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The Working Supervisor's Support Kit is a collection of information and tools to help working supervisors do a better job. It's based on what Wally's learned in over twenty years of supervisory skills training.

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Every week, reporters around the country write great business stories that don't make it onto your screen or into your local paper. And every week I scour newspapers around the country to identify five of those great stories to enrich your weekend reading. This week I'm pointing you to stories about JC Penney, and stories about how a tighter economy is changing things for consumers and businesses.

From the Arizona Republic: Revitalized J.C. Penney aims for American middle class
"At JC Penney, women can buy sleek, conservative styles that are suitable for the office. Teens can find colorful lingerie and distressed T-shirts made from recycled materials. At some of the company's newest stores, shoppers can pick up Dior lip gloss or a designer fragrance by Marc Jacobs at a Sephora cosmetics ministore near the registers. It's a far cry from the J.C. Penney of a few decades ago, when even some employees rejected the store's stodgy styles."

Wally's Comment: JC Penney is a great example of a big retailer implementing a long term strategy and change initiative. Read this piece for the "whats" but also for the "hows."

From the Chicago Tribune: Grocery costs test shoppers' creativity
"They avoid name brands, they avoid lunchmeat. They use coupons and voraciously comparison shop. They skip the breakfast cereal aisle, visit different supermarkets and, when desperate to stretch dollars, one shopper acknowledges, she fibs, telling her two children she "forgot" to buy the milk. Such are the aggressive, even desperate money-saving tactics employed by some shoppers to cope with food prices rising at the fastest clip in more than 15 years."

Wally's Comment: This story and the Orlando Sentinel story below are both about how consumers are changing behavior and spending habits in the face of a tightening economy.

From the Orlando Sentinel: Consumers ease up on spending habits
"Prices are rising in the U.S., in some cases rapidly, and it couldn't come at a worse time for many Americans worried that the slowing economy is in recession. People's efforts to build a savings cushion or pay down a costly credit line are thwarted as they struggle to fill their gas tanks and stock their pantries."

From the Atlanta Journal-Constitution: Dry cleaners say slow economy stinks, literally
"Add your friendly neighborhood dry cleaner to the current domestic and global economic wringer. Aside from smellier clothes and fewer customers, many metro Atlanta cleaners are dealing with higher supply prices."

Wally's Comment: This story is an interesting take on other effects of the economy. Some clever economist will probably develop a sophisticated index to measure the economy with these offbeat indicators. I wonder if he or she will call it the "Smelly Suit Index."

From the Cincinnati Enquirer: Garden center blooms
"When the economy is down, business tends to bloom briskly at Varnau’s West Chester Garden Center. As budgets are squeezed, many people put off vacations, spend more time at home and do more gardening, owner Mark Varnau said."

Wally's Comment: Gotta close on a positive note. If you read the stories above about how consumers are changing their spending patterns, it's easy to assume that things are bad for everyone. But that's never true. Here's a great story about a garden center that's doing well because of the economy.

Wally's Working Supervisor's Support Kit is a collection of information and tools to help working supervisors do a better job. It's based on what Wally's learned in over twenty years of supervisory skills training. Click here to check it out.

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Wally Bock has helped people learn to be great bosses for more than a quarter century. His latest book, Performance Talk: The One-on-One Part of Leadership, makes learning key leadership principles almost effortless by teaching through a story and providing lists of resources for further growth.

Click here to find out more about Wally's coaching services.

For weekly tips and resources pointers, check our Wally Bock's Three Star Leadership Letter.

Click here to find out more about having Wally speak to your company or convention.