Reinvent Retail

There’s been a lot of buzz about some questionable activities in regards to review site Yelp and local businesses. A great explanation from Yelp about how they work internally.

Great article at a fantastic (uk) blog

Telling story about the use of social media in retail.

It’s no longer becoming something that just the hip kids do, it’s an essential part of your marketing plan.

If you are an independent retailer, or a a teenage girl (and if you are reading this blog you know which one you are)

Go buy this book at a local bookstore.

Great article about author (and Amoeba records founder) Yvonne Prinz and this book at the LA Times.

From a reddit article titled “Best use of a cell phone I’ve seen in a while”

So I’m in line at the customer service desk of my local grocery store. Four people ahead of me in line, and one person working the desk. And it seems that this woman has to answer 6 phone calls for every customer in person that she serves in person. After 8 phone calls (and her dealing with a little old lady who wants to return half a banana! WTF?!) the guy in front of me pulls out his cell phone and starts fiddling with it.

Then he makes a call and the customer service desk phone rings (again). She stops what she’s doing and picks up the phone:
Her: Metro, Customer service.
Him: From a customer service point of view, doesn’t it make sense to serve the people who have actually made the damned effort to come into the f*ing store.
Then he waves at her and hangs up.
She ignores the phone ringing after that.

do you know what *your* customers are searching for?

Google Retail Blog: Latest Consumer Search Trends from Google’s Marissa Mayer.

If any, there should be very minor outages, feel free to get in touch via twitter (@reinventretail) with any weirdness. But you shouldn’t notice a thing.

Thanks! This means more awesomeness and better performance all round, so we’re pretty excited.

How’s this for financial innovation? A group of artists in North Brooklyn is trying to develop a local Brooklyn currency — the Brooklyn Torch — that’s meant to encourage locals to spend within the community, and boost local pride.

via Brooklyn Artists Propose Local Currency – Planet Money Blog : NPR.

“If you don’t support the community, the community won’t support you.”

via Artist takes $190,000 out of bank because they won’t give him a mortgage – Boing Boing.

What three independently owned business would you miss if they disappeared? Stop in. Say hello. Pick up something that brings a smile. Your purchases are what keeps those business around.

Please join and show your support!