David Biernbaum

The Apple store-within-a-store concept is brilliant as long as the store is also a service center for the Apple consumer, and as long as the store is easily accessable for consumers carrying their own products in and out of the store.

Target's debut of a stand alone specialty store is an interesting idea but I'm skeptical that it will serve the appetite of the "targeted" consumer. We shall wait and see.

Hey, technology works well when the users are well trained and know how to make it work for themselves, and mostly for the consumer. Time will tell but my "fear" is that too many answers and responses will become "stock answers" and might be even less effective than most...

I think it's admirable that Costco has one of the top 20 online businesses, however, I'm not convinced that "clubbing" has as much online overall potential as do other channels of trade. Shoppers online want variety, assortment, depth, and specialty, and that's not what club stores offer. That said,...

Retailers and CPG brands need to be very wise how they observe and react to customer service issues in the social media because the responses, or the lack of, are widely observed by hundreds, thousands, or even millions.

No, I don't necessarily agree that the social media is a more effective protector than the FDA; however, the social media is a far more effective resource and tool for the FDA to use if it were so inclined.

Junk mail is more effective than ever through the post office because recipients get so little else in the mail these days. Junk mail gets noticed and read more now than back in the days when everything else came in the mail too.

Michael Bloom is going to give new life to Family Dollar. Consumers that shop retailers such as Family Dollar have as much desire to buy name brands and certain specialities as do any other consumers that shop any other stores. My own clients recently had a chance to hear...

Self-Checkouts ARE a form of good customer service. Many consumers prefer to get in, and get out, and they actually prefer self-check stands as a major convenience. The real issue is that retailers need to improve the technology so that customers are less apt to rip them off by...

Online shopping has not reached its peak and it will continue to spread out and grow, even beyond where it is today. However, the notion that brick and mortar shopping will trend away to the dark ages is unrealistic and foolish. Smart retailers completely understand that the two need...