Patagonia: The Robin Report Retail Hit of the Week, 9. 26. 26
Unlike a certain President of the United States who offered a bordering-on-bribery $5,000 to anyone who voted Republican in the midterm elections, Patagonia—the iconic, admired outdoor outfitter—is giving up 112,000 customers who sign up three people to vote a $100 discount in its stores or it will make a donation of the same amount to the League of Conservation Voters.
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Beauty retailer Mecca hasn’t tried to copy anyone else. It’s critical for every retailer to find its own way based
Novig: The Robin Report Retail Miss of the Week, 9. 19. 26
Hey, we get that wherever Sydney Sweeney goes controversy follows. Companies who have used her in their marketing think they
Petco: The Robin Report Retail Miss of the Week, 9. 12. 26
Apparently, the marketing and promotion planning folks at Petco never studied their retail history about programs that went terribly wrong
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Opinion
What Now? What to Do
Tariff-driven cost inflation is likely here to stay, and now, with an ongoing Iranian war, potentially explosive expense inflation is
Tariff Chaos and the Widening Gyre
How does a business leader who may have just breathed a sigh of post-Covid-19 relief in early 2026, only to
What Now? What to Do
Tariff-driven cost inflation is likely here to stay, and now, with an ongoing Iranian war, potentially explosive expense inflation is
Tariff Chaos and the Widening Gyre
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From Our Partners
Placer’s 10 Brands to Watch + 3 Surprises
Check out Placer.ai’s latest enlightening report on the 10 Top Brands to Watch in 2025 when it comes to retail
How LoveShackFancy and WeWoreWhat Are Crushing Consumer Engagement
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Technology
What’s Going On in All Those AI Factories Centers?
You may already know this, you possibly don’t want to know this, but you definitely need to know this. Tokens
It’s Not Your Father’s Vending Machine
From selling cheeseburgers to Lego sets, the modern vending machine has evolved into a convenient storefront in the retail world.
AI Agents: Trusted or Transactional?
AI assistants could do what retail media networks promise but often fail to deliver: increase basket size without making shoppers
Management
Old Navy Is Caught In a Doom Loop
Old Navy’s move into beauty isn’t reinvention — it’s dilution. A mature brand adding tangential categories without fixing its core
J. Peterman: The Most Famous Fictional Retailer in America
The famed mail-order catalog was a better TV plotline than a retailer, and it appears to have made its last
Operations
Why Are Department Stores Indispensable in Latin America?
While much of the world struggles to reinvent the department store, Chilean and Mexican retail giants are posting remarkable profits
When Luxury’s Brand Ambassadors Become Adversaries
The luxury industry has traditionally positioned employees as brand ambassadors. But employees cannot convincingly represent a brand they can’t relate
So, What Are Retailers Doing With All Those Tariff Refunds?
Billions of dollars’ worth of refunds have been issued, and America’s retailers have used