All these new gimmicks are very interesting but the jury's still out about their impact on the consumer or if they'll be cost-effective in the long run ... People don't shop at a store because of one thing but a combination of factors. Even if shoppers like the fancy technology, a rude employee can turn them away from the store.

The department store business has gone through enormous changes in the last 10 years and we aren't through yet. It's a retail format that doesn't have a great future in it. Consumers have decided traditional department stores aren't their favorite places to shop.

These are not cookie-cutter businesses. They require unique discipline and mind set.

He's not a retailer. He's never been a retailer, ... The guy who's running merchandizing and marketing is not a guy who's qualified to do that. This is baffling to me. It's mind-boggling.

He's not a retailer. He's never been a retailer. The guy who's running merchandizing and marketing is not a guy who's qualified to do that. This is baffling to me. It's mind-boggling.

I don't think the union-based special interest groups and the government are two separate issues. I think they're tied together. Now more than ever Wal-Mart is facing a lot of pressure coming from so many different directions. I think that's why Wal-Mart is putting more effort into communicating with the media.

If it hasn't been done yet, they're way, way behind the curve,

Generally retailers would like to have employees come to the store when they most need them. They want to staff stores when they are the busiest, like on weekends, near the holidays or when the weather is good or bad.

I realize that these folks have got a cause but they hurt the smaller retailers. The boycott hurts them worse than anybody.

If the mall has other good stores in it, they shouldn't have any problem attracting other retailers.