Tag Archives: shopping

Reduced to a retail stereotype

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So I was reading a Wall Street Journal article the other day on how J.C. Penney Co. was trying to lure the much coveted twenty-somethings and early thirty-somethings to shop at its stores.

Penney’s is trying to shake its un-hip image by teaming up with Mango, an upscale chain known for being cutting edge. Expect one of these MNG by Mango sections in Penney’s Miller Hill Mall store next spring, says store manger Ted Cuva.

It’s all about turning around declining revenues. Penney’s strategy to boost revenues is to attract new customers, namely style-conscious young women who shop monthly and pay full price. Considered fast-fashion, Mango’s latest offerings move quickly from design to factory to floor.

The Penney Co. apparently has given up hope that their average customers — loyal though they may be — will ever spend more.

So who’s their average customer? The average customer is 35 to 53 years old, only shops four times a year and looks for bargains.

That stopped me in my tracks. They sure had me pegged… How about you?

Target takes on Walmart

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Are you a Target person or a Walmart person?

Walmart may have the lowest prices in town, but Target’s got something pretty big planned that could sway some shoppers away from Walmart and give Target’s loyal customers even more reason to shop there.

Beginning this fall, Target will offer a 5 percent discount on all purchases made with a Target credit card. Not just for one day , but everyday.

"There’s no strings attached, not gotchas," says consumer advocate Clark Howard.

It’s got Howard changing his tune on his rule to never ever get a store credit card. They drag down your credit. And that great discount when you first open a store credit account is usually just for a day. Soon that staggering 25 percent (or so) interest on unpaid balances kicks in.

But Target customers will get that 5 percent off everyday.

The discount is expected to draw more customers to Target stores and encourage people to shop Target more often. The increased sales will more than offset the cost of providing this discount to cardholders, Target officials say.

Summer steals

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Sure, you want to buy that patio furniture, a new swimsuit, maybe even a swing set for the kids now. But if you’re looking for great bargains, don’t.

At least not just yet.

Rather, think indoors if you want to find big savings.

According to Kiplinger reports, right now is a great time to find deals on gym memberships. There’s a tsunami of sign-ups around the first of the year, thanks to all those New Year’s resolutions to lose weight and get in shape. The other big time for new members is in the fall. But during the summer business nosedives and rates fall.

Furniture prices are at their lowest in July. That’s because stores have to make room for the new furniture which arrives in showrooms in August. So look for major furniture sales this month.

Heading for New York? You can get up to 50 percent off on Broadway shows right now because it’s live theater’s slow time. And, it’s the lull before the new season starts in the fall.

As summer wears on, focus on those outdoor items to find bargains, the Kiplinger report suggests.

By mid-July, you’ll start to see markdowns on as retailers start clearing out their inventory. Look for downright steals on outdoor furniture in August.

August also is best time to buy outdoor toys — swimming gear, swing sets, beach toys and other outdoor fun items. Expect discounts reaching 75 percent.

Some of the lowest prices for school and office supplies also can be found in August. So it’s a good time to stock up, whether you have a little one heading back to school or not.

Produce is a great buy all summer long, thanks to the abundant supply and variety of fruits and vegetables.
 

Gardeners take it inside

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What could be more pleasant than a leisurely garden market and outdoor eatery set up on the grounds of Fairlawn mansion overlooking the big lake in Superior?

Indeed, it was a great idea six years ago when Fairlawn’s first garden market was held to raise money for the restoration of gardens at the historic mansion.

But any event held outside in the Twin Ports in May to mid-June is a gamble. Bone-chilling cold, rain, high winds, storms, even snow are possible.

Each year, nice weather seemed to elude the event.

So this year, the event will be held inside — at the Superior National Guard Armory, 32 N. 21st St., across from the Superior YMCA.

"For five years we were hammered by nature," Superior Public Museums Director Susan Anderson told a group attending a recent "Garden  Talk"  session at Fairlawn. "The smartest thing we ever did is move this thing inside."

The event , from 11 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, will offer plenty of plants and yard and garden decor to buy, both practical and whimsical, from about 25 garden and landscape vendors and artists. Admission is $2 and lunch can be purchased all day. For more information, call (715) 394-5712.

