The New Blogger!

I'm happy to report that the switch to the new blogger was successful! Thanks Google!

eMinimalls

I'm trying out a new affiliate marketing service called eMinimalls. I
still have to make sure that using both eMinimalls and Google Adsense
is OK, but I did set it up just to see how it looked. Let me know
what you think! Thanks...

Dry Cleaning POS Software

I just visited a cool site that offered dry cleaner POS software, seems like a good idea. I wonder if this is a competitive marketplace. Also, I wonder if dry cleaning software is much different than other types of retail software. The software I was looking at is called CleanMax - anyone had any experience with it?

We here at "Are you going to buy that?" do consider dry cleaning to be within the umbrella of retail. We even posted an analysis of the difference between Dependable Cleaners and Zoots awhile back.

Gap CEO Steps Down

Seems like a lot of C-level changes are happening these days - from Home Depot's CEO stepping down to Citibank's CFO switching roles.

This time its the CEO of the GAP, Paul Pressler, stepping down. Robert Fisher will be the replacement CEO for the time being until they find a new one.

Car vacuums

I love car accessories - I bought a few off Amazon awhile back and even posted to Slickdeals.net about what I had purchased: a tire pump, and an auto power extension cord.

A couple of new items I'm looking to pick up:
* Car vacuum
* Car battery charger

Speaking of which, I'm proud to announce that "Are you going to buy that?" is now an affiliate of Dirt Devil. Feel free to shop their site through this link:

Dirt Devil

Thanks!

I don't like Guitar Center

For what its worth, I don't like Guitar Center. Several years ago I purchased a few items from them, and they have continued to abuse the personal information I shared with them. They gave that information out to third parties without my consent, and have refused to remove my information from their databases after several requests.

For these reasons, I refuse to do business with them ever again. If you are considering doing business with them, please consider my experience when you make your decision.

Stop and Shop is selling gasoline!

When I went food shopping today, I got a coupon on the receipt for gasoline. After a double take, I realized that Stop and Shop is now selling gasoline! Did a quick search to confirm, and yes, they are indeed selling gasoline.

Stop & Shop Now Offers Gasoline At Over 40 Locations

Think you'll buy from them? Like most people, I make my gasoline purchases solely on price.

CVS Execs Charged with Fraud

Ouch, tough luck for CVS. Have ot say I am actually surprised that some CVS executives would actually try something like this. They allegedly attempted to bribe a government official. Tsk tsk tsk.

What were they thinking?

The End of Retail

One of the cooler Christmas presents I received was a book called "Future Shop". Although I haven't started reading it yet, the gears have started turning.

A couple of thoughts:

1. The physical distance between the manufacturer and the consumer is getting wider. Most consumers live in America, and most products are built in China.

2. The conceptual distance between the manufacturer and the consumer is getting much smaller. A product can go from plant to shelf in one step.

I expect that within a very short period of time, the product will be able to go from the manufacturing plant directly to the customer, with no middle man.

Chances are, the hardest part of this evolution will be the disruption to the financial part of the supply chain. It seems like so much of our economy is built upon the structure of the supply chain, it would not be able to withstand such a disruption.

iPod vending machine

With the new iPhone coming out, they'll have more to put into these iPod vending machines!

Want to see the Roomba in action?

Check it out here:

Roomba in action video

Don't want to hype it up, its only a short clip from my cell phone.

Tax Season!

It's tax season, but what does that have to do with retail? Actually, a lot. H&R Block and Jackson Hewitt could be victims of the technology revolution....

Favorite Stores

I was just thinking about what your favorite store might be. I would have to say mine is Target at this point in time, it used to be Staples, or CVS. And I guess is might be surprising to some that my first trip to Target was in the last six months!

My guess is that people are big fans of IKEA and the Apple stores.

iPhone strategy

Cell phones are sold en mass via retail outlets and kiosks, though that channel is very expensive.

Apple's new cellphone, the iPhone has the benefit of being sold via Cingular stores, Apple stores, and Apple's website.

These channels all get tons of traffic, and I expect that to have a dramatic impact on the success of this new phone. Way to go Apple!

Apple iPhone at Telecom Rebirth

Toys R' Us Immagration Issues

Toys R' Us, or more precisely Babies R' Us, "dodged a bullet" recently by tripling their payout for a "first baby of 2007" contest. They awarded three babies $25,000 savings bonds each, instead of giving just one.

They chose to do this instead of only awarding the prize to the child of an illegal immigrant, or consider them disqualified for their citizenship status.

Smart move on the management team IMHO.

Lackluster Future?

What do you think the future holds for Blockbuster? My magic eight ball is saying the outlook isn't so good.

Blockbuster has new commercials about their Netflix-esque service. You can order DVDs via the mail, and then return them to the store. Have you seen the new Blockbuster commercials?

How to Successfully Manage Retail Marketing and In-Store Advertising

If you are involved with retail merchandising to any degree, be sure to read this whitepaper:

How to Successfully Manage Retail Merchandising and In-Store Advertising. (PDF)

Bob Nardelli resigns from Home Depot

The CEO of Home Depot, Bob Nardelli, is leaving Home Depot. This news comes as a surprise to shareholders, who were not pleased with his high pay.

This might bode well for competitor Lowes. What do you think?

Post Holiday Sales

I got thinking - what's the reasoning behind post-holiday sales?

A few possibilities come to mind:

1. Clear out inventory


2. Bring shoppers back into the stores


3. Try to get shoppers who are already back in the stores returning gifts to buy something else

All of those are legitimate strategies. I came up with another reason that made me feel uncomfortable. I returned an item to J. Crew without a receipt, and since the item was then on sale, I had to get a gift card for the lower amount.

My gut tells me that the profit margins for those items which are returned without receipts are some of the most profitable transactions that retailers experience these days. No wait, I take that back. Gifts cards. Gift cards must be the most profitable. Its like free money!