No Turn On Red

Gas prices, conflict in the Middle East, sales tax, rising interest rates, wildfires, foods with too much trans-fat, and hurricanes: we’re almost to the end of the second quarter in retail - anyone want to place bets on which of the preceeding things retailers will be blaming poor results on the most?

This week, it was revealed that Wal-Mart has loosened it’s policy on shoplifting (see: Wal-Mart relaxes no-tolerance shoplifting rules -NYT). This wasn’t a story that was not exactly meant to go public. The New York Times published a story with source documents given to them from the website WakeUpWalmart.com, with some interesting twists (see: CNN Ignores Labor Union Source of Wal-Mart Shoplifting Story). Wal-Mart themselves have publically responded to their public outing by saying “Don’t test it“. The National Association for Shoplifting Prevention and the National Crime Prevention Council have also issued a statement against the change in Wal-Mart policy.

Unfortunately for some, the exemption only applies to first time offenses under $25. You are still out of luck if you’re an off-duty police officer, shoplifting $258 worth of merchandise: not only will you get procescuted, but you will also probably lose your job.

Wal-Mart has brought themselves into a unique position by being the largest retailer in the world. Any- and everything that they do will be scrutinized in the media, even though a move like this simply brings Wal-Mart in line with most/many other retailers.

More coverage from bloggingstocks.com.

Great article in today’s Courier-Post, out of Cherry Hill, NJ, about the lessons that can be learned from the boardwalk in Seaside Heights, NJ: More the merrier in Seaside Heights. In a small area, competition for the same consumer will dictate prices, ideas, and customer service. Truth be told, I think Seaside (like most boardwalks in New Jersey), do a very good job at pleasing the customer and creating an affordable family athmosphere. There are lessons to be learned from the New Jersey boardwalk industry.

I never thought I’d say that there are business lessons to be learned from the same boardwalk that once hosted the MTV Beach House, with Carson Daly and Civ performing tracks off their ill-fated Thirteen Day Getaway.

Took a trip to Old Navy today and saw the start of the new Fall turnaround. I’ll post more about it tomorrow morning, but so far I am very impressed at the new merchandise I got to see today.

Finally, a trip through some blog posts that I enjoyed this week:

First, my new favorite blog is Finn at Lightheavyweight. He’s got great ideas about design, marketing, and business. He also points out some ways that retailers/businesses can learn from punk rock in his post Punk Rock Branding Lessons II. As an avid music fan myself, I think that there is a lot that businesses at large can learn from DIY/punk ethos without co-opting the identity of punk rock. Be honest, put the customer (fan) first, and work hard. Good points by Finn.

Katherine at Chain Store Age blog talks about recent trips to Ace Hardware and Home Depot. Guess which retailer provided the better customer service? Whenever I need something from a hardware store, I consistently get the better value and customer service from the local, independent or smaller chain stores than I do at Home Depot or Lowes. Although I’ve gotten better assistance at Lowes than Home Depot, nothing beats the level of service from the local True Value Hardware Stores.

Finally, as we go into the Back to School season, Ken at Retail Crier offers some advice for retailers looking to better market to younger crowds. Although some retailers are utilizing some of the points that he touches on, retail is still an industry that doesn’t seem to understand how to use technology to their marketing advantage. Forget podcasts - larger retailers haven’t even figured out how to use blogs to reach their core customer. With retail consolidation ruining customer relationships with retail brands, the technology we have at hand is perfect for allowing retailers to connect, one-on-one, with the people they want in their stores. Too bad they just don’t get it.

Related posts

• No related posts.

Let me say this first, I love Atlantic City. I do enjoy playing cards and sitting in front of an Elvis slot machine. Although my last few trips haven’t been very successful, I have enjoyed watching the development of The Pier at Caesars unfold.

The Pier at Caesars is a $200 million redevelopment project of the former Ocean One Mall on the beach in Atlantic City. Boasting a mix of high and mid level retailers (Coach, Gucci and Louis Vuitton meet Ann Taylor, Quiksilver, Gymboree and Victoria’s Secret), this mall has been eagerly anticipated by tourists and residents alike.