Shop like a man

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Ladies, do you need to go shopping but have little time and patience for it?

Then shop like a man.

If a man needs, say, a jacket, he goes to a store — one store — picks one out and buys it.

Done. He’s back home before you know it.

Women are more apt to turn it into an expedition, checking store after store to find the best jacket in the perfect color and with a great fit and price. And once found, she might even wait until it goes on sale to buy it.

Before you call me sexist for reducing the genders to sweeping stereotypes (It wouldn’t be the first time), I point to an article in this month’s ShopSmart magazine for validation.

According to “Men vs. women at the mall,” there’s good reason why it’s so hard for men and women to shop together.

It all goes back to ancient hunting and gathering behavior.

The article says men shop like hunters with something specific in mind. They go in, get it and get out. Any deer in the herd will do.

Women, on the other hand, want to find the best buy. They browse, examining items, trying them out, seeing how they look. Sorting through store clothes racks goes back to women’s role as gatherers, the article says.

So if you can settle for less, you can save time with the man’s approach to shopping. Head out on a mission… and with a buy list of one.

Good-bye, Piggly Wiggly

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Duluth can claim the last Piggly Wiggly store in Minnesota.

But not for long.

The store at 4020 Woodland Ave. is dropping its franchise and changing its name to Woodland Marketplace Foods. And it’s undergoing a total makeover to boot.

“The store had been through hard times for a while,” said Patrick Miner of Miner’s Inc., which owns the store. “We were excited to get in and refresh the store. We truly believe it will feel like a brand new store from exterior to interior.”

A mainstay in Duluth’s upper Woodland neighborhood for more than 50 years, the Piggly Wiggly store became a throwback to an earlier era of neighborhood grocery stores as the big super markets sprung up and dominated the market.

When Miner’s Inc., the owners of Super One Foods, bought the Piggly Wiggly store in the early 1960s, the company was small and needed the name recognition that Piggly Wiggly provided.

And with the name came history. Oh, what history.

The first Piggly Wiggly store that opened in 1916 in Memphis is credited with introducing self-service grocery shopping. Up until then, store clerks would gather items for customers in the old general store tradition. But in the Piggly Wiggly store, customers used shopping baskets and gathered items from open shelves themselves.

The approach was revolutionary.

In the decades that followed, thousands of Piggly Wiggly franchises were issued for independently-owned grocery stores around the country. There still are more than 600 Piggly Wiggly stores in 16 states, according to the company’s website. While several remain in Wisconsin, the Duluth store was the last in Minnesota.

Since Miner’s Inc. was looking to invest in the store and no longer needed the franchise, the timing was right to change the name, said Miner, the company’s store director.

Miner said they considered making the Woodland store a Super One Foods store. But because the store is smaller than the other 29 Super One stores and doesn’t have a deli section, delivering all the specials and sales offered weekly at Super One stores would have been difficult. The Woodland store’s weekly flyer offers some of the same Super One specials but not all.

But there’s another reason for not giving it the Super One name.

“We truly believe Woodland is its own community within the city of Duluth,” Miner said. “It’s their local grocery store.”

And, as part of a business hub at Woodland Avenue and Calvary Road, it’s the perfect site for folks who live within a couple-mile radius, he said.

Naming it Woodland Marketplace Foods not only continues that neighborhood grocery store tradition, but embraces it.
 

Wearing denim? You’re so out. No wait, you’re in!

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Whenever I read The Wall Street Journal, I always have a “Huh?” moment.

I had almost gotten through an issue recently without that “Huh?” moment when I came across an article on denim making a comeback.

Huh?

Denim has been out-of-style? I thought of all the denim jeans, shirts, skirts, vests, jackets, even a denim coat in my closet. Gosh, do I generate snickers whenever I wear them? It’s  certainly possible I’m out of touch. At a certain age, you lose track of what’s fashionable. Moreover, you don’t much care anymore.

The article said hard times (it’s always the economy, isn’t it?) is bringing a renewed interest in “down-to-earth” denim.

The thought of denim being a fashion faux pas hung on like those extra 10 pounds.

I headed for the mall.

It was news to Shawna Robertson, the assistant store manager of American Outfitters.

“I didn’t know denim can go out of fashion,” she said.

