Word: marte
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Dates: during 1980-1989
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...nerve-racking as sitting through a Steven Spielberg thriller. Last week videocassette retailers were in an uproar over the disorderly debut of the home-video version of Spielberg's Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom. Disgruntled shopkeepers claimed that some stores belonging to such giant chains as K mart, Wal-Mart and Waldenbooks had taken an unfair lead on competitors by putting the popularly priced ($29.95) Paramount blockbuster on sale as much as a week before its official release date. The chain stores denied purposely jumping the start, but irate competitors consider the episode just another example...
Scholars who worry about the polarization of U.S. society believe they already see evidence of it in the business world. The retailing industry, for one, is clearly aiming at two markets: upscale (Saks Fifth Avenue) and downscale (K mart). Contends Barbara Ehrenreich, a fellow at the Washington- based Institute for Policy Studies: "Whether one looks at food, clothing or furnishings, two cultures are emerging: natural fiber vs. synthetic blends; hand-crafted wood cabinets vs. mass-produced maple; David's Cookies vs. Mister Donut." The result of such polarization of society, she warns, could be a warping of the country...
...organization, the Dallas-based American Renewal Foundation, distributes window decals for store owners to proclaim their refusal to sell porn. The group is currently threatening to boycott Circle K convenience stores, whose chairman has thus far withstood pressure to remove offending magazines. Another chain that has resisted is Dairy Mart convenience stores, with 950 outlets in the East and Midwest. Following a boycott organized by an affiliate of the N.F.D. in April, Dairy Mart conducted a survey of its patrons in four states, asking whether it should stock magazines like Playboy. The result: 55% said...
...traditional good guy and bad guy roles theme reappears as we get to know the kidnappers better. The happy couple is too scared and too nice to kill Mrs. Stone (Bette Midler), so they keep lowering the ransom price, until Mrs. Stone complains she's been "kidnapped by K-mart." In the end, however, their niceness triumphs; Sandy's sincerity and her ballgown designs win the heart of the bitchy Mrs. Stone, and they all band together against the real villain, Mr. Stone...
Despite the machine's dazzle, however, Amiga sales are off to a slow start. Commodore has been selling computers through such department stores as K mart and Sears. But that strategy has alienated computer-store owners, many of whom refuse to stock the Amiga. Says Drew Clausen, who owns nine Computerland stores in Los Angeles: "Once you open your product to mass merchandisers, then you're not selling computers. You're selling toasters." Commodore is also having trouble finding a market niche for the Amiga. Business customers are unenthusiastic because it is not compatible with the IBM machines that...