2002 Features

12/26/02 - Hassle-Free Holiday Returns Consumer Corner
Many consumers believe that retailers are legally required to offer refunds. They aren't. But don't despair, here are several simple steps you can take for hassle-free returns.

12/17/02 - Holiday Retail Consumer Spending Updated
Find out how much consumers have spent during the 2002 holiday shopping season.

12/12/02 - 3 Ways to Build Next Years Holiday Sales
Guest author and retail consultant, Anne Obarski, looks at three things retailers can do to retain business after the holidays and all throughout the year.

11/26/02 - Retail Theft and Inventory Shrinkage
Retail theft, including losses from employee theft and shoplifting are on the rise again according to the 2002 Retail Security Survey.

11/12/02 - Diversity Training
Having a diverse workforce and training everyone in the corporation to appreciate and embrace diversity can help set a retailer apart from its competition. Make diversity training an integral part of your company's training program for all employees.

11/05/02 - Much Ado About Customer Service
Do your employees provide the level of customer service you expect? If not, use Dave Ratner's simple, effective approach to delivering quality customer service in your store.

10/28/02 - Strategic Planning: Your Blueprint to Success
Strategic planning can be your blueprint to achieving your goals and planning for future growth. Retail expert, Debbie Allen, explains why you need strategic planning and how it can help your organization.

10/18/02 - Holiday Retail Sales Predictions 2002 Updated
What are the experts predicting for the 2002 holiday season? Find out what's in store for retailers this season.

10/08/02 - Holiday Retail Consumer Spending
Find out how much consumers have spent during the 2002 holiday shopping season.

09/18/02 - Retail Sourcing and the Supply Base
Has supply base consolidation been taken too far? What supply chain strategies can retailers use to better source products and maintain a solid supply base? Guest author and supply chain pro Devangshu Dutta explores issues in retail sourcing and suppliers.

09/17/02 - Leasing Retail Real Estate
What should retailers keep in mind when negotiating and working with leases? Here are tips and information that can you use to avoid pitfalls and smooth negotiations for your retail real estate leases.

09/16/02 - Holiday Retail Sales Predictions 2002
What are the experts predicting for the 2002 holiday season? Find out what's in store for retailers this season.

09/14/02 - 2002 Holiday Retail Guide and Special Report
About Retail Industry's Annual Holiday Retail Guide and Special Report for 2002 covers holiday retail sales predictions, winter season retail news, articles and more.

09/12/02 - Appealing to Repeat, Loyal Customers
Too many retailers concentrate on wooing new customers and do not pay enough attention to what they can do to gain the loyalty and increased patronage of their current customers. Retail experts Joel Evans and Barry Berman explain how you can appeal to your loyal, repeat customers.

09/08/02 - 5 Principles to Cement Customer Trust
Retail consultant Anne Obarski believes consumers do business with retailers they can trust and who are knowledgeable, efficient and deliver what they promise. Use these 5 principals can help you build and cement your customers' trust.

09/04/02 - The CATALOG AGE 100: Top 100 Catalog Companies
The annual ranking of the top 100 catalogs by CATALOG AGE looks at the largest U.S. catalog companies and their annual sales, the impact of the economy on catalogers, the current catalog industry trends and predictions for the future of catalogs.

08/29/02 - Developing a Succession Plan
Creating a succession plan is an effective way for a manager to formulate a recruiting, hiring and development strategy for promoting from within. Retail expert Richard Fenton explains how to develop a succession plan for your retail business.

08/10/02 - Pricing and Small Retailers: Questions to Consider
One of the most crucial areas for retailers is developing a pricing strategy. Retail experts Joel Evans and Barry Berman explain how small retailers can use their pricing plans to prosper in today's discount-oriented environment.

08/06/02 - The Top 100 Specialty Retailers
The 2002 Top 100 Specialty Store Retailers ranking from Triversity and STORES, reveals apparel and accessory, consumer electronics, and office supply stores continue to be the strongest players in the fast-paced specialty retail sector.

08/01/02 - Local Merchants Leverage the Internet
In today's business, the Internet is vital. This is especially true for local area merchants. Guest author Dennis Acker explains how local retailers can make the most of their physical stores by leveraging the Internet.

