Time obsession.
Time-saving products and services continue to meet success because
the need to save time drives so many shopping and buying decisions.
Shoppers find many things taking longer while they are . . .
A friend that used to go shopping at Wal-Mart with me got me to
read the chapter about working there in "Nickel and Dimed' by
Ba
"A friend that used to go shopping at Wal-Mart with me got me
to read the chapter about working there in "Nickel and Dimed'
by Barbara Ehrenreich. Now, I can't bear to shop there and face
what the . . .
Nibbling at Wal-Mart's magic.(influence of employee
relations)(Brief Article)
We asked some of our shoppers if they had heard anything about a
possible lawsuit against Wal-Mart by a large group of their female
employees. Responses from those who have heard something about . . .
More convenience wishes.(Cconsumer preferences)(Brief
Article)
The things that our shoppers listed as needing convenience updates
indicate that plastic packages are seen as more convenient than glass,
that cereal seems inconvenient for multiple reasons, that . . .
Most convenient products.(Consumer preferences)(Brief
Article)
The list of top-of-mind, most convenient products is a composite
picture of our times. Running water was the only one of the
long-taken-for-granted conveniences that anyone cited. (Deeper into . . .
What's convenient now.(consumer preferences)
* Microwaving is more convenient than anything else we had on our
check lists. The fact that nothing even comes close says that we've
progressed from Quick and Easy to Zap and Click.
. . .
More convenient supermarkets.(consumer preferences)(Brief
Article)(Illustration)
[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]
In the More Convenient Supermarkets table at left, 84% of the
respondents agreed (and 57% agreed strongly) that supermarkets would be
more convenient if they had fewer hout . . .
Definitions of convenience.(Brief Article)
Merriam-Webster dictionary definitions are shown below along with
those of our shoppers:
1: fitness or suitability for performing an action or fulfilling a
requirement. (18% of our respondents . . .
Convenience revisited.(consumer preferences)
We know what convenience is as well as we know our right hand from
our left, don't we? To make sure, we checked in with our consumers
to see how they were defining and perceiving it these days. We . . .
Something for seniors.(Brief Article)
Seniors are rewarding stores that cater to them and make it clear
that they want their business. Some of their appreciation is based on
the sinking feeling that everything but income is going up. . . .
Whole Foods, whole medicine.(Brief Article)
The fact that the Whole Foods chain and holistic medicine have been
growing in parallel isn't a coincidence. Foods became less whole as
they became more processed, and medicine became less about . . .
Big Food troubles.(Brief Article)
Big Food is getting bad publicity from all sides. Fast Food
Nation's fall from the best seller list was immediately followed by
the publication of Candyfreak, A Journey Through the . . .
The energy phenomenon.
Energy bars have become a phenomenon. Everyone who has thought of a
way to jump on the bar bandwagon is doing high jumps with clever
positioning and products that are both eye-catching and . . .
Home cooking loses ground.(Brief Article)
Consumers who are consciously putting home cooking behind them told
us: "Been there, done that" or "It's too much
work" or "It takes too much time." One newly retired
respondent, who might be . . .
Where attention is shifting.(Illustration)
Among the high, attention-now items, drinking water and eating
healthy have the highest "more than" percentage. At least 40
percent of the respondents say they are paying more attention to . . .
What is getting attention.(Illustration)
The economy gets the highest "current attention" rating
on the attention table at right. Attention to terrorism and the war in
Iraq, which aren't shown, came in at 80 percent, and attention . . .
Country of origin labeling.
American shoppers are increasingly conversant with the global
economy. They know the difference between Szechwan and Cantonese,
between Thai and Vietnamese, between Korean and Japanese, between . . .
When everyone loses.
More store formats are creating more package types and sizes, and
more opportunities for miscommunications that make consumers feel
misled. Whether or not the merchandising, labeling, or marketing . . .
Why consumers are grumpy.(Brief Article)
Consumers get grumpy when they feel they aren't getting their
money's worth. That's something that happens a lot in packaged
grocery products, especially when products like ice cream are . . .
Redefining convenience.
When "no problem" first became popular, it became a
ubiquitous, service-industry response to many consumer requests. In
recent years, "no problem" has morphed into "not a
problem." Both phrases are . . .
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