1. Media & Marketing

FaceTime with the Content Guy:  My Regards From Broadway

Written by Posted on Less than 0 min read

My experience with a Broadway show’s need to field a replacement actor at a recent performance offers every business a lesson in customer service.

The post FaceTime with the Content Guy:  My Regards From Broadway appeared first on MNB.

View Original Article
Member since
For more than 30 years, Kevin Coupe has been bringing to readers and audiences a wealth of experience, sharp storytelling skills, provocative and contextual insights, unique worldview and serious levity about the world of business and consumers. https://morningnewsbeat.com
Do you like MorningNewsBeat's articles? Follow on social!

More from MorningNewsBeat

  1. Channel: Mass

The FTC Targets Amazon, But Why Not Walmart?

Reuters has an analysis of the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) antitrust action against Amazon, and poses a question:  Why not Walmart? Here’s the rationale: “The agency led by Lina Khan sued the $1.3 trillion company last month, alleging that it charges high fees for advertising and forces merchants to discount. According to the complaint, if […]
2 min read
0
  1. Channel: Ecommerce & Digital

Could Amazon Buy Divested Kroger, Albertsons Stores?

Business Insider reports that in a note published this week by analysts at Bernstein, “the firm suggested Amazon could buy some or all of the divested stores from the planned Kroger and Albertsons merger. The combined companies are expected to divest at least 500 stores.” The story notes that Amazon CEO Andy Jassy has conceded […]
2 min read
0
  1. Department: Adult Beverage

OffBeat:  Addictive Television

I’m not a zombie movie guy.  I liked World War Z, but shows like “The Walking Dead” and Dawn of the Dead just aren’t my thing.  Gore just makes me queasy.  And I have about the same level of enthusiasm for video games.  Again, just not my thing. But “The Last of Us,” on HBO, […]
2 min read
0
  1. Technology & Innovation

The Innovation Conversation:  Obsessions & Opportunities

The continuing goal of “The Innovation Conversation” is to explore some facet of the fast-changing, technology-driven retail landscape and how it affects businesses and consumers. It is, we think, fertile territory … and one that Tom Furphy – a former Amazon executive who led the team that developed Amazon Fresh, and currently CEO and Managing […]
< 1 min read
0
  1. Department: Beverage

Friday Eye-Opener:  Holstein Highs

by Kevin Coupe After 21 years of doing this, the following story seems like the perfect MNB Eye Opener… The New York Times reports on a German study in which scientists fed 10 cows industrial hemp with high levels of THC, and then observed that “compared with cows that received the usual diet of corn […]
2 min read
0
  1. Trends & External Forces

Your Views:  Swept Up

Responding to yesterday’s piece about the Southwest Airlines meltdown and the lessons it teaches every business, one MNB reader wrote: Your story about Herb and Southwest reminded me of the first time I met Bob Mariano. He is the living example of a hands-on, always-in-the-store, engaged food retail executive. A friend of mine introduced me […]
5 min read
0
  1. Channel: Ecommerce & Digital

Walmart Works To Expand, Scale Delivery Network

Axios has a piece about how “Walmart’s on the cusp of weakening Amazon’s edge in online shopping and shipping,” as it “transforms its stores into a powerful logistics network.” The story points to Walmart’s first-ever “market fulfillment center” in Bentonville, Arkansas, as being key to the network, with a “compact in-store warehousing platform involves an […]
< 1 min read
0
  1. Channel: Mass

Worth Reading:  Target’s Social Media Strategy

Fast Company has a piece about how Target has become a ubiquitous presence on social media, propelled to a dominant position by customers – sometimes compensated, sometimes not – who sing its praises. Social media statistics tells the story:  “When compared alongside YouTube (the top brand in a Morning Consult poll) and Walmart (the top […]
< 1 min read
0
4
  1. Channel: Restaurants

Maybe Not Fine Dining, But Certainly Fine Hubris

A lot of press releases show up an MNB World Headquarters each day – they used to say that “they come in over the transom,” a turn of phrase that will flummox anyone under 60 who has no idea what a “transom” is – but this one seemed particularly noteworthy: “There are plenty of ways […]
2 min read
0
  1. Department: Nonfood