The mall officially opened on Tuesday, although it is only the first phase. About a dozen of the ninety stores are open, with none of the resturaunts open yet. Developers say that more stores will open throughout the Summer with everything open by Labor Day. Work is still being done on some of the more decorative pieces, including fountains and billboards.

A good overview is the mall and the opening is available from the Associated Press: Once Tacky Resort City Gets More Class. The Press of Atlantic City has another, localized article about the opening which says that opening day was not all that impressive to some shoppers.

The Pier at Caesars is the second major retail project the town has. 2005 saw the opening of The Walk, aka the Atlantic City Outlets. This $76 million retail development project is beautiful - a great mix of stores that seems to be doing extremely well. From Gap to Polo Ralph Lauren to coffee at Starbucks, I have enjoyed walking this outdoor mall. Last year, the Baltimore Sun had an excellent article about the retail development of Atlantic City, with a focus on The Walk.

With all of this retail development in a city that is increasingly focusing on non-casino offerings, Atlantic City has become a great place to visit for those who are interested in visual merchandising and creative retail solutions. I have already enjoyed trips to The Walk and I am very interested in going to see The Pier at Caesars. I believe shoppers and tourists will respond well to the mix of stores available in Atlantic City.

This isn’t the end of large scale, non-casino development in Atlantic City. I can’t wait to see what the next few years bring.

Related posts

• No related posts.

They finally imploded the C-8 building in Asbury Park, as I talked about last week. Here is the video I took, via youtube:

I took a ride down, getting down to Asbury Park before six this morning. It was a wild scene to watch unfold - a ton of people came out to watch, including a lot of the NYC news media and a few of the local radio stations. There was an eight block area blocked off, so I was in the grassy park area near Kingsley between Fifth and Sunset. I was able to get as close and they would allow and I had a good view of the implosion.

For those that aren’t familar with Asbury Park, this construction on this building started in the mid to late 80’s. After 12 of the 16 stories of the building were up, the developer went bankrupt and the land had sat in tax/governmental/political limbo until a few years ago. After the area near Cookman Ave and Main Street had undergone redevelopment, development finally began on the oceanfront area. However, this building still stood as a reminder of what the city once was and overshadowed all of the good going on in the area.

The implosion of the building is a very monumental step forward in the redevelopment. The eyesore is gone and I am very interested in how the city is going to unfold after this.

Here is a recent article from the Asbury Park Press talking about the past and future of the building. And here is another quick article on the Asbury Park Press website about today’s events.

And finally, here are photos I’d like to share. The first is a photo I found that I took on March 29, 2002 that shows how the C-8 building used to look. The rest of the photos are from today’s events.

Related posts

• No related posts.

Just came across Red Bank TV, which is a new blog discussing the negotions between the town of Red Bank and Verizon Communications, in regards to Verizon wanting to offer it’s new FiOSTV service in the town. Verizon has recently petitioned the town council to grant them a cable television franchise and it appears that this blog is going to cover the negotiations in pretty good detail. This is a relatively new service that Verizon wants to offer and I believe it would be the first time it is offering it in New Jersey. These negotiations will have a lot of business and political ramifications, so it will be very intriguing to watch.

The blog’s first post contains a lot of information about what Verizon is looking to do and how it will effect the town. In summary:

I believe that Verizon is a forward thinking organization and we should be proud that Verizon has chosen Red Bank as a beacon for their new television service. I believe that a lot of communities around our state will be watching to see how our town negotiates our deal with Verizon. I think that our town Council is in a unique position in which we have the ability to negotiate a deal with Verizon that will be beneficial to Verizon and pioneering for our town. Our council should not accept a deal that does not address the issues I have brought up in this essay. Verizon needs Red Bank at this point a lot more than Red Bank needs Verizon. There are no laws compelling Verizon to address most of these issues but there is also no law saying that we have to allow Verizon to operate a cable TV franchise in our town. Verizon stands to gain a lot by getting the franchise but they stand to loose so much more if we decide to walk away from this deal. Not for a long time has our town wielded so much sway over a corporation as big as Verizon. I encourage Red Bank residents and Red Bank Town Council members to work for a deal with Verizon that will benefit our town for a long time to come.

As I’ve already said, this blog will be very intriguing to read.

Related posts

• No related posts.