held in the US in 1882. To celebrate, The Retail Muse listened to cheesy 80's song's from Loverboy, especially "Working for the Weekend". You can check out the video, and headbands, here.

Can't Buy Me Love.
It's time for the 21st century Beatle mania this week, as a host of products hit the shelves starting September 9. (9/9/9 - get it?). All the Beatles recording are being released on CD, re-mastered with new
liner notes, videos, and exceptional sound quality. Considering that the last releases on CD, sounded like the Beatles recorded the tracks
in the back garden loo, Beatles fans young and old, are eagerly
awaiting the new releases. Box sets, including a true mono set, are being released, along with the new Beatles Guitar Hero where you can channel your inner Beatle and rock out to"Octopus Garden". Now doesn't this sound like a fun lunch time activity on campus?

Pundits are betting on the Beatles single handily reviving the CD format, and boosting CD sales for the first time in years. Seems like a tough order to save free falling CD sales, but the Beatles still have legs even 40 years later, and expect these products to be must haves from now, through the holiday season.

Little Dylan Drummer Boy.
In the, "you can't make this stuff up" category, the latest news from the Bob Dylan camp is the October release of his first Christmas Album! Yes that's right, Dylan will growl, grumble, and mutter his way
through a host of traditional Christmas classics, all in the name of raising money and awareness for Feeding America. A guarantee to provide 4 million meals to families in need, is included in the press
release.

It's such a strange item, for such a worthwhile cause. The Retail Muse is hoping stores will look into stocking this CD, with proceeds going to support student food banks this holiday season. After all, If there is one item to buy for the Christmas season, this is it!

Tangled up in Receipts
The Wall Street Journal has an interesting article on the growing length of customer receipts. Buying a pack of gum these days, seems to generate a novella of information.Everything from bar codes, product descriptions, return policies and feedback opportunities abound.

Customers seem a little disenchanted with the lengthy paper trail, questioning the value of the information and the waste of paper. On the flip side though, Customers respond to comment requests and coupon offers on receipts at a much greater level than traditional comment cards and mail outs.

A Lost Symbol?
Next week is the big Dan Brown, Lost symbol week for booksellers.
Brown's follow up to the Da Vinci Code, hits the street September 15, with a 5 million copy print run from Knopf. Amazon and Barnes and
Noble are going gangbusters with early orders, with independent booksellers concerned about price discounting and the book available everywhere. Booksellers are looking for ways to market the book, including giving it away with a $100 in store purchase.

Blinded by the OLED Lights
OLED Lights, or Organic Light Emitting Diodes, are being touted as the next great environmental lightning solution with a wide range of
applications. These new lights not only exist as one single light, but can be manufactured into large sheets of light for use in commercial and retail applications. Although the cost is high, the price will come down as designers and manufactures begin looking to this new technology as a viable and illuminating solution for environmentally sustainable lighting solutions.

Steve McQueen and the Fast Machines
Sheryl Crow crooned a few years ago about being "like Steve McQueen,Needs a fast machine". Now the fashion industry has caught up, and
Steve McQueen is the new icon fashion face for a number of designers.
Dolce and Gabbana, Gucci, and Michael Kors have all launched menswear items featuring, or inspired by, the long lost "king of cool" Although aimed at the over 50's crowd that remember McQueen, the designers see
the actor gaining traction with the 20 something crowd.

Sometimes a Great Notion - Aug 31, 2009

The lazy, hazy, last days of summer. The retail muse relaxing in a deck chair, watching the sun set, and musing on the future. Will the fashionista tween boys of 2009 be the college students of 2018? Will guerrilla McDonalds marketing campaigns take over the hallowed halls of academia? How will customers respond to more soap box marketing? All these  are on the Muse's mind as he sleeps single in an Ikea bed and reads, that no matter what is happening in the economy, the class of 2013 is heading to school with full wallets and optimism. 

Happy back to school notions! 

Sometimes a great notion - Week of August 31, 2009 

FASHION (turn to the left) FASHION (turn to the right) 

Every fashion manufacture and retailer worth their due has been chasing the tween girl market for a few years now. But what about those 11-14 year old boys? Is Mom still dressing them? According to a recent article in the Globe and Mail, the answer is a resounding no. Tween boys, saturated by skater culture and videos, are breaking out in record numbers, looking for branded, trendy clothes to wear this back to school season. Citing Lacoste, TNT, and Diesel, these boys are looking to stand out and dress well, even at 11. It's an interesting trend to stay on top of. No sweatpants and grubby Ts for this group. Rather, upscale, branded, cutting edge fashion. 

