In the News: Walgreens Celebrates Black History Month; ‘T-Commerce’ On the Rise; Foreign Journalists Attacked
by Janel Martinez

February 4, 2011

In the News: Walgreens Celebrates Black History Month; ‘T-Commerce’ On the Rise; Foreign Journalists Attacked

  • One of the country’s largest drug store chains is highlighting more than on-the-shelf sale items this February. In honor of Black History Month, Walgreens will recognize its African-American vendors through its minority-owned business initiative, Community Corner.
  • The program pin-points products by diverse vendors through displays, in-store product demonstrations, national print and radio advertisements, in-store signage and announcements, and a new Community Corner sticker that is placed on each featured item.   Community Corner increased featured items sales by up to 12%.
  • The products will be featured in over 2500 Walgreens stores and are available for up to 50% off the regular price at Walgreens.com/cc.

2011: The Year of ‘T-Commerce’

  • Less than a year after Apple launched the iPad, several online retailers are reporting half of mobile commerce coming from tablet gadgets, according to Forrester; predicting more purchases throughout the year.
  • The research agency notes the smartphone’s size as a deterrent for mobile shoppers. “Tablet devices, on the other hand, will grow capturing share from traditional PC web traffic by untethering shoppers from their desktops, enabling easy browsing in a living room, during a bus commute to work, or at an airport,” says the research agency, in a recent report.

Media Presence Not Welcomed in Egypt

  • As violence escalates, protesters in support of President Hosni Mubarak are turning their frustrations towards foreign journalists in Tahrir.  Several journalists have reported being beaten while their vehicles are vandalized and equipment apprehended.
  • The New York Times states two of its print journalists were detained, but released today after being held overnight. Media outlets such as CBS, CNN, and the BBC, among other organizations, are reporting assault incidents. Members of the media are on heightened alert, even behind closed doors.
  • Hotels, such as the Ramses Hilton, are requiring journalists to check-in cameras and follow additional parameters such as not revealing the hotels name in any audio or print interviews or filming inside the space.  Those who disobey will reportedly be removed from the hotel’s grounds.

Rupert Murdoch Steps into the Digital Newspaper Arena

  • News Corporation’s Rupert Murdock unveils The Daily, an electronic news publication designed specifically for Apple Inc.’s iPad at yesterday’s conference in New York. The publication costs users 99 cents a week or $40 a year. Publishing idustry watchers are eyeing the product closely to see how well it performs as one of the tablet’s first ipad-only pubs.

Job Market Report Sends Mixed Signals

  • The nation’s unemployment rate dropped to 9% last month, the lowest point in nearly two years, according to the latest Labor Department report.  While the job loss measure slipped .4%, employers only added 36,000 jobs to the economy.
  • Economists were expecting the opposite, according to The Washington Post. They were prepared to see job creation increase as the economy bounced back, and the jobless rate to increase as job seekers resumed their employment search.

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