07/30/02 - Addressing Performance Issues
Extraordinary performance never happens by accident. Find out why addressing performance issues is important, and how to do it before it's too late, with help from retail management expert Richard Fenton.

07/23/02 - Power Retailing: Not Just for Large Firms
Every retailer, regardless of size or line of business, could learn from the concept of power retailing. Retail experts Joel R. Evans and Barry Berman have tips for better retailing that even small stores can use to become power retailers.

07/17/02 - No Shopping Gap
Today's men 18 to 34 shop more like women their age than like older men, eliminating the gender-based shopping gap between younger men and women, according to WSL Strategic Retail.

07/10/02 - Top 5 Retail Branding Books
Retail branding is a critical component of many retailers success. Use these top picks to find out about brand management theory, get practical retail branding advice, and learn from branding case studies.

07/02/02 - The Top 100 Retailers
The 2002 Top 100 Retailers ranking from Triversity and STORES, reveals a retail landscape irrevocably changed by the world's largest retailer, Wal-Mart. Find out who tops the list in sales among U.S. retail stores.

07/01/02 - Leaving Big Business Behind
Serving the customer is really what any business is about. Using your existing talents to serve customers is a great way to become independent and leave big business behind. Independent retailer, Tery Spataro of Accents by Allison, talks with Melody Vargas about becoming an independent retailer.

06/22/02 - How to Survive Road Construction and Renovation Projects
Even successful retailers can find that when the bulldozers and the jackhammers arrive outside the door, their sales plummet and customers abandon ship. But it doesn’t have to be that way. Retail expert, and guest author, T.J. Reid has survival tips for retailing in the construction zone.

06/12/02 - The State of Retailing Online
State of Retailing Online 5.0, Shop.org's fifth annual study of online retailing. Learn what you need to know about online retailing, including customer acquisition, marketing, fulfillment and customer service costs, revenue projection for 2002, what's driving profitability and much more.

06/08/02 - Convenience Is Key
Consumers, who binged throughout the booming '90s, are increasingly in a mood to simplify their shopping lives. WSL Strategic Retail has the details on what's important to consumers right now, plus details on where they're shopping and how often.

06/02/02 - Good Merchandising or Sneaky Tricks?
Good merchandising tips and savvy ideas for improving sales, service and profits in retail stores, from guest author and retail expert T.J. Reid.

05/30/02 - A Case Study In Planning Excellence
One of the elements of a successful retail company is proper inventory management. Applied Retail Technologies examines one apparel retailer's inventory practices and how those practices contributed to a successful implementation of a leading planning application.

05/22/02 - Craft and Hobby Industry Valued at $25.7 Billion
Highlights from the HIA's Nationwide Craft & Hobby Consumer Usage and Purchases Study, including top hobbies, arts and crafts, industry valuation, participating households and more.

05/15/02 - Are Customers Worth It?
Great customer service is your retail insurance. Guest author and retail expert, Anne Obarski, explains how to maintain a AAA customer service rating in your stores.

05/09/02 - Are You Driving Your Visitors Away?
The five most commonly encountered, off-putting e-commerce errors that can wreak havoc on your online sales, and what small retailers can do to stand out from the competition.

04/22/02 - What Is Merchandise Optimization?
ProfitLogic Explains How Merchandise Optimization Drives Financial Performance for Retailers.

04/16/02 - Top 6 Retail Text Books
These excellent retail text books are great to have on hand for general retailing reference.

04/12/02 - Not So Good at JCPenney
Find out what JCPenney needs to appeal to young consumers, according to youth market expert Irma Zandl.

04/05/02 - Five Tools You Can Use to Prevent Fraud
Learn how to prevent online fraud with real-time credit card authorization, address verification systems, card verification codes, rule-based detection, and predictive statistical model software. Guest author, Julie Fergerson, Chairman of the Worldwide E-Commerce Fraud Prevention Network explains.

03/28/02 - If You Don't See It - We Don't Have It!
An excerpt from the upcoming book, Secrets of Secret Shoppers - What Customers Wished Management Knew! by retail expert Anne Obarski, covering inventory balancing, planning and merchandising.