It was news to staff at Eddie Bauer who are under corporate orders not to talk to the press. Before the manager escaped to the backroom, however, she said she hadn’t noticed any reduction in their denim offerings in recent years.

She offered an explanation for the denim-was-out claim: New York is always ahead of Duluth in fashion trends. Then there’s the Northland’s practical style.

“Our dress up is more casual up here,” she said.

Jeans were everywhere at Vanity, a store catering to teen girls and young women. I told a manager — who apparently is also under a gag order — about the article.

“That seems ridiculous,” she said, expressing her opinion anyway. “ How old is that person writing the article? A 70-year-old man? It’s comical."

It was written by a man. Can’t say how old he is, though.

“We actually do 80 percent of our business in denim,” she said. “So in my opinion, denim being out of fashion is not accurate.”

Ah, but she admitted that denim vests and jacket, which are considered accessories, haven’t been big sellers lately.

Hmmm, I was on to something.

Back at American Outfitters, jean sales were as strong as ever, Robertson said. But fewer other denim clothes have come in in the last year, she noted.

However, that’s changing.

“Denim shirts, vest and skirts seem to be coming back,” she said.

Aha!

A staple, jeans aren’t going anywhere. It’s the other denim pieces that come and go in popularity. 

Fashion mystery solved.

 

Wisconsin shoppers less romantic this Valentine’s

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Wisconsin shoppers seem to prefer Valentine’s gifts that are more practical than romantic.

One price-comparison Web site says its top online searches from Wisconsin were for women’s shirts and jeans.

Sortprice.com compiled Valentine’s-related searches between Feb. 2 and Wednesday. It found that cameras, GPS units and men’s boots were also popular search targets. Lingerie placed only once in Wisconsin’s top 12 items.

Shoppers were apparently more romantic last year. The most popular items in 2009 were tulips, Godiva chocolates and lingerie.

The rankings are based on Internet searches from Wisconsin-based computers, not actual sales. That’s because sortprice.com lists merchandise for other companies but doesn’t make sales itself.

Valentine’s Day is Sunday.

Associated Press

Whole Foods Co-op shares the profits

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The checks came this month like Christmas bonuses.

Thanks to a good year at the Whole Foods  Co-op in Duluth, most of its 5,300 members got rebate checks recently. The checks, ranging from 10 cents to $150, were based on how much members spent at the store in the fiscal year ending June 30.

Despite the recession, the co-op had it’s first profitable year since moving to its new digs near Fourth Street and Sixth Avenue East in November 2005. Sharing the profits with members is part of being in a cooperative. But moving into the black so soon after the expansion, came as a surprise.

"We didn’t expect to be profitable for a while," said Sharon Murphy, the co-op’s general manager.

Not that they didn’t work hard for that $350,000 profit, part of which went to taxes and the remaining $208,000 to members in checks and equity. When the recession started, store managers looked at their expenses for places to cut and save.

"We were constantly putting things in place to get to this place," Murphy said. "We worked really hard to reduce expenses and reduce staff without layoffs."

It took them a while, but staff was reduced from 135 to 86 through attrition.

After the co-op’s board of directors authorized the rebates, about 4,700  checks went out. The average check was about $35.

Roughly 1,000 of the checks were less than $5. The co-op isn’t required to issue rebate checks that small, but it did anyway to remind people of the benefits of membership.

To encourage people to actually cash those small checks, the co-op offered them a 5 percent discount on their purchase when they cashed the checks at the store.

As a result, they’ve been cashing an awful lot of checks, Murphy said.
 

Retailers more friendly in poor economy

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My holiday shopping trip to the Miller Hill Mall area was somewhat echoed by today’s New York Times story.

I wasn’t treated like a king at luxury stores, like the Times says, but it seems like retailers are more courteous and helpful this season of diminished sales expectations.

At Target and Best Buy, customer service reps helped me navigate the hectic check-out area to the most available register.

A few weeks ago, a trip to Pottery Barn in St. Paul was over-the-top friendly. A small army of sales people mauled me with profusive kindness when I walked in.

The recession was given as a reason for the effusiveness in the Times story. And I think online shopping has something to do with it as well.

Has your holiday shopping experience been a positive one? Share your thoughts…