What does a measuring cup have to do with pricing strategies? Alex Lee, longtime president of OXO, the maker of well-designed cooking tools and housewares, told the story of how they created their iconic liquid measuring cup. No one had ever seriously complained about measuring cups.  Some people thought that […]

Just after Amazon closed on its Whole Foods purchase in August, a Bloomberg headline read, “Amazon cuts Whole Foods prices as much as 43% on first day.” I saw this headline shared widely among my colleagues, and I felt it was misleading.   It implies huge price cuts across the […]

In 2013, Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos bought the Washington Post. (Granted, he bought it personally instead of via Amazon, but it’s still relevant to the Amazon/Whole Foods story.) At the time, the paper was facing a steady decline and staff layoffs, as most newspapers were, and its online presence was […]

Bezos: “Alexa, buy me something from Whole Foods” Alexa: “Buying Whole Foods” Bezos: Shit — Jeff Lewis (@ChicagoPhotoSho) June 16, 2017 It has been easy to make jokes about Amazon buying Whole Foods, as announced this week.  There have been some easy targets.  But it has been my pleasure to […]

Some people believe all Universal Product Codes (UPCs) contain the number 666, representing the number of the beast or the anti-Christ. Snopes cites the relevant Bible verse: “No one could buy or sell unless he had this mark, that is, the beast’s name or the number that stands for his […]

The food industry boasts many little-known facts. One of my favorites concerns baby carrots. Fact: The baby carrots most of us eat aren’t really “baby carrots.” Gasp! They are adult carrots, cut into two-inch pieces and polished into appealing snacks.  And more accurately, the baby carrots we think of are […]

A photo of backache relief medicine has been circulating on social media recently. Seeing it inspires a “duh!” moment: If you have a backache, it’s going to be hard to bend over and pick up the medicine from the bottom shelf—and never mind getting close enough to read the offer […]

A curious post about Instacart appeared recently on Reddit’s Boston subreddit that deserves some attention in grocery retail. Instacart delivers groceries and other products from a range of retailers. Here in Boston, they deliver from Whole Foods, Costco, CVS, Star Market/Shaw’s, Market Basket, Russo’s, and Petco, plus some liquor and specialty […]

As I was shopping for my family’s holiday meals this year, I was reflecting on full aisles in the supermarket and check-out lines snaking through the store.  It seems when the holidays come, everyone heads to the supermarket. This is important for food and CPG manufacturers to keep in mind as you […]

“Half the money I spend on advertising is wasted; the trouble is I don’t know which half.” Many attribute this quote to John Wanamaker, the founder of the department store that bore his name. The quote is attributed to others, too, but the source isn’t important. What’s important is that […]