A Classic Example of How Grocery Advertising Works I hate to admit this, but I'm a bit of a BBQ/Grilling snob.  I love preparing great food outdoors using the latest methods and recipes.  I recently purchased a new pellet smoker and have been on the lookout for something new to cook. Last week I received a couple of grocery circulars in the mail and both featured fresh wild-caught Alaskan salmon. Perfect. I have always wanted to prepare cedar plank salmon and using the new grill seemed like an ideal opportunity. The ads I saw were from Safeway and Fred Meyer. Fred Meyer's advertised price was $2/lb less than Safeway. I knew I wanted about five pounds, so I chose Fred [...]

As the Pandemic Evolves, So Will Consumer Spending As we write to you today, the pandemic is still with us, but we are beginning to get occasional glimpses of normal life peeking through. As the vaccines get rolled out to greater numbers, and we start to see fewer restrictions, you can expect a new surge in consumer spending to follow closely behind. Normally, that would be good news, but for most of the last 11 months, consumers have been relegated to buying mostly what they needed. This has been a windfall for many essential retailers in the grocer and general merchandise categories. With no access to restaurants, entertainment, or sporting events, certain consumer segments have been holding on to cash. According to a recent [...]