They think about their wardrobes, plan their outfits, and want to represent a social strata. Still, they are not completely without words of wisdom. One tween says that the one thing he would NOT wear is a thong. Words of fashion wisdom for any age. 

When Marketing hits the classroom. 

Students at a recent Boston University marketing lecture, experienced a bit of real world marketing, when their class was interrupted by perky McDonalds reps, handing out free coffee drinks to the class. But the students, happy to get a free mcLatte were the unknowing stars of a new national commercial that McDonalds plans to air nationally in the next two weeks. Hidden cameras recorded the event, editing it into a full blown commercial with the surprised students. Marketing students later did have the opportunity to spend time with the advertising agency, learning how commercials are developed, implemented and edited, but it raises a big question. If this something that campuses will embrace to solve budget shortfalls? You can see the rough cut video here: 

Stand on the soap box. 

Retailers, have for many years, embraced social and charitable issues as a way to resonate with customers. This has not always been successful, when you consider the "green washing" and now "pink washing" comments directed at some retailers and manufacturers. Now, The Body Shop, has launched a campaign to raise awareness and halt global sex trafficking. It's an important issue to be sure, but will customers want to hear about sex trafficking while shopping for aloe? According to Simon Houpt the jury is still out, and Body Shop is taking a fairly soft touch with their awareness campaign. 

Sleeping Single in an Ikea Bed. 

If you ever have rolled your eyes at students sitting around and sleeping on your furniture, then this article is for you! The LA Times recently wrote an article about how much Beijing, China likes Ikea. But, not in the way you think. Instead of sales, Ikea in China (there are 7 stores), has encountered most of their customers visiting the store to hang out and sleep. Customers arrive with a plan to spend 5 hours or more in the store. Snacking at the restaurants, bringing books and stuffed toys for their kids, napping in the beds and generally using Ikea as a vacation site for a Saturday afternoon. Ikea hopes eventually that all these napping  customers will translate into sales, but until then they are letting the sleeping experience continue. 

Confident Class of 2o13 

A recently released Alloy College Explorer survey found that the class of 2013 was heading back to school more concerned, and conservative, than ever before. But, more positive about their personal impact and the future of the economy. 

The survey goes on to mention that while their may be an economic downturn, the 2013 class still has to have it, has the money to pay for it, and wants "it" to evoke "happy" and "trusted" feelings. They see Apple, Target, Sony, and Wrigley as meeting their "happy" needs, while they trust brands like Johnson and Johnson, Microsoft, Nike, and Dell. 

Are they happy with your store? do they trust your store? 

Sometimes a Great Notion - August 24

With Fall 2009 back to school rush hitting campuses right about now, The Retail Muse stands in some lineups, reads the NYT, wonders about those new discounts at Abercrombie, thinks about the campus tour, and pauses to consider voice recognition for finding textbooks. 

Shuffling through the long line, The Retail Muse practices some shadow puppets, to lighten the mood and keep all amused. 

Happy lineup notions! 

The waiting is the hardest part. 

You don't have to tell a campus retailer that the biggest challenge during rush, is managing the lineup and wait times. Still, according to the Wall Street Journal, the biggest, ongoing checkout lineups  continue to be with your local grocery store. And it's driving customers nuts. The biggest complaint mentioned by customers, outside of waiting time,  is fairness. No matter what line you take at the checkout, you will end up in  the slowest one. 

Now retailers are moving from individual checkout lines, to one large line. Just like banks, airlines, and College Stores! 

Buffing the price. 

After insisting that they would stand firm on  their pricing strategy, no matter what the economy was doing, retailer Abercrombie and Fitch has finally blinked. After a recent quarterly loss, Abercrombie is revisiting it's retail prices, and looking for ways to add value, and appeal to cost conscience buyers. Not sure if this is too little, too late, but desperate times calls for desperate measures, even in the buff world of A and F. 

Backwards, forwards. 

