APRIL 7, 2023

Costco sales the worst since COVID-19 shutdown

Food sales, however, remain strong; could the retailer’s sales boom be over?

Some 73% of consumers concerned with shrinkflation: report

Snack foods like chips and sweets top the list.

‘Incredibly difficult decision’ has Boxed filing for Chapter 11

Spresso software will be sold to lien lenders and orders will continue until inventory runs out.

CVS, Oak Street Health deal moves forward

Antitrust waiting period has expired, but DOJ and FTC can still intervene.

Millennials want convenience

One in five shoppers say store location is the most important factor for convenience, with an additional half saying it plays a role.

Want to max out easter share?

Some strategies for optimal spring pricing and promotions.

Kroger clearly does

Kroger advertising holiday meal for less than $7.50 per person.

Hy-Vee introduces infusion clinic

Treatments will be provided to help with chronic conditions.

Podcast: Meat is hot with no sign of cooling

With $87.1 billion in annual sales, meat just isn’t slowing down.

TAKE A LISTEN

Tell us what you think ...

Happy Friday. Here are the results of this week's poll.
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We asked: Due to staffing issues, Costco Wholesale might be phasing out the human element from its in-store samples with the introduction of kiosks which would automatically dole out samples to shoppers. So are robotic sampling kiosks crazy or not crazy?

And you answered:
Not crazy, would consider using (63%)
Oh yeah, totally crazy (34%)
Other, tell us in the comments (3%)

And you said:
Katie Lee, Le Grand Marketing
I think that there are pros and cons just like anything else. Cons to going all digital with sampling would be that you are missing the human-to-human element of tasting and talking about the product and convincing someone to purchase that item. A pro could be that you don't have to pay human staff or deal with human problems like being sick, calling out, etc., and you would have more consistency in what you are sampling. Personally, I feel that you need a hybrid approach.

David J.
Kiosks are certainly more sanitary. However, for those who need to be entertained or crave everything to be an experience, maybe make the kiosk interactive?
David J.
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Have another thought? Weigh in on our LinkedIn poll here, or email SN Executive Editor Chloe Riley at chloe.riley@informa.com . Have a great weekend.

WHAT DO YOU THINK?

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