Research Topic

NEW YORK — An overwhelming majority of Consumer Reports readers are highly satisfied with their independent pharmacy experiences, as compared with experiences at some of the national chains, a report to be published in the May issue found.

Chicago -- A report released Tuesday by The NPD Group said that U.S. consumers have emerged from the recession with a honed ability to stretch their dollars and, now faced with rising food costs, they are turning to the cost-savings tactics they’ve mastered over the past few years.

The art and science of researching how shoppers decide is at a crossroad.  The  shopper insights discipline originally developed when retailers began saying to CPG manufacturers that they have a thorough understanding of behavioral data and its findings, but lack a genuine grasp of how their customers and non-customers think and the “why” that drives that behavior.

Arlington, Va. -- The Retail Industry Leaders Association (RILA) and CargoNet jointly announced that they have strategically aligned to combat cargo theft across the retail industry.

According to the 2010 United States Cargo Theft Report issued by CargoNet, reported incidences of cargo theft increased by 50% compared with 2009. According to the FBI, cargo theft is a multi-billion dollar industry in the United States.

CHICAGO ─ Faced with rising food costs, U.S. consumers are turning to the cost savings tactics they’ve mastered over the past few years, according to The NPD Group.

New York City -- Macy's CEO Terry Lundgren’s compensation package dipped 8% in 2010 to nearly $11.8 million, according to an analysis by The Associated Press.

Lundgren received a salary of $1.5 million in 2010, the same as the year before. The stock awards he received were valued at $3.6 million when they were granted, about a 50% rise over what he received the year before, according to a Securities and Exchange Commission filing.

Oak Brook, Ill. -- McDonald's Corp. and its franchisees plans to hire as many as 50,000 new U.S. employees -- ranging from restaurant crew to managers -- on April 19. The one-day event will seek to bring in and hire a combination of both full- and part-time positions in close to 14,000 U.S. restaurants nationwide, increasing the company's U.S. work force by 7.7% to 700,000, but such hiring is typical in the lead up to the busy summer months.

NEW YORK — Retailers rank supreme for their customer service, according to a new report by the Temkin Group.

 The consulting and research firm analyzed responses from 6,000 consumers, found that Amazon.com ranked No. 1 for providing an "excellent" customer experience, coming in with a ranking of 81.3%. A business qualifies for an "excellent" rating when their score is 80% or higher, Temkin said.