Sunday Soapbox–Robotic Dialogues

Recently Walgreens told their employees they no longer need to say “Be Well” after their interaction and are not required to say “Welcome to Walgreens” either.   The writer of the article below, however, has a problem with them now encouraging employees to use customer’s names where possible, since he doesn’t want the clerk remembering Read More…

Dreiling Strikes Again!

  So Wal-Mart raises their wages above minimum (and also, I’ve learned, gave a 2% raise across the board to those above the minimum, which is definitely the right thing to do!)  and many companies are following suit but evidently Dollar General is not one of them.  Since CEO Rick Dreiling was famous at Longs Read More…

CVS Goes Platinum to Go Green

CVS has begun adding environmentally progressive and energy efficient stores.  I’m sure the key there is: energy efficient=saves money but it’s great that it helps the environment as well.   Most CVS stores have already installed LED lights in their coolers as well.  The new “Platinum” stores are well-lit using natural light, which will make Read More…

Another Retailer Fails in California

  Many chains have come to California and learned that it’s not an easy place to be profitable.  Besides high real estate prices for the land they build on, there’s customers with high expectations (and a lot of choices), it’s hard to find employees who will work for minimum wage, and there are tons of Read More…

Rick Dreiling is Hiring!!

In case you miss working for Rick Dreiling, he is looking for a new CFO at Dollar General. Qualifications:  Must like the movie Hoosiers. Must not like scotch tape. GOODLETTSVILLE, Tenn. — Dollar General announced Thursday that David Tehle, EVP and CFO, will retire from Dollar General effective July 1, 2015.   “David has served Read More…

This Is a Lot of Bull

      Red Bull North America is expanding its Editions line of beverages. Consumers can now expect to see Red Bull Orange Edition, Red Bull Cherry Edition and Red Bull Yellow Edition on store shelves. The company noted that the new beverages will meet a blossoming demand for zero-calorie flavored energy drinks — a Read More…

Where Do CVS Customers Buy Tobacco Now?

Well here’s part of the answer.   Rite-Aid reported that their front end same-store sales were up  1.2% for 2014, while CVS reported theirs were down 4.0%, and for the last quarter Rite-Aid was up 2% while CVS dropped a whopping 7.0% over the last 3 months of the year.   Walgreens was up 1.3% in Read More…