"Target & Its 15,000 Vine Followers"  For those who haven’t jumped on the bandwagon yet, the idea behind Vine is simple: You create and share six-second videos that play on a continuous loop.  “It offers a constraint that other platforms don’t have,” says Travis. “It’s only six seconds. You can’t shoot something and upload it later. You can’t copy a TV spot and post it. It all needs to happen within the camera phone. That’s a compelling challenge, and we’re excited by the possibilities.”  Read more:  https://abullseyeview.com/target-vine-creativity-6-seconds-at-a-time/   "Woolworth's / Lowe's Inept Merchandising Strategy in Australia" by Adele Ferguson [...]

  "No More Waiting In Line:  Lowe's & Other Leading Retailers Scheduling In-Store Appointments" by Andria Cheng at Market Watch.  "Besides enticing them to come to stores, retailers also survey these customers and then proactively aim more relevant marketing campaigns at them, he said.  The number of shoppers using those tools is expected to double to 50 million this year, he said, adding his company also is expected to triple its retail client account to 90 this year."  Read more:  https://blogs.marketwatch.com/behindthestorefront/2013/07/17/best-buy-staples-nordstrom-unveil-online-scheduling/   Street View:  "EBay's Growth Disappoints, Shares Slump" by Gren Bensinger at WSJ.  "Mr. Donahoe said he expected eBay [...]

  "Costco Secrets - Summer 2013" by Len Rapoport.  "At the new store we noticed Poland Spring Sport Cap water was a dollar less then it is in our Hazlet store. It was $4.59 a case vs. $5.49, we thought it might have been a mistake and later found out it was not. Different Costco stores may sell the same items at different prices. The reason we were told was that the new Costco had a Sam's Club and BJ store in the area."  Read more:  https://lenrapoport.hubpages.com/hub/Secret-Price-Codes-At-Costco-Summer-2012-Scores   Oldie but Goodie - "Secret Price Codes Will Save You Money At Costco" [...]

  "Loblaw’s bulk buy: $12.4-billion deal for Shoppers creates a colossus of retail (Canada)" by Simon Houpt at Globe and Mail.  "Canada’s biggest grocery chain and the country’s largest pharmacy will become one company, creating a homegrown juggernaut in the face of stiffer competition from the consolidation of existing players and the entry of a major U.S. retailer."  Read more:  https://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/loblaws-bulk-buy-124-billion-deal-for-shoppers-creates-a-retail-juggernaut/article13239390/   "Walgreens was scoping out Shoppers before Loblaw bought drugstore chain" by Garry Marr at National Post.  "“We really thought it would be a big American company that would come up here and make an offer,” said a senior [...]

  "Why Costco Rules in Hearing Aids ... and Gummy Bears" by Kyle Stock at Businessweek.  "We followed up with Richard Chavez, Costco’s senior vice president in charge of ancillary businesses, to see just how much hearing-aid revenue the wholesaler was talking about. “A lot,” he says with a laugh. “We’re now one of the largest—if not the largest—hearing-aid distributors in the market, but I really don’t want anyone to know that.”  Turns out, in the past four years, Costco’s hearing-aid sales have grown 26 percent a year on average, according to Chavez, who expects another 19 percent gain this [...]

  "Sun Tzu at Sears: Managers Go to War With Each Other" by Mina Kimes at Businessweek.  "The divisions turned against each other—and Sears and Kmart, the overarching brands, suffered. Interviews with more than 40 former executives, many of whom sat at the highest levels of the company, paint a picture of a business that’s ravaged by infighting as its divisions battle over fewer resources...the model created a “warring tribes” culture. “If you were in a different business unit, we were in two competing companies."  Read more:  https://www.businessweek.com/articles/2013-07-11/at-sears-eddie-lamperts-warring-divisions-model-adds-to-the-troubles#p1   "Online merchants buying into retail storefronts" by Debra Bass at StL [...]

  "Home Depot Presents at Canada Investor Road Show" by Seeking Alpha.  "Execs with Home Depot presented at the Canada Investor Road Show on Wednesday with a detailed look at the home improvement market in the U.S. A key point from the talk is how the company sees the financing/credit atmosphere going from "tight" to loosening quickly between now and 2015. FY13 targets of sales growth of ~2.8% and comparable store sales growth of ~4% are also reaffirmed."  See Home Depot's PowerPoint presentation:  https://ir.homedepot.com/phoenix.zhtml?c=63646&p=irol-EventDetails&EventId=4986467   "Costco Comp Sales +6% in June/YTD"  "Costco Wholesale Corporation today reported net sales of $9.92 [...]

  "Family Dollar Comp Sales +2.9% in Q3"   "Net sales for the third quarter ended June 1, 2013, increased 9.0% to $2.57 billion from $2.36 billion in the third quarter of fiscal 2012 ended May 26, 2012. Comparable store sales in the quarter increased 2.9%. The increase in comparable store sales was a result of an increase in the average customer transaction value and higher customer traffic."  Read more:  https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20130710005406/en/Family-Dollar-Reports-Quarter-Results?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter   "Target Corp. eyes Silicon Valley with innovation center in San Francisco" by Thomas Lee at Star-Tribune.  "Wal-Mart Stores Inc. already established its e-commerce headquarters in San Bruno, Calif. [...]