STORES Magazine - January 2008 - (Page 24)

fullprice/markdown Not Making the Grade THE SEMINOLE COUNTY (Fla.) RK- School Board deserves an “F” for a MA WN report card incentive program deDO signed to reward students for good grades with Happy Meals. Under the program, students in kindergarten through 5th grade can now receive a McDonald’s Happy Meal as a “food prize” for all A’s and B’s. This program replaces one that had been sponsored by local Pizza Hut restaurants for the last 10 school years, and school board officials defend the program by noting that healthy choices are available in a Happy Meal. Whether it’s pizza or a burger doesn’t really matter. At a time when concerns about childhood obesity are at an all-time high, using food as a reward sends the wrong message. Why not encourage good grades with an entertainment or outdoor activity lure? & RETAIL HITS MISSES shopping mall posted signs that read: “Attention all shoppers: Taking the stairs protects your heart.” Over a six-week period, use of the stairway next to an escalator more than doubled, to nearly 10 percent of all shoppers. The findings were recently published in the American Journal of Health Promotion. “If we can persuade more people to take the stairs, then we might really have something in the war against obesity,” says Frank Eves, one of the study’s authors, and a senior lecturer in applied psychology at the University of Birmingham. With fewer daily opportunities for physical activity in modern society, public health officials are increasingly focusing on stairs at schools, workplaces and other public venues. Past studies have also shown that the decision to take stairs can be manipulated relatively easily with a few signs. Flick Up Your Heels WE’VE ALL SEEN women walking to and from work in sneakers or running shoes. The reasons L FULCE I are simple: comfort is king, and no one wants to PR risk ruining an expensive pair of pumps or sandals while pounding the city streets. Convertible high heels may be just what women have been wishing for. The heel is actually designed to collapse into the sole of the shoe, converting it into a flat with the push of a button. The shoes, called Sheilas’ Heels, were created by Sheilas’ Wheels, a woman-focused division of a U.K. insurance company. A spokeswoman there says the idea stemmed from the desire to promote safe driving while still looking fabulous. Another company, Footloose, is also working on an adjustable-heel shoe. In this instance, women change the high heels into flats by twisting the heel around. The design has already been patented, so it shouldn’t be long before women have a chance to try them on for size. Mac & Cheese Overload JUST IN CASE you didn’t eat enough macaroni RK- and cheese as a child or during your college MA WN years, it’s making a comeback. USA Today reO D Power of Suggestion L FULCE RI P IT TURNS OUT that shoppers not only read signs, they actually act in response to a suggestion every now and then. At least that was the case in London, where researchers at a suburban cently identified this calorie and carb-heavy meal as one of the nation’s hottest food trends. Mac & cheese, as it’s affectionately known, is now being sold in quick-serve and casual restaurants – even some tony establishments. T.G.I. Friday’s introduced the Fried Mac & Cheese appetizer in 2006 and it quickly became the chain’s third-best-selling starter; it’s also listed as an appetizer at Cheesecake Factory. Sonic Drive-In is selling deepfried Mac & Cheese Snacks for a limited time. Meanwhile, two New York eateries have made the ubiquitous comfort food their sole entrees. There’s no denying the feel-good properties of a hot bowl of macaroni and cheese; there’s also no way to mask its artery-clogging properties. Making it an appetizer is a step in the right direction; serving it fried definitely is not. WWW.STORES.ORG 24 STORES / JANUARY 2008 http://WWW.STORES.ORG

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of STORES Magazine - January 2008

STORES Magazine - January 2008 Contents Executive Editor's Page President's Page Build a 'Bot Sneak Peek at Fashion Trends What Shoppers Think 10 Things You May Have Missed Numbers Worth Counting Full Price/Markdown Retail People Cover Story: Fishing for Talent Retail CEO Compensation Research Concept2Watch E-Commerce Payment Solutions Online Merchandising POS LPInformation LP Vantage Point Newsbeat Industry Watch Cover Story: Making LP PCI-Compliant Mall Security Video Surveillance Industry Perspective Forum RFID Business Intelligence Data Management Logistics Turning Green into Gold Love of – and for – the Outdoors Loeb Retail Letter ARTS Update Point of View NRF News Retail Industry Calendar Last Laugh

STORES Magazine - January 2008

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