As we round the corner into July, most of us are settling
into summer. The weather is beginning to turn (or has turned, depending on your
locale), Fourth of July festivities await and weekends are chock full of fun
outdoor activities like barbeques, picnics, weddings and hikes.

Retailers, on
the other hand, don’t have the luxury of this summertime present moment
awareness. The industry practically requires retailers to continually look
ahead to the future, creating plans for customer specials, promotions and
improved sales tactics–to name a few.

So, I wasn’t totally shocked when I recently received a
press release with the following headline, "With Gas Prices Sky High, 2008
Online Holiday Shopping Season Poised for Fast Lane – Says Keynote." While
the release ended up being nothing more than some advertising in disguise
(one of my biggest pet peeves), it did bring up some valuable discussion
points. Continue reading →

I’m not certain what Basho (1644-1694), Master Artist of the ancient art of Haiku, would make of Retail Haiku. Nevertheless, a few days ago, on a lark I challenged a few of my colleagues in retail, fashion, art and publishing to a light-hearted contest for the best Haiku on the subject of retail. Back-story: it was a slow day, and I had just read an article how the sponsors of the Webby Awards only allowed the winners FIVE words for their acceptance speeches, which intrigued me, brevity not being one of my virtues. Placing limitations on the usually long-winded speeches forced winners to artfully edit their thoughts into concise and insightful prose. Continue reading →

Today, New York City will officially launch a waterfront, artistic bonanza–a vast public arts project called “The New York City Waterfalls.” [Remember the Christo’s Gates installation a few years back, with all those orange fabric banners?] This $15 million project consists of four man-made cataracts–ranging from 90 ft. to 120 ft. high and from 30 ft. to 80 ft. wide. The designer, Icelandic artist Olafur Eliasson, is hoping for rainbows, and if conditions are right, spectators should see a few. And the city of New York is hoping that there will be a pot of tourist gold at the end of those rainbows. Continue reading →

Are the airlines about to install pay toilets–charging a dollar for every ____ (well, you know)?  Let’s hope not, but after all, they seem to be charging for everything else these days–at least in coach. Two dollars for ear phones, fees for snacks and away with pillows and blankets–no matter how cold it gets. Oops, not a problem; they are barely running the air-conditioning these days to save fuel. No chance of a chill. Then there are those extra charges for luggage. One family returning from vacation, recently interviewed on TV, said they had to pay more than $100 to check their bags. Continue reading →

One of the biggest catch phrases to inure itself into retail lately is “green.” It is as overused as Wendy’s spokesperson, Clara Peller’s “Where’s the Beef?” was in the ’80s. Using the word “green” to describe mass-produced and mass-marketed product may also be as oxymoronic as "jumbo shrimp" or "plastic glasses" (apologies to the recently deceased George Carlin).  Especially when companies like Exxon and DuPont market themselves as “green” leaders and mis-educate customers with slick propaganda on how they’re concerned with the planet and environment, but they are in good company.

At the recent Sustainability Conference, SB08, which was held in beautiful coastal Monterey, Calif., Allison Arieff, former editor of Dwell magazine, tries to make sense of the senseless, as companies like Clorox, General Electric, Dow Chemicals and the Gap presented their unique take on being “green.” Isn’t that the pot calling the kettle black? Continue reading →