Colleges are looking at ways to improve the college tours says the New York Times. Besides focusing on more dialogue with the attendees, the biggest change for college tour guides is to walk forwards! That's right, auditors of college tours noted that being a tour guide, walking backwards all the time, resulted in a rather challenging conversation, and the risk of hitting trees. 

Sensible markdowns. 

BusinessWeek has an interesting article on the perils of discounting, focusing on the top three rules of sensible markdowns. Discount briefly, discount credibly, discount creatively. An excellent article for all buyers, merchandisers and managers to consult before slashing prices. 

The death of the textbook. 

It must be August, when the media goes to print with the latest and greatest ideas to avoid purchasing textbooks. The New York Times has an exhaustive article on publisher direct textbook rentals, while a recent article from canwest news service voices enthusiasm over the virtual textbooks as convenient as a students' iPhone. 

Speak to me. 

If customers are getting lost in your store, searching out the required titles for this fall, then this might be for you. Ace Hardware is rolling out a pilot program to tell customers where in the store items are located, via their cell phone, and voice recognition software. The customer says the name of the product, and then, the system tells the customer where the product is located in the specific store. Presumably this will make shopping for nuts and bolts that much easier, but imagine if this worked for your textbooks! 

Bunnies 

Only the cold hearted dislike bunnies and shadow puppets. US Cellular has just launched a new ad that has nothing to do with cell phones, but everything to do with charm. you can check out the video below, which should put a smile on anyone's face. 

Frugal Notions

 Sometimes a Great Notion             Week of Aug 10 , 2009                                                

Ah the discount days of summer! With overall retail sales slumping in July, the trend to follow right now appears to be frugal shopping. Back to school season is all about savings, discounts, and cutting back on the BTS budget. Cheap is the new black.

Amongst all the doom and gloom, THERETAILMUSE checks out at the latest in restaurant trends, orders a coffee from McDonald's, tries to use the laptop in NYC, and hangs out with Sears (Sears?!), to choose some new dorm room accouterments.

Happy frugal notions!

Getting Chopped

A Tuscon, Arizona couple have opened a new restaurant concept called “chopped” . With two locations in Arizona, the couple hope to take their concept nationwide through franchising. The concept is pretty simple. Fresh, big, made to order salads, with fresh soup and sandwiches. Customers can choose from created salads or create their own by filling out a card, and ticking off their favorite ingredients. Salads range from 6.99 to 9.99. It’s a healthy, leafy version of 31 flavours ice cream. A perfect fit for campus food services.

A Cup of McJoe

McDonald's Corp should be happy these days. While all their competitors try to ride out the recession, McDonald's global sales have increased 4.3% in July. Most of this increase comes on the back of McDonald's coffee sales, including the espresso and latte’s, under the new McCafe banner. This low price, coffee alternative, is pulling people away from Starbucks and other premium brands, making a simple inexpensive cup of coffee a consumer delight.

Not always welcome.

Coffeehouses in New York City have had enough of people using their restaurants to dwell in, and use the free wireless service. Stating that customers take up tables that are needed for lunch rushes, one coffee shop owner has stopped offering wifi service in the café, and others are following suit. Although this appears to be happening only in NYC, it is likely to spread as owners and operators look for ways to maximize their investment. It reminds me of the trend to put chairs in Bookstores, then take them out, then now bring them back again. Keeps customers guessing I guess!

Radio Waves.

Presumably Radio Shack is still in business! To celebrate this fact, and to remind customers that they are still around, Radio Shack is re-branding as “the Shack”. Well, sort of. Word from Radio Shack CEO is that “the Shack” moniker will be used in marketing and branding statements, but the stores will remain as “Radio Shack” for the time being. Will this change confuse people, or just seem be ignored?

Old School Marketing

Since all the marketing money these days seems to be spent on E pursuits, a new study suggests that old school newspaper insert marketing may be just the way to go. According to MORI research, 59% of adults use newspaper inserts to review, analyze, and make purchasing decisions on products. Certainly bucks the conventional wisdom. Wonder if this holds true for the 18 to 25 year old crowd on campus?

Booksellers Unite.

Barnes and Noble has purchased B and N College Inc for 596 Million. The college division was separated from B and N in 1986. Interestingly, while B and N store sales are down 3% this year, the college division have seen sales increase averages of 6.2% over the past three years.

