Attitudes: Retailers

WASHINGTON -- Being the low-price leader doesn't mean employees' wages and benefits have to be sacrificed, according to research about Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. released yesterday by the Economic Policy Institute, a nonprofit, nonpartisan think tank based here.

CHICAGO -- This city might become the first in the nation to require "big box" retailers like Wal-Mart or Home Depot to pay employees a "living wage" of at least $10 an hour plus $3 an hour in benefits.

CHICAGO -- Retailers may actually be damaging the potential growth opportunities of their private label business, according to a study conducted by Damon Worldwide, ACNielsen, and DamandTec. The study, which spanned more than a year and involved over 200 stores at multiple retailers, was released during Daymon Worldwide¿s biannual forum, held here this weekend.

CANTON, Ohio -- Unionized grocery store workers here will vote over the next two weeks on a tentative contract with the owners of five grocery store chains doing business in Northeast Ohio.

NEW YORK --­ The American shoppers' mindset has dramatically shifted since 2001 toward more anxiety and less spending, reflecting a new "Never Normal" environment they now live in, according to the latest "How America Shops" 2006 study from retail marketing consultancy WSL Strategic Retail, based here.

MEXICO CITY -- Millions of Mexicans are threatening to boycott U.S. products and businesses on May 1 as a way to support Latin Americans living in the States who have vowed not to turn up to work on that day.

WASHINGTON -- The AFL-CIO issued a report this week claiming that Wal-Mart employees in at least 19 states are relying on government health-care assistance.

WASHINGTON -- The latest Customer Centricity Study, conducted by Ogden Associates for the NRF Foundation here, shows just how important the customer really is to retailers. Key among the findings: More and more retailers are utilizing customer data (customer insight) to improve marketing programs and merchandise offerings -- a fundamental yet often elusive goal of retailers' customer relationship management (CRM) programs.