Consumer Affairs & Relations

Mooresville, N.C. -- Lowe’s said Thursday it is donating $250,000 to the American Red Cross as part of its efforts to provide relief from the wildfires in Colorado and the flooding damage from Tropical Storm Debby in Florida. The home-improvement retailer has already been on the ground assisting local communities affected by both disasters.

MOORESVILLE, N.C. — Lowe’s has donated $250,000 to the American Red Cross to help with relief efforts associated with the wildfires in Colorado and the flooding in Florida.

In addition to the $250,000 donation, Lowe’s is also launching a social media support program to aid disaster victims. For every Facebook Like and Twitter Retweet received on the Lowe’s disaster-specific posts, Lowe's will donate a pair of work gloves, up to a total value of $50,000, to the American Red Cross to distribute to residents and emergency officials.

New York -- The U.S. Supreme has just ruled that, while the individual mandate to buy health insurance is unconstitutional, this key part of President Obama’s signature healthcare law can stay as part of Congress’s power under a taxing clause.

In other words, the Supreme Court says that the government will be allowed to tax people for not having health insurance.

Sam's Club was among the highest-rated companies for customer service, according to new research from the Temkin Group. Other retailers included Publix, Hy-Vee, H.E.B., ShopRite, Aldi, Giant Eagle and JCPenney.

Other companies earning top marks included Chick-fil-A, credit unions and Starbucks. Meanwhile, companies with the lowest ratings included Charter Communications, Time Warner Cable, Comcast, Citibank, Qwest, Cigna, and Bank of America.

MINNEAPOLIS — Target has donated $30,000 in monetary support and product to assist with Colorado wildfire relief efforts. A $17,500 cash donation was distributed among several American Red Cross chapters in Colorado in addition to $5,000 in product donations for essentials such as water and food. A separate donation of $7,500 in gift cards was given to other nonprofit organizations in the affected areas.

Washington, D.C. -- The Conference Board, in its monthly sentiment index released on Wednesday, said that confidence among U.S. consumers dropped in June for a fourth consecutive month, reaching a five-month low.

The research firm’s sentiment index fell to 62, from a revised 64.4 in May. The slide in confidence raises the risk that the recently revealed slowdown in hiring will cause households to curb spending.

The median forecast of 69 economists surveyed by Bloomberg News projected the U.S. confidence index would fall to 63.

Spartanburg, S.C. -- Denny's Corp. said Wednesday that it has opened its first restaurant in the Dominican Republic as part of a development agreement with Grupo Nahas, which owns and operates the Intercontinental Hotel and Holiday Inn, among others, in Santo Domingo. 

Located in the Food Court of the Las Americas International Airport in Santo Domingo, the new restaurant represents Denny's first airport location worldwide.

I mentioned briefly in my last column that I’ve been a little puzzled by what seems to be an industry-wide reluctance to design and develop, and in many cases redevelop centers into, true mixed-use venues. It’s not that our industry doesn’t get excited about mixed-use spaces — they clearly do. But, something is getting lost between the glamorous articles and design concepts, and the real-world execution.