There are well over 2,000 patents on pasta shapes, including pasta shaped like the continental United States. (The United States of Macaroni) Thanks to Dan Lewis for pointing it out to me in his excellent newsletter, Now I Know (which you absolutely must subscribe to if you want to learn […]
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Wednesday Word: ACV
Around the industry, the term ACV is used frequently and is often used as a shorthand that can lead to some confusion about what it really means. Literally speaking, it stands for All Commodity Volume. In more direct language, it’s a retailer’s total revenue. When used in conversation in the […]
Read moreWednesday Word: Necker
At the suggestion of the wonderfully wordy Erin McKean from Wordnik, I’m going to feature an industry term or word each week on Wednesdays. Necker: A printed coupon with a hole in it that is hangs on the neck of a bottle, also known as a bottle hanger. These coupons […]
Read moreTarget knows you are going to have a baby
Targets knows within a 2-week window when you are going to have a baby. Even if you haven’t told your parents yet. Freaked out? This sounds illegal or invasive or … just something wrong. When people find out, they get seriously unnerved. So Target will send coupons to expecting mothers […]
Read moreItems on sale aren’t about to expire
Did you know that items on sale aren’t about to expire? Friends and family offer me lots of opinions on why supermarkets put a product on sale: That’s how they get rid of spoiled (or soon to spoil) products The store bought too much and needs to move the product […]
Read moreHow much does it cost to get a preferred space on a shelf?
So, how much does it cost to get a preferred space on a shelf? Somewhere between $0 and $3.5 million per item. Usually closer to $0. Surprised? I hear it from people outside the industry all the time — they are convinced that evil manufacturers are paying supermarkets to have […]
Read moreTried to buy a vacuum cleaner at Walmart with a $1 million bill
He tried to buy a vacuum cleaner at Walmart with a $1 million bill. Sounds like a punch line to a joke, but it really happened in Lexington, NC in November 2011. (Thank you to BoingBoing for this and many other wonderfully amusing/amazing stories. You should read it when you […]
Read moreDid babies named Ava cause the U.S. housing bubble?
Did babies named Ava cause the U.S. housing bubble? If you follow the trend of babies born named Ava, it matches the U.S. housing bubble perfectly. Though that Ava in the chart is adorable, I want to curse her for the horror she has wrought on the economy! But wait: […]
Read moreWhat the heck are planograms?
What the heck are planograms? Surprisingly, I’ve found very minimal information on planograms. The best explanation I’ve found is on Wikipedia: A planogram defines which product is placed in which area of a shelving unit and with which quantity. … It is primarily used in [the] Retail sector. Fast-moving consumer […]
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