Columns

February: In Like Black Ice, Out Like Mardi Gras

Amanda Thomsen

What are the pros and cons of working for a Boomer vs. Millennial?

Columns

Pump Up That Cortex

Ellen C. Wells

Do not shy away from the unpleasantness of the effort.

Columns

The Dangers of Playing It Safe

Jennifer Polanz

Fortunately for our industry, we trade in peace and solace, as long as we sell it right.

Consumer Buzz

2017 Grocery Trends

Ann-Marie Vazzano

Faster checkouts and more digital connections top the list of grocery shopping trends for 2017, according to GroceryStories.com.

Consumer Buzz

A Gender Divide

Ann-Marie Vazzano

Men and women have two very different views as to who’s responsible for their household’s spending.

Consumer Buzz

App Woes

Ann-Marie Vazzano

Mobile marketing services provider 3Cinteractive (3C), recently released its 2017 Mobile Planning Guide For Grocers, which identifies key trends where grocers and marketers should place their focus on mobile initiatives this year.

Consumer Buzz

Brick-And-Mortar Challenges

Ann-Marie Vazzano

According to a report from Retail Systems Research, more than half of retailers (54%) say the need for more consistent store execution/employee productivity is their top business challenge.

Consumer Buzz

Consumers Pumped By Gas Perks

Ann-Marie Vazzano

Fuel savings is America’s favorite loyalty program reward for the second year in a row.

Consumer Buzz

From Drone to Doorstep

Ann-Marie Vazzano

On December 7, Amazon successfully completed its first-ever drone delivery.

Consumer Buzz

Heavy Spenders

Ann-Marie Vazzano

A recent Viant/Nielsen study aimed to pinpoint the characteristics of “heavy spenders”—the top 40% of shoppers based on their total spending over the past 90 days.

Consumer Buzz

Humanless Retail

Ann-Marie Vazzano

When it comes to retail sales, Panasonic is removing store associates from the equation in Japan with the introduction of checkout machines that can both scan and bag items.

Consumer Buzz

Phone Addicts

Ann-Marie Vazzano

If you want to get in front of your customers, you’d better get on their smartphones.

Consumer Buzz

The “Year of Promotions”

Ann-Marie Vazzano

2016 was the “Year of Promotions,” with a 52% increase in offers over the holiday season, according to DynamicAction’s Retail Index.

Consumer Buzz

The Future Is Now

Ann-Marie Vazzano

Italy’s Coop Italia—the country’s largest grocery chain—recently opened its first “Supermarket of the Future.”

Consumer Buzz

The Key to Customer Satisfaction

Ann-Marie Vazzano

Putting consumer needs ahead of business goals results in happy customers.

Consumer Buzz

The Survey Says …

Ann-Marie Vazzano

Retailers are using flawed surveys to gauge customer satisfaction, according to a recent study from Interaction Metrics.

Cover Story

Make It Easy

Ellen C. Wells

Containers to make gardening life that much more sweet and easy.

Features

Container Series: DIY Kokedama

Amanda Thomsen

You can make these with whatever plants are hanging around (pun intended).

Features

Customer Service: Speak Your Customers’ Language

Teresa Odle

Using plain language in gardening communication is a necessity to build and keep your customer base.

Features

Hiring for the Long Haul

Jennifer Polanz

Tips for attracting and retaining the best employees for you.

Features

Trends: Vertical Gardening: What’s on Your Wall?

Paris Wolfe

Here’s a primer on the basics of vertical gardening.

Front Lines

AAS Winners for 2017

Ellen C. Wells

All-America Selections released another 11 winners for 2017 recently, bringing the total number of varieties receiving AAS Winner designation for 2017 to 16.

Front Lines

Bailey Nurseries’ Spring Previews

Jennifer Polanz

Toward the end of the month, Bailey Nurseries will host its annual Spring Preview meetings for customers throughout the United States.

Front Lines

DCA Outdoor Doubles Offerings

Jennifer Polanz

Kansas City, Missouri-based DCA Outdoor, Inc. doubled its distribution capacity by purchasing Brehob Nursery, Inc. in December, a wholesale nursery and landscape distributor.

Front Lines

Foliage First

Jennifer Polanz

Christina Salwitz—who’s a valued Green Profit contributor, as well as a garden coach and Garden Center Group service provider—teamed up with fellow landscape designer and garden writer Karen Chapman to pen “Gardening With Foliage First: 127 Dazzling Combinations that Pair the Beauty of Leaves with Flowers, Bark, Berries, and More.”

Front Lines

Garden Media Group Trends Report

Jennifer Polanz

In case you missed it, Garden Media Group released its annual trends report for free download.

Front Lines

Griffin Opens Colorado Branch

Jennifer Polanz

Greenhouse distributor and supplier Griffin announced in January it will open a new service center in Aurora, Colorado, sometime this month.

Front Lines

Make Ice When the Temps Drop

Ellen C. Wells

Thanks to a surplus of bone-chilling temperatures, Milaeger’s has made an outdoor ice rink at their store.

Front Lines

Stephanie Whitehouse Joins Dickman Farms

Jennifer Polanz

Stephanie Whitehouse has returned to her home area of the Finger Lakes to join the team at Dickman Farms Greenhouses & Garden Center as the retail general manager.

Profit Planet

Retailing Riddles: Never Assume

Bill McCurry

When faced with riddles, we usually answer based on our experience, assumptions and biases.

The Friel World

Cain and Abel and Hannibal

John Friel

Feeding birds is hobby #2, behind gardening—a natural for garden centers.

The Goods

Adriana Heikkila

Abbott-Ipco Inc.; Anthony Tesselaar Plants; ArizonaEast LLC; Bloem Living LLC; Danziger “Dan” Flower Farm; Darwin Perennials; Dümmen Orange; Emerald Coast Growers LLC; Entryways; Gardener's Supply Company; J. Berry Nursery; Lambert Peat Moss; LFS Glove; McConkey; OPCOM Farm; PanAmerican Seed; Pleasant View Gardens Inc.; Star Roses and Plants; Suntory Flowers Ltd.; Terra Nova Nurseries; The Best Bees Company; Twist and Seal; Weeks Roses