Retail revisited

This post is a bit of a revisit to articles I posted previously about saving money (see "How to save money" posted on March 29th) and about ways fast-food companies have tried to revamp their retail images in this crisis (see "Our food fantasies" posted November 16th 2010).

Obsession with food

We are all guilty of obsessing about food. Of course we need food for survival but nowadays our fantasies have more to do with indulgence. That's why retail companies whose marketing strategies focus on food will never become obsolete. However, in this crisis many retailers have thought of different ways to maintain their competetiveness as the retail community has suffered from low profits. My retail article posted last year commented on the strategy of one of my favorite fast food chains: Wendy's.

It wanted to introduce a healthier french fry. This would consist of how the fry was cut, how it was prepared and packaged, and how it was cooked. This week Wendy's plans to release commercials advertising this new fry, yet the company admits that the fry will not exactly live up to the claims. The fries and the oils they are fried in are still sprayed with different chemicals, which is standard industry practice, to preserve freshness. The fries also have a higher salt content due to the added sea salt. The one thing the fast-food chain has accomplished is making the fry more competitive. According to taste tests, Wendy's fries beat out McDonalds. So, while the fries are not healthier, they have made the retailer more competetive.

Money savers

Last month I discussed different tips and tricks to help us all save. These tips focused on environment-friendly ways to save money, like re-using shopping bags and buying chemical free detergents. As well as going shopping with a list to prevent over-spending. Since you can never have too many tips and tricks on how to save money, this week I'd like to uncover a few more retail shopping secrets.

An interesting article released by Cosmopolitan discusses the shelf life of many products we use everyday like mascara, running shoes, and mattresses. Most products can be used well after their use by dates, which means less money you have to spend. But what about where to shop? Retailers like Forever 21 or Wet Seal boast cheap prices on clothing and accessories and I definitely love the prices and the styles! But one does have to be careful when buying clothes and accessories at discount prices because they may fall apart after a few uses. Jeans, for example, are not the best items to buy at stores like Forever 21 because of the thin fabric. You definitely don't want to be out with friends and have a pair of jeans rip on you. I recommend clicking here for more information on what to purchase at discount chains. As a bonus, I even have some information for all of the parents out there. Click here for ways to save money on school expenses.

There is a massive amount of information out there and we just need to know where to look. Sites like the ones listed in this article are pretty regularly helpful when it comes to shopping and living. But be sure to also check out retailgigs and retailgigsblog for further information on the retail community.

By: Samantha Taylor

Samantha is a Boston, Massachusetts native. Her studies have taken her from Ohio to England, where she lived for two years. Currently, Samantha lives in Andalucía, Spain, with her husband. She is a writer for Nexxt and contributes to one of its many blogs: retailgigsblog.com. She also works as an English teacher and personal trainer in her spare time.