Ralph Jacobson

I think online reviews are as suspect as many employees' perspectives. One obvious exception is Apple Stores, as the employees are sought out for their product "genius."

First of all, congratulations on ten years! I was a late bloomer and joined in 2003. I believe the change we see in retail takes time because we are in a conservative industry and few challenges are solved quickly ... even in ten years. Talk about very basic problems...

I agree with most comments herein. We need LESS regulation, not more. Consumers must hold responsibility for their own actions, and not rely upon the government to be their babysitter.

There will be aspects of these sites that not only survive, but get further integrated into established retailers. The question is, can these sites create compelling reasons to stand alone, or will they all end up getting purchased by retailers, like PayPal did?

I do believe mobile adoption is inevitable, however, it will be adopted by age groups and regions (Japan/South Korea vs. US, etc.) at differing rates. Cathy Hotka said it very well in her comments. However, my wife and I were in the supermarket and she saw that an item...

Companies that encourage a healthy lifestyle are using some innovative approaches to reduce the expense of healthcare for both the company and the employee.

For example, my company has several great programs to encourage healthy lifestyles, including having the employee log their physical activity daily and offer a significant...

I am still amazed at how many retailers have the need to build new stores from the ground up, regardless of size, while there is so much vacancy in the US.

I do think there is a market for certain retail brands to expand into larger formats, based upon...

I do see mobile shopping increasing, however, never displacing brick-and-mortar shopping.

By the way, regarding this NRF event, it has become virtually the LARGEST CPG event in the world. Last year 8% of the attendees were manufacturers. If that trend continued for this show, then there will have been...

When I visit the large malls here in the Los Angeles Area, I think to myself, "WHAT recession?!" Of course, this situation varies across the US and internationally. What I find most compelling to drive the traffic in the busy malls are the visual characteristics. Visual merchandising, frequently-refreshed decor,...

One key unique aspect of this event is that it holds perhaps the most opportunity for impulse purchases, versus other holidays or events. The shopper knows they want snacks, however, the most compelling in-store displays win the business.