03/20/02 - Retail Supply Chain Challenges and Solutions
The retail supply chain presents many challenges that have spawned numerous attempts to solve them efficiently and effectively. NuThink, Inc. explores how consumer driven, time-phased planning provides solutions to those challenges.

03/17/02 - Top 10 Retail Loss Prevention Books
These great retail security and loss prevention books will help you prevent shoplifting, reduce employee theft and shrink, protect your store's assets and keep your people safe.

03/12/02 - Making the Most of Trade Shows
An About Industry and Primedia Business Magazines Special providing tips on attending tradeshows, eliminating stress, building business and much more for industry professionals and businesses.

02/26/02 - Making Sound Purchasing Decisions
Here's help for making sound purchasing decisions, with information on process evaluation, buying technology, leasing and buying equipment and more. Includes purchasing resources by industry.

02/22/02 - Four Critical Factors for Merchandise Optimization Implementation Success
Merchandise optimization or demand based management can help retailers make more profitable buying, allocation, pricing and promotion decisions based on customer demand. Here's what retail professionals need to know for a successful implementation.

02/18/02 - Partnership Proves Profitable
As necessity is often the mother of invention, a monumental challenge prompted one retailer to rethink the way that it builds and remodels stores. Guest author and retail consultant, Pam Mitchell has the details.

02/11/02 - Retail Industry Profiles
Updated for 2002. This one-stop resource includes key data on the retail sector including overviews, trends, basics, employment numbers, sales and more.

02/08/02 - The Best Retailers to Work For
Whether you're looking to start a career in retailing or have already established yourself, finding a retailer that values its staff and provides training and opportunities for advancement is important. Find out which retailers are among the very best companies to work for in America.

02/05/02 - Crystal Gazing
Twenty emerging retail trends, from guest author, Rahul Tyagi.

02/02/02 - Coping With An Uncertain Economy
Caution, Comfort and the Leading Lipstick Indicator: Caution seemed to be the overall mood at the 2002 National Retail Federation Convention. Learn about the trends and hot topics from the event, and conversations that went on behind the scenes from guest author, Brad Boa.

01/30/02 - Executives Can Expect Smaller Bonuses
Executives can expect smaller bonus payouts and revised performance measures for their 2002 executive bonus programs, according to a recent compensation study.

01/25/02 - Kmart - A Lot of Ifs
Kmart's long expected Chapter 11 bankruptcy will buy the company some time and give it some breathing room to reorganize and hopefully get back on a profitable course. But it will be an uphill battle according to guest author, where it's @'s Brad Boa.

01/19/02 - Business Continuity
A well designed and executed business continuity plan could make the difference between success and failure if a crisis were to strike your company. Here are Business Continuity, Disaster Recovery and Crisis Management Planning resources you can use in your business.

01/14/02 - Retail Career Resources
Updated for 2002. This one-stop resource for exciting retail careers features recruiters, job banks, salary, relocation and job search links, plus information on researching companies and finding the right position for you.
More: Careers In Industry: Outlook, Paths, Opportunities - Industry job search information, plus resources for handling job loss, finding work-life balance and more.

01/08/02 - Consumer Spending Holiday 2001 Update
Find out how much consumers spent this holiday season both in stores and online.

01/07/02 - Coping, Surviving and Growing In a Recession
An About Industry business survival special filled with practical ideas you can use in your business when times get tough.

01/04/02 - Kmart - Running Out of Time
Industry buzz suggests that Kmart is lingering too long. All indicators suggest that Chapter 11 bankruptcy may not be far off. In fact, some say the move may be just what is needed to save the company. Find out why, from guest author, Brad Boa.

01/03/02 - Retail: Year in Review and a Look Ahead
The economic slowdown that continued through 2001, created one of the worst years for U.S. retailers in a decade. Explore what happened in retailing during 2001 and discover where the industry is headed in 2002.
More: About Industry Special - 2001 In Review and the Outlook for 2002

01/02/02 - Brands versus Private Labels: Which is Winning?
Guest author and international retail consultant, John Stanley, looks at brands versus private labels, which is winning, plus the advantages, disadvantages, and future of private labels in retail.

01/01/02 - Converting to Euro Currency
January 1, 2002 brings change to the European Union as the euro is adopted as the official currency of the 12 countries in the eurozone. Find out more about the changeover to the euro.

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