Powell’s City of Books is revamping its website to stay competitive, and remain a force within the online book purchasing world. Although significantly smaller than Amazon and Barnes and Noble, Powell’s attributes 25% of their yearly 45.2 million revenue through their online site. Plans to revamp the site include adding new product categories, and have resulted in new store positions, including an e-commerce store manager, an e-commerce marketing manager and technology specialist.

Dorm Room Chic

Sears has entered the dorm room business in a big way with a facebook application called “campus ready”. It  includes, among many things, an interactive dorm room design tool  that allows users to drag and drop furnishing into the space, getting a chance to see what their selections will look like in their new dorm. Of course, they can then choose color combinations, order online, and pick up from the Sears store nearest their campus. Smart idea, if somewhat utilitarian.

If Sears is not for your customers, check out an interesting article from the Hartford Courant: Dorm Décor on a Dime. The article describes a number of strategies students are using to ensure frugality (there is that word again), is not frumpy. Students are loading carts at dollar stores, checking out discounts on facebook and twitter, and browsing overstock.com.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Blink or miss it Notions

Remember last week when tales of retailers gearing up for BTS was all the rage? This week the mass merchants are price slashing deeper than ever before. Seems pretty difficult to compete on pricing right now, so The Retail Muse” searched out some weird and wonderful products, which might distinguish your store from all the rest. In the process, we found a few interesting tidbits on pop up retail, and how to keep up with changing trends.

 Blink or you’ll miss it notions!

 Sometimes a Great Notion                         Week of Aug 3, 2009                                                

  The $300 laptop 

Both Wal-Mart and Best Buy have launched major back to school laptop promotions, breaking the $300 retail price point. Best Buy is offering an entry level laptop at $299. Not to be outdone, Wal-Mart started offering its laptop this weekend, at a price of $298. Both companies are offering national branded product, although the laptops are definitely entry level, with low levels of RAM and Hard Drive size. At $300 though, customers will be giving some serious thought to these offers, and might have some trouble understanding the large price difference between these models, and laptops needed by college students.

 Weird and Wonderful 

Looking for products and services that make you stand out? Here are a few weird and wonderful ideas for the upcoming sales season: 

• Web sites promoting handmade and unique items are gaining in popularity. Madeitmyself.com, Etsy, and Silkfare, are three web portals linking local artisans with interested buyers. As customers search out new and different products to buy, these sites have gained rapidly in popularity. Etsy, saw sales rise from $166,000 in their first year of business, to now over 87 million. Opportunities for retailers to hook up with these sites are growing. This allows stores the chance to stock, and sell items that customers can’t find elsewhere.
  
•  
  
• Harry Potter is so July 2009. This fall it is all about Twilight, as the second movie of the wildly popular book series hit the theatres this October. There are many opportunities for selling Twilight merchandise, including of course, the books! Nordstrom has just launched a new fashion line in their stores inspired by the movie, called Twilight: New Moon collection. Except every other retailer to ride the Twilight bandwagon in the fall.
• 
  
• Mosquito repellent as the big seller? How weird is that! The new Proctor and Gamble clip-on mosquito repellent has become the must have item this summer. According to P and G, sales for the plastic clip-on mosquito repellent fan, sold under the “off” brand name, have exceeded sales projects by 400%
• Stores are sold out, customers are searching far and wide for one, and P and G can’t keep up to the orders flooding in for this $9 geek clip on fan. Sometimes you got to wonder what grabs the attention of people.

 Pop goes the Store 

Pop up retail is back. The action of setting up stores in un-used spaces for a few days or weeks has had some success in the past. Now retailers are back to experimenting this summer, opening in old museums, abandoned store fronts and other, unused buildings. The key is to create excitement for the customer and emphasise scarcity. Buy it today or we are gone tomorrow.

 No word on retailers considering college campuses, like they did in some places last year. But, worth keeping an eye out on your campus in case the big Target bulls-eye is suddenly draped across your campus commons.

 Track it all 

Now you can track everything in the world of trends through trendrr.com it’s a free service that bills itself as a real time social and digital media tracking service. You can track up to ten trends from all the top social networking sites, and track twitter searches to see what is hot, and not,  every hour of every day. It’s an interesting site, proving again that mass culture trends come and go in the blink of an eye.

