New Film Examines Market Basket Saga
Concord — There was an air of pleasant routine amid the hustle and bustle at the Fort Eddy Road Market Basket in Concord on Monday. Just as the sun poked through some rain clouds, 85-year-old Kay Helms exited through the store’s automatic door, her cart pushed and eventually emptied by employee Daniel Beldin. The two had just met that day. “I just had a big order,” said Helms, who lives in Bow, N.H. Moments later, 88-year-old Fred...
Consumer Confidential: FTC Is Falling Short in Protecting Consumers’ Data Used by Businesses
Federal regulators have served notice: They’re watching how businesses use — and possibly abuse — consumers’ personal information. And that’s great. It’s about time more official attention was paid to ways that companies invade our privacy. But federal authorities can do more, much more, to level the playing field. In a report titled Big Data: A Tool for Inclusion or Exclusion? the Federal Trade Commission stopped short of laying down...
McDonald’s Knows You’re Sick of Screw-Ups at the Drive-Up
When you’re hitting the drive-up, what matters more, how quickly you get your Big Mac or whether they remembered to hold the pickles? McDonald’s is betting on the latter. In its latest comeback maneuver, the world’s largest restaurant chain is switching up the outdoor ordering process to make it more personal, and hopefully more accurate. The new method — it’s called “ask, ask, tell” in McDonald’s speak — provides three opportunities...
Consumer Confidential: BMW’s Blinding Fear of Lawsuits
Dr. Ron Aryel, a pediatrician whose patients include many disabled kids, had a brainstorm after recently buying a new BMW 328i Sports Wagon. As part of his research for the purchase, he learned about BMW’s new gesture-control technology, which is being incorporated in the carmaker’s high-end 7 Series vehicles. It allows the driver to interact with the infotainment system by simply waving his or her hand. “That may be a stupid pet...
Small Retailers Go High Tech
New York — An independent retailer may not look like the cutting edge of technology, but these small businesses increasingly turn to apps and sophisticated software to connect with customers. Small retailers use high-tech innovations to build relationships with customers; they often can’t compete with big chains on prices, so they aim at better, individualized service. Some of the technology is designed for smaller companies, while...
