Maybe Family Dollar needs to buy a zombie brand like Bed Bath & Beyond or Sears for linchpin products that consumers still value and can’t find anywhere else. These could be the cornerstones of a differentiated merchandise mix that makes Family Dollar stand out from the competition.

Retailers have traditionally thought in terms of distribution channels and have structured their internal systems and metrics around them. But that channel-centric thinking is at odds with how customers actually engage with retailers. For example, customers may start their journey

We have been reporting about the customer service experience for years – following the arc of the neighborhood store in the 50s where everyone knows your name to the AI-infused tech age of drone delivery where, when and how our