Retail stores’ policies benefit shoplifters

http://www.upiu.com/articles/retail-stores%E2%80%99-policies-benefit-shoplifters



Summary:
Most retail company's are now raising their prices to make up for the stolen items. Some stores have policies that do not allow the employees to accuse any costumers of stealing due to their own safety reason. Each store is allotted with a loss and prevention budget for stolen items, so when they go over this budget they have to higher the prices on the clothing items. " The stores are not going to give it away free and continue to take the loss, they’re just going to pass it on new customers." - Gary Frechette, directory of security at Gardens mall in Palm Beach. Acknowledgment of shoppers that enter stores is a must, because the more you pay attention to them the less likely they are to put something into there bags. More high - end stores become victims such as Gucci Chanel. Professional shoplifters are known to come around when new items are being realised so that they can take it and send it to China on the same day to be crafted into a knockoff.


Connection:
In this Chapter it talks about how polices are suppose to help the costumers but in this article, from what I'm reading, it shows me that these polices are not helping the costumers. This helps the stores have less shoplifters but because of the stolen items the prices go up and the true paying customers have to pay more for the things that would want. In the Chapter it says that employees job to help the store by reducing waste and loss through theft, yet in the article the employees cannot accuse anyone because of safety reasons.

Reflections:
I personally think that this is a unfair policy for the costumers that actually pay for their items. This polices reminds me of the bags sign at 711 on Knight Street. A lot of children steal at that place so now they don't allow teenagers to come in with backpacks and they make you take it off right near the door. I really don't think that's necessary because some of us actually pay for our food and just because some kids do it they put the blame on all of them. In the article for safety reasons employees do not accuse anyone but how are you suppose to decrease the theft problem when you just let the people go?

Shockervertising

http://www.vancouversun.com/Shockvertising+spreads+through+media+clutter/2145422/story.html

SUMMARY
This article is about how extreme companies will go to get they're product out to the consumers. For example stalking a woman for 5 days just to get her to buy a car is simply outrageous. There has been a 10million dollar lawsuit accusing Toyota of "terror marketing". The company went through this extreme prank just to sell a new model of their car. As professor Lindsay Meredith from the Simon Fraser University quoted "If i throw a really annoying ad at you, studies show you may remember my product but forget why you remember it". Even though it tell us how we remember ads that are the most annoying, some of these ads seem to be a bit off the topic of what they are trying to sell.

CONNECTIONS
i think this connects to niche marketing, because it is free marketing but with a twist to it. This shows the freedom of marketing and advertising. Most people before used catalogs or magazines to sell their products. As time went on people starting going door to door to sell their products, this way you had a better connection to the people. That is what is being done in this article but it is going to extreme, stalking. The article shows that we have come a long way by using Internet and TV to advertise our products. We have freedom to show our product but i think we should keep the ads to a level.

REFLECTIONS
I think that this was a outrageous event and that marketing like this is uncalled for. I personally think that sticking to TV and Internet ads are fine. Going door to door is perfectly normal but stalking is just to much. I understand that certain ads that annoy us stick in our head but why do something that you know you are going to get in trouble for. I think that Toyota is getting what it deserves.

Chapter One - The World of Retailing

http://www.hoovers.com/clothing-stores/--ID__182--/free-ind-fr-profile-basic.xhtml

Summary

The reason i picked this topic is because clothing is a main part of a teenagers life. Going to the mall, buying whats new in style and showing it off the very next day. There is a lot of competition in the clothing industry. Larger companies can provide a wide selection of things to choose from rather than a smaller company that proved limited selection but yet offers superior customers service. Clothing retailers specialize in family clothing(50% of industry sales); women's clothing(25%); and men's clothing(6%). Women's clothing has dominated 35% of all clothing stores. The two main selling seasons are fall and spring, then the weather comes into affect.


Connections

This article connects to chapter one because it tells us the " Channels of Distribution. It also helps us understand the channels more better, the article describes what retails provide and how much the consumers consume of it. It also connects to when the retailers place orders, what time of year to have a sale. If you read more of the article it also tells us how consumers are into the new brands and new technology.

Reflections

I think by reading this article it helped me understand more of what the book is trying to say about how much more work it is in a store then just putting up signs here and there. The clothing industry has to mostly worry about competition and supplying they're costumers with the right goods and new brand names, so that they will not get bored and move on to another store.