 

 

 

Sometimes a Great Notion - July 19 Edition

What a week for the Retail world! It seems like just yesterday that everyone was packing away their 2008 holiday wares, and focusing on the spring, when what do you know? Christmas in July 2009! For those that can’t stomach the idea of Christmas music in your store this early, a great deal of activity as retailers gear up for the 2009 Back to School season. Finally, a cautionary tale of what happens when you break someone’s guitar. And, how online viral video can send your business into a tailspin.

Happy holiday notions!

Sometimes a Great Notion

It’s beginning to look a lot like....

Christmas? Well, that seems to be the plan with Sears and Kmart, both launching Christmas promotions on their respective web sites. Sears has launched Christmas Lane departments in 372 stores, encouraging shoppers to buy early (while they have a job I guess), and take advantage of Sears and Kmart layaway plans. Is this a good idea? One analyst suggests that it is desperation, rather than retailer inspiration.

In other Holiday news, look for retailers to push harder on holiday shopping this year, as they try to clear inventory levels and respond to slumping spring and summer sales. Word on the

street is that Black Friday will start earlier this year with greater discounts, pushing up the sales blitz to Columbus Day, six weeks earlier than the traditional Thanksgiving weekend.

It’s starting to be a gloomy......

Back to school! After lackluster June sales, retailers are already gloomy about the BTS shopping season this year. According to a recent National Retail Federation (NRF) survey, parents expect to spend about 7.7% less this year on back to school items, most noticeably in apparel. It reflects the continued lack of consumer confidence in the economy.

Two bright spots in the survey however. Technology and electronic products are still a must buy, and the survey estimates as much as an 11% increase in consumer spending in these areas. College bound students and families expect to spend 25% MORE than last year, a huge increase that raises the question, will this expectation actually translate into greater sales at the campus store register?

With BTS the second biggest shopping season, expect retailers to respond accordingly. JCPenny has recently launched a new website for teens to shop and choose their own clothes, and big box discounters like Target, Wal-Mart, and TJ Maxx all have campaigns in the works to woo parents and teen shoppers to their stores. Staples is taking an aggressive tact (isn’t this short for “tactic”?) this BTS season, lowering the prices on 250 core school supplies. Additionally, Staples is planning to bring back its well know “it’s the most wonderful time of the year” commercial spots in an effort to spark consumer enthusiasm. Expect to see Alice Cooper dancing through the Staples aisles on your tube soon!

If all else fails....

Dress like Cows! Chick-Fil-a, the rapidly growing chicken fast food chain, has a habit of creating interesting and humorous promotional campaigns. The latest, allows customers who show up at their restaurants in cow regalia to receive a free meal on “cow appreciation day.” Sort of makes you wonder if you can’t convert this idea to the campus store with the college mascot.

Chick-Fil-a has a Labor Day weekend promotion planned for this year, giving away a free chicken sandwich to any person showing up wearing a sports logo shirt (professional or amateur). Sounds like a way to partner and move some branded merchandise!

The greening of Wal-Mart

Wal-Mart stores just announced a new environmental initiative, telling over 100,000 suppliers that they will be expected to provide full environmental costs for a new labelling initiative on store shelves. Suppliers will be required to provide information on waste generation, community involvement, and resource use in manufacturing products.

As the largest retailer in the world, Wal-Mart’s gambit is significant. Compliance by manufacturers will be a requirement of doing business, and the expectation is that this initiative will roll out as early as 2011.

In terms of supplier transparency and sustainability, this is big news for the campus store. Expect to see suppliers providing this environmental information to all accounts in the next few years, as they change their packaging to meet the Wal-Mart initiative.

And finally,

A cautionary tale of consumer power. After United Airlines broke his guitar on a flight from Toronto to Chicago, Musician Dave Carrol took matters into his own hands, producing a “rock video” of his experience. Posting it on YouTube, the video has gone viral with thousands of views, and prompting United Airlines to post an apology and offer to pay for a replacement of Carrol’s guitar. What’s the fable in all of this? That power is shifting to the consumer. Businesses not responding quickly and effectively to consumer complaints run a real risk of negative public relations and brand degradation.