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The future of grocery shopping
Connie Ulman RetailThe future of grocery shopping has arrived. Technology has come a long way, and now many grocery chains and some e-retailers are blazing the path to a futuristic way of grocery shopping. In this article, we take a look at the grocery pickup and delivery services offered by Kroger, Amazon, H-E-B, Walmart, Hello Fresh and Schwan's.
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Walmart warns about new trade policy with China
Seth Sandronsky RetailWhen Walmart warns President Trump about his trade policy, does he listen? This is no academic question, as the president exercised his legal authority to hike U.S. tariffs of 10 percent on $200 billion of Chinese imports, climbing to 25 percent in January 2019. On Sept. 6, Sarah F. Thorn, senior director for global government affairs with Walmart — the U.S.' biggest private-sector employer — wrote to the United States Trade Representative in a letter, "The immediate impact will be to raise prices on consumers and tax American business and manufacturers."
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How to keep your work environment safe
Lisa Mulcahy Facilities & GroundsThese easy, research-driven common-sense tips will nip many problems in the bud, keep you informed in case of emergencies, and create a much less hazardous daily environment.
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What you need to know about Instagram’s newest shopping options
Emma Fitzpatrick MarketingInstagram is the ultimate inspiration board. People use it to collect places they want to go, people they wish they could meet and products they hope to buy. In fact, Instagram is the social network that people say influences their purchases the most, according to a 2017 Dana Rebecca Designs survey. The latest research, which was just released by Facebook, details exactly what people are buying and what their shopping journey looks like. Conveniently, this research debuted a day after Instagram rolled out new shopping features. Read on to learn how your business can take hold of this trend.
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Vending machines poised to take retail to a new dimension
Katherine Radin RetailAs long-standing merchants such as Sears and Toys R Us shutter, retailers continue to feel the pressure to perform "in person." When we discussed this topic more than a year ago, commercial landlords were turning to restaurants and food markets to help fill the void. Now, it seems that a more technological approach could be seen in the future — with the use of vending machines. A beloved vendor of chips, chocolate bars, and carbonated beverages, the humble vending machine has dished out a more diverse lineup of products for sale over the years, from makeup, to books, to electronics.
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Negotiating commercial leases: Renewal rent reductions
Dale Willerton and Jeff Grandfield RetailFor many commercial tenants, negotiating a good lease or lease renewal against an experienced agent or landlord can be a challenge. While an entrepreneur focuses on marketing and managing, savvy real estate agents and brokers are specialized salespeople. Their job is to sell tenants on leasing their location at the highest possible rental rate. Whether you are leasing a new location for the first time or negotiating a lease renewal for your business, here are two money-saving tips.
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McDonald’s workers strike against sexual harassment in several major…
Michelle R. Matisons Food & BeverageA lot has changed in labor organizing as the Fight for $15 campaign, which seeks to raise the minimum wage, and the #MeToo movement addressing workplace sexual harassment recently merged to target workplace sexual harassment against McDonald’s workers. On Sept. 19, McDonald’s workers in 10 cities — including Chicago, San Francisco, Los Angeles, St. Louis, Miami, Milwaukee, New Orleans, Orlando, Durham, and Kansas City — hit the streets demanding better sexual harassment training programs, a better employee complaint process, and a sexual harassment complaint committee.
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Fair trade? China-US tariff tensions rise
Seth Sandronsky Civil & GovernmentTake the world's two biggest economies. Then, increase trade tariffs, or taxes, as a policy to solve disputes. President Trump said on Sept. 17 that tariffs on $267 billion of China’s imports to the U.S., its top buyer, will begin on Sept. 24 (10 percent) and rise in 2019 (25 percent) if Chinese concessions to Washington are not met. In response, officials in China have announced retaliatory tariffs of $60 billion on U.S. imports. Wilbur Ross, the commerce secretary, downplayed the economic impacts of the U.S. tariffs on Chinese goods to American businesses and consumers.
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Sacrificing service on the altar of efficiency
Anne Rose Business Management, Services & Risk ManagementFew companies like to see wasted effort, loss of productivity, and wasted resources. Efficiency is hailed as the end goal of every organization. But sometimes customer service is sacrificed in this quest for efficiency. Even small businesses use automated voicemails to route phone customers to the right department. Press 1 for store location and hours. Press 2 for new orders. Press 3 for existing orders. Press 4 for accounting. Sure, you haven’t wasted a real employee’s time to route that call, but in the meantime, you've possibly alienated a customer who just wants someone to give him a tracking number for his overdue order without it taking 15 minutes to get a live person who can look up the information.
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Not just pumpkin: Fall food and beverage trends hit the retail sector
Bambi Majumdar Food & BeverageFall deals are springing up everywhere, and the retail space is putting up some exciting offers. Among these, the food and beverage segment is creating quite a wave. Retail marketing sees new trends and styles come up all the time, at times seasonal and at times event-based. This is one of those times where marketing strategies evoke more seasonal cravings than usual. Even before the season has truly set in, there have been some interesting products unveiled for consumers, both in retail stores and food establishments.
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