Your Views:  Searing Criticisms

On Friday, we took note of a Fox Business story saying that “Sears Holdings has emerged from bankruptcy after more than 10,000 court filings and a four-year stay that saw the department store chain shrink from almost 700 stores to less than two dozen.  The bankruptcy estate’s reorganization plan took effect on Oct. 29, signaling […]
3 min read
0
  1. Shopper & Customer

Tuesday Eye-Opener:  The Power of Subscription

by Kevin Coupe I love subscriptions. I think I’ve made that clear over the years.  I’m a big customer for Amazon’s Subscribe & Save program.  (Tom Furphy tells me that my 60 subscriptions almost certainly puts me among the top S&S customers.  I’m a little astounded by how high that number has gotten.) To be […]
2 min read
0
  1. Channel: Ecommerce & Digital

Amazon Bringing Generative AI To Alexa Platform

From Axios: “Amazon held its annual fall event to show off the company’s latest smart speakers, displays and tablets. But the company’s plans to bolster its voice assistant Alexa using generative AI was arguably the biggest news of the day. “Why it matters: The popularity of Alexa helps boost the company’s hardware strategy and e-commerce […]
< 1 min read
0
  1. Trends & External Forces

Your Views:  Contrarian Views

Yesterday we had a piece about how how ESG (environmental, social and governance) and DEI (diversity, equity and inclusion) have lost their luster with many companies. One MNB reader responded: First of all, I appreciate your nuanced position on ESG and DEI, which is in keeping with your ability to see all sides of any […]
10 min read
0
  1. Channel & Retailers

Chipotle Launches New Concept From A Ghost Kitchen

Food & Wine reports that Chipotle is launching a new bowl-centric foodservice concept:  “Opening in March in Santa Monica, Farmesa will feature the same customizable options Chipotle is loved for. Guests will have the option of building a bowl, which includes a protein, green or grain, two sides, a choice of five sauces, and toppings. […]
2 min read
0
  1. Channel: Ecommerce & Digital

Report:  Kroger Hits Pause On Ocado Warehouse Rollout

Diginomica reports that Ocado’s relationship with Kroger has “run into some bumps in the road as the US firm puts the development of new Ocado automated Customer Fulfilment Centers (CFCs) on hold until such time as it is confident that ones that have already been opened are meeting expectations.” According to the story, “Kroger and […]
< 1 min read
0
  1. Technology & Innovation

Schnucks Puts Limits On Self-Checkout Usage

Schnucks last week made a change to its self-checkout policies: “Starting today, self-checkout lanes in all of our stores will be limited to customers who have 10 items or less to purchase. Customers with more than 10 items will be redirected to our staffed checkout lanes in order to complete their purchases. “While the primary […]
< 1 min read
0
  1. Media & Marketing

FaceTime with the Content Guy:  Action!

Alamo Drafthouse, the movie theater chain, has demonstrated that by hustling – not just putting movies on the screen, but creating events that magnify and supplement traditional experiences, it can outperform its rivals by double digits.  The lessons, I think, are entirely applicable to retail, and reason to Remember The Alamo! The post <strong>FaceTime with […]
< 1 min read
0
  1. Channel: Drug

CVS Rx For The Future:  Remote Pharmacists

The Wall Street Journal reports that CVS Health “is testing a system that allows pharmacists to process prescriptions in part remotely, a move it said could improve store working conditions and the experience for customers as the company grapples with a shortage of pharmacists. “CVS has equipped roughly 8,000 of its more than 9,000 U.S. […]
< 1 min read
0
  1. Associates & Employees

NLRB:  Starbucks, Apple Guilty Of Anti-Labor Actions

Two stories about union activity this morning: •  The Seattle Times reports that the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) has ruled that “Starbucks broke the law in handling labor issues at a now-shuttered Starbucks store on Capitol Hill. “Starbucks violated fair labor practices by telling an employee they couldn’t testify at an NLRB hearing without […]
2 min read
0
  1. Channel: Ecommerce & Digital

All Whole Foods To Adopt Amazon One Palm Recognition Tech

Amazon announced yesterday that it will make its Amazon One palm recognition technology available to shoppers in every one of its US Whole Foods stores by the end of the year.  The tech links people’s palm prints to their credit cards. According to the announcement, ” By the end of this year, all 500+ Whole […]
3 min read
0
Next