All Retail Articles
  • As COVID-19 cases swell, the trucking industry struggles to keep drivers…

    Gail Short Transportation Technology & Automotive

    While many Americans are sheltering in their homes to help prevent the spread of the coronavirus, long-haul truckers are traveling down the highways day and night delivering food, medicines and other essential goods to grocery stores, hospitals and pharmacies. But what happens if a trucker gets coronavirus or feels ill while on the road? While driving heavy or tractor-trailer trucks has always put drivers at a high risk for accidents and injuries, COVID-19 poses an added danger. But, as the pandemic rages on across the country, truckers, their employers, associations and others are working to keep them healthy.

  • Alcohol sales spike during pandemic

    Bambi Majumdar Retail

    Has alcohol become a necessity during the time of COVID-19? It seems so. According to a recent Nielsen report, U.S. beverage sales, especially off-premise alcohol retail sales, have witnessed significant growth amid COVID-19. Consumers are not just stocking up on groceries and toilet paper but also on alcohol, with larger packages outpacing the growth of smaller ones. For the week ending March 21, Nielsen reported U.S. online alcohol sales being up 243%.

  • Making healthy food choices during quarantine

    Victoria Fann Food & Beverage

    Many of us have become adept at social distancing, washing our hands regularly, sanitizing our groceries and packages, and using Zoom to stay in touch with family and friends. Perhaps many are even making healthy food choices, but given the level of anxiety and uncertainty, I know that lots of people are stress eating and drinking. While sugary, high-carb foods and alcohol may offer a temporary feeling of relief, they wreak havoc on the immune system and over time contribute to feelings of lethargy, brain fog and exhaustion.

  • Racism amidst the pandemic: 3 Asian Americans’ experiences during…

    LeRon L. Barton Mental Healthcare

    Through panic and hysteria related to the coronavirus pandemic, racism has reared its ugly head. Because the virus originated from China, Chinese American and other Asian American communities have been experiencing racist, verbal, and physical attacks. Stop AAPI Hate, an online incident report from the Asian Pacific Policy & Planning Council, states that there have been over 650 reports of discrimination against Asian Americans. Below is an interview with three Asian American women: Annalise, 35, accountant; Vivian, 29, entrepreneur; and Queenie, 32, healthcare worker. They share their experiences on how race has shaped the way we view the pandemic.

  • Chief Elusive Officer: 21% of non-managers have never met their CEO

    Terri Williams Business Management, Services & Risk Management

    The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) is usually the most visible person in the organization and is responsible for not only setting strategy and direction, but also for setting and modeling the company's culture. However, it may be hard to rally the troops and set an example when some of the troops don't see the person in charge. According to a recent report by Unit4, a people-based ERP software provider, 21% of employees in non-managerial positions have never met their CEO. Is this a problem, and if so, why?

  • 3 possible economic outcomes for the coronavirus pandemic

    Lark Gould Business Management, Services & Risk Management

    Surviving the coronavirus is currently top of mind for the American public. There are many likely scenarios possible within the possible epidemiological trajectories of COVID-19 and the economic response to this crisis will also develop over the next few months, bringing a new set of struggles to consider. The Conference Board, a New York-based think tank on the economy and public policy, has developed three scenarios for the development of the U.S. economy through the remainder of the year.

  • Quarantines, home-cooked meals give the fresh produce market a boost

    Bambi Majumdar Food & Beverage

    The coronavirus pandemic has resulted in much of the world being under lockdown or quarantine, and people are focused on stocking up on essentials as they prepare to be stuck at home for weeks. Empty aisles and long queues in front of Costco have become familiar sights. In the midst of this, retail sales have gone up, and fresh produce in particular has seen a big spike.

  • It was inevitable: Synthetic liquor and wine

    Dave G. Houser Food & Beverage

    In the wake of the "fake meat" phenomenon, it was bound to happen sooner or later. Alcoholic beverages made in a laboratory are now on sale. Scientists at San Francisco-based Endless West (formerly Ava Winery) are behind a revolutionary process that Leslie Silva, the company's director of analytical chemistry, describes as "molecular engineering" to produce synthetic whiskey, sake and wine. Keep in mind, production of these beverages involves no grains, no grapes, no winery and no distillery — just water, ethanol and chemical compounds that provide flavor, aroma and texture.

  • Surviving coronavirus: Bravery, health, and strength

    Michelle R. Matisons Civil & Government

    Be Brave. Good Health. Stay Strong. These three (albeit optimistic) convictions grace childlike artwork pinned to an overturned wooden cable spool in an Albuquerque neighborhood near the University of New Mexico. As coronavirus spreads, a yard full of art reminds us to keep our convictions.

  • Chef Andrés to the rescue

    Dave G. Houser Food & Beverage

    If there's one thing you can count on during the coronavirus crisis, it is the unwavering benevolence of Chef José Andrés. The celebrity chef and restaurateur has temporarily closed his network of nearly a dozen restaurants in the Washington, D.C., area, repurposing six of them to serve as community kitchens to help feed people in need. This action is nothing new for the energetic 51-year-old Spanish-American chef and founder of World Central Kitchen (WCK), a nonprofit devoted to providing meals in the wake of natural disasters.