@Walmart Labs – Wal-Mart’s effort to become undisputed leader of social commerce

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Wal-Mart is starting to turn heads in the tech world — and that may have important implications for the way we think about the future of the shopping experience. Once known for a soul-less retail store experience and a hyper-efficient supply chain that delivered “everyday low prices,” Wal-Mart has been fusing together innovations from the mobile and social networking worlds to create the foundation for a radically new type of hyper-personalized shopping experience.

 

 

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Wave of lay-offs hitting banks and thousands more job losses to come

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About 700 job reductions at HSBC will mainly affect UK branch offices.

The wave of lay-offs hitting banks gathered pace on Thursday.  Thousands more job losses are set to hit retail businesses and market divisions while lenders fight off a limp economic recovery, trading woes and tougher regulation.

 

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Gas Prices Widening Gap Between Wealthy and Everyone Else

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The rich are back to pre-recession-style splurging.

A wider wedge is being driven between the wealthy and everybody else due to high gas prices.  The rich are back to pre-recession-style splurging: Saks Fifth Avenue and Nordstrom customers are treating themselves to luxury items like $5,000 Hermes handbags and $700 Jimmy Choo shoes, and they’re paying full price.

 

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Introducing the Slashcasters

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Slashcasters, a new breed of pitchmen for the digital age of retail

Futurist Thomas Frey:  I was recently asked to do the keynote talk at a retailer conference in Orlando, Florida speaking on the topic of what the future of retail may hold. At one point in the conversation, the caller made the comment that one of the biggest problems in retail is that consumers are evolving faster than retailers can adapt.

 

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Economy Adds Jobs but the Kind of Jobs Created is Less Encouraging

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New jobs that are being created pay less and offer fewer work hours than the ones they have replaced.

When it comes to jobs, it’s not just quantity that matters–it’s also quality. It’s great news that the economy is finally producing jobs again–even if it’ll take another few years of this kind of growth to get us back to where we were before the Great Recession. But that also means it’s now time to ask what kind of jobs are being created. And on that front, things are a lot less encouraging.

 

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Discover the Hidden Patterns of Tomorrow with Futurist Thomas Frey
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By delving into the futuring techniques of Futurist Thomas Frey, you’ll embark on an enlightening journey.

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