Top Story

• Retailers boosted payrolls in August
  Employment at specialty stores rose 2.8% last month and general merchandise store staffing grew 1% to 3.06 million jobs, according to the Labor Department. The report showed the overall economy gained 96,000 jobs, fewer than the 100,000 to 150,000 economists expected. Women's Wear Daily (subscription required) (9/7)     

Industry Watch

• J.Crew chief touts the personal touch
  J.Crew CEO Mickey Drexler's name commands the best table in the house, but Drexler says he rates hot new eateries on how they treat his employees. That focus on hospitality, service and the personal touch are seen in a myriad of ways throughout J.Crew, from his effort to meet every employee to personally editing an e-mail blast for the brand's new men's shirts. San Jose Mercury News (Calif.)/The Associated Press (free registration) (9/7)     

• Toys R Us unveils a tablet just for kids
  Toys R Us said it will enter the tablet fray with a model designed for children. The retailer, feeling pressure from discounters such as Target and online competitors such as Amazon, will sell the $149.99 Tabeo only at Toys R Us. The Wall Street Journal (9/10)     

• Web series turns IKEA ads into branded entertainment
  A web-only series starring actress Illiana Douglas illustrates the next generation of advertising, as the retailer uses branded entertainment rather than commercials to tout the Sweden-based furniture chain's stores. In the series, co-produced by IKEA, Douglas stars as a former actress who tries to change her life by going to work in an IKEA store. The Wall Street Journal (9/7)     

• Other News

• Gap to open 1st store in Mexico
  MarketWatch (9/8)     

Retail Trends

• 'Tis the season for Halloween temporary stores
  Malls will soon start seeing the annual entrance of Halloween pop-up shops, temporary stores that fill vacant retail space with costumes, decorations and other spooky stuff aimed at generating seasonal revenue. U.S. consumers spent more than $6 billion on Halloween last year, according to NRF data. The Star-Ledger (Newark, N.J.) (9/9)     

• The evolution of women's sportswear
  Sportswear got its start in the middle of the 20th century, as American women enjoyed more leisure time and broke away from more formal French-influenced designs to develop new casual styles. The category has evolved to meet women's changing needs and tastes, and has grown into a retail segment that generated about $83 billion in sales in the year ended July 31, according to NPD Group. Women's Wear Daily (subscription required) (9/8)     

Retail Technology

• Will mobile spell the end of the cash register?
  Retailers including Nordstrom, Starbucks, J.C. Penney and Finish Line are implementing mobile checkout systems that let customers pay via gadgets from anywhere in the store. Some industry experts say the new technology will eventually bring the end of the cash register and the checkout line as we know it. The Indianapolis Star (9/8)     

Main Street

• Ben Franklin store succumbs to changing times
  The Ben Franklin store in Webster Groves, Mo., one of a handful of the five-and-dime variety store's 860 franchise locations to survive in the years since a 1996 bankruptcy filing, will close next month. In their heyday, stores like Ben Franklin and Woolworth were the place to go for everything from penny candy to fabric and yarn, but their fortunes shifted with the growth of Wal-Mart and other discount chains. St. Louis Post-Dispatch (9/8)     

Hot Topics

Top five news stories selected by NRF SmartBrief readers in the past week.

• Can retailers wean shoppers off bargains? (Bangor Daily News (Maine))

• Macy's employee retires after record 73-year career (Daily News (New York))

• Retailers focus on gender-based selling (The Wall Street Journal)

• J.C. Penney shows off new in-store Liz Claiborne shops (The Dallas Morning News (free content))

• Bon-Ton eliminates COO post (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel)

• Results based on number of times each story was clicked by readers.

Sponsored Content

NRF News

• How URBN leverages apps for a streamlined in-store mobile experience
  URBN has been one of the early adopters of mobile technology, and the company's in-store, customer-facing applications are representative of the cutting-edge style for its five well-known fashion brands. At NRFtech ’12, URBN's chief information and logistics officer shared how the company's mobile investment strategy addresses the needs of store associates and their goals for future use of in-store mobile technology. Read more.     

• NRF SmartStat: Sept. 10, 2012
  On a $100,000 project, retailers can save $20,000 or more by implementing ARTS-based standards. Source: ARTS member survey by TechValidate. STORES magazine (6/2012)     

• Best practices for staying ahead during a less than stable economy
  Political and fiscal uncertainties have hit consumer confidence hard, putting more pressure on retailers to position themselves to stay ahead of the curve. In a new addition to the NRF Retail Reference Center, McGladrey Director Jeffrey Edelman identifies tactics that ensure brands leverage opportunities to put the customer first and explains why a multichannel approach is the key to survival during these uncertain times. Download the white paper.     

Chain Restaurant News

• Starbucks and the art of negotiating the daily deal
  Starbucks turned heads with last week's LivingSocial deal offering $10 worth of coffee for $5, a popular offer that sold 1.5 million in less than a day, but sources say the daily deal site paid the price. Starbucks lent its name and clout to the deal, but LivingSocial subsidized it as part of a push to top rival Groupon, according to insiders. FastCasual.com (9/7)     

Position Title Company Name Location Product Buyer - Bath/Bedding/Textiles The Andersons, Inc. Maumee, OH eCommerce Merchandise Specialist Stein Mart Jacksonville, FL Sr. Marketing Manager RPI Personalized Products Seattle, WA Regional Human Resouces Manager Spencer Gifts/Spirit Halloween San Francisco Bay Area, CA Director of Business Intelligence Golfsmith International Austin, TX Associate Buyer - Procurement Services PetSmart, Inc Phoenix, AZ Process/Distribution Center Manager Vitaminshoppe North Bergen, NJ, NJ Marketing Manager - Mass Media REI Kent, WA Creative Director La-Z-Boy Incorporated Monroe, MI Corporate Recruiter Burlington Coat Factory Burlington, NJ Merchandise Planner Pier 1 Imports Fort Worth, TX Senior Buyer - Home Decor Shopko Green Bay, WI Senior Analyst - Data Warehousing Shopko Green Bay, WI Senior CRM Analyst - Data Modeler Ulta Beauty Bolingbrook, IL Senior Buyer Ulta Beauty Bolingbrook, IL Senior Financial Analyst ULTA Beauty Bolingbrook, IL

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SmartQuote

Spend the afternoon. You can't take it with you." --Annie Dillard, American author