Ben Ball

Maybe Rick, maybe.

But there are any number of natural laws and other truisms that say probably not. Regression to the mean; "there are no new ideas -- only reconstructed ones"; "what goes around comes around"; etc.

The truth is that the fundamentals of business and retailing haven't changed...

There's one reality not yet addressed that may have factored into Apple's decision -- the rest of the developed world is generally ahead of the U.S. when it comes to technology. Reaching offshore seems to make sense in that regard. Though I was surprised to see Europe and not...

Conundrum! I find myself in rare disagreement with Ryan this morning.

This struck me as one of the best ideas for using social networking to really improve the business we have seen. The reason being that it (could) engage the typically younger, more dispersed workforce in retail in their...

In the beginning, category management was about the marriage of consumer learning with in-store practices.

Then Brian Harris climbed Mount S-COP and came down with "the templates." And category management was never the same. Nor did it ever return to its true purpose. It was forever doomed to wallow...

Methinks Ian Percy's intelligence, street smarts, sizzling synapses and immunity to Monday morning mortality shine through brilliantly on this one. There's nothing new about EDLP, except...

...when is the last time someone tried it in a true department store format? I'm no retail historian, so I will stand with Ian...

Smartphones and tablets will remain a supplemental device in the shopping process until the process of evolution yields a genetically superior set of eyes. Trying to navigate those relatively tiny screens is a pain. I own all the e-toys of course, and even use them a fair amount --...

This isn't exactly original (name the next M&M's color; create the Doritos Superbowl ad; etc.) but it is a pretty good gimmick. It should work to draw some attention to Walmart on the web -- but you've got to say it is more PR than anything else.

"...sometimes it's nice to go, where every body knows your name."

Norm knew it -- and clearly Danny Meyer knows it -- people want to feel welcomed, comfortable and special when receiving service of any sort. And not just in the hospitality business.

Think about it. How much more likely...

We are not in the business of generating or selling data. We are in the business of helping people figure out what to do with data -- and that does not mean "tools."

Bill hits the nail on the head. Databases are like dungeons. If you don't know what...

Mr. Tindell strikes at the heart of this issue for retailers of all stripes. Happy people make happy places to shop. Happy places to shop make happy consumers. Define "happiness" any way you want. From the cheery "Hello!" every time you walk into a Jimmy John's Sandwich Shop to...