#Pingree Park

[filmnoirfoundation]

We are proud to announce the  the winners of the FNF's NOIR CITY Magazine #38 donation drive held September 14 - 20, 2023:

1) The three winners of the four NOIR CITY Magazine - digital - back issues -- #11, #12, #15, #16 -- are:

Mark Hesse, St. Cloud, MN

Martin Zandstra, The Netherlands

Linda Fox, Cherry Hill, NJ

2) The winner of the Fantagraphics Books’ The High Cost of Dying and Other Stories by Reed Crandall, EC Comics virtuoso illustrator, and a copy of Alan K. Rode’s recently released Blood on the Moon:

Dean Curtis, Alameda, CA

3) The winner of the three FNF restorations on Blu-ray/DVDs from Flicker Alley – The Guilty/High Tide (1947), Trapped (1949), and The Man Who Cheated Himself (1950) – all with FNF-produced special features – and a signed copy of Alan K. Rode’s Blood on the Moon:

Michael Adams, Marietta, GA

4)  The winner of the NOIR CITY Passport to the NOIR CITY 21 film festival, January 19 – 28, 2024 at Oakland’s Grand Theatre:

Sharon Boelhouwer, Lompoc, CA

5) The three new-subscriber winners of the five NOIR CITY Magazine back issues -- #15, #22, #23, #32, #34 -- are:

Segundo Nallatan Jr, Pingree Grove, IL

David Pedigo, Euless, TX

Gregory Montana, San Francisco, CA

6) The new-subscriber winner of Flicker Alley’s Blu-ray/DVD releases of two FNF restorations of 1950 films shot on location in San Francisco -- Woman on the Run with Ann Sheridan and Dennis O’Keefe and The Man Who Cheated Himself with Lee J. Cobb, Jane Wyatt, and John Dahl:

Elizabeth Helfgott, Brooklyn, NY

7) ADDITIONAL WINNERS: Thank you to ALL contributors for the response to this issue's donation drive.  Additional winners who will receive three FNF restorations on Blu-ray/DVDs from Flicker Alley – The Beast Must Die (1952), Too Late for Tears (1949), and The Man Who Cheated Himself (1950):

Christine Kuchler, Bismarck, ND

Darrel Chase, Bel Air, MD

Scott Witmer, Ann Arbor, MI

Lise K. Wall, Idleyld Park, OR

Thank you to everyone who contributed to the Film Noir Foundation! A reminder that anyone who contributes $20 or more to the FNF and signs up our mailing list always receives a free year's subscription to the dgital version of NOIR CITY Magazine. Contributors may receive additional FNF thank you gifts depending on the amount of the donation.

[thxnews]

Biden Honors Victims, Thanks Frontline Responders in Maine

  Exact Transcript of the Speech delivered by President Biden in Maine

THE PRESIDENT: Governor Mills, Mr. Mayor, Senator Collins, Senator King, and Charlene Pingree — look, he couldn’t be here, but I also want to acknowledge Representative Jared Golden — and to all the people of Maine: We’ve done — Jill and I have done too many of these. Jill and I are here, though, on behalf of the American people to grieve with you and to make sure you know that you’re not alone. We just visited a memorial at the restaurant, and we’re here at the bowling alley where we met with the first responders standing behind me. You know, we’ll never forget the trauma they experienced. And as I said, I can’t express how much we appreciate what you did. And also, the members from the — the nurses and docs in the hospital who took care of these folks — I don’t know how — how they do it. We’re also be meeting with survivors and families of the victims who have — will never quite be the same. No pain is the same. But we know what it’s like to lose a piece of our soul and the depths of a loss is so profound. Some of us have been there. Eighteen precious souls stolen. Thirteen wounded. Children, grandchildren, spouses, siblings, parents, grandparents, bowling coaches, union workers, beloved members of advocates and friends of Lewiston’s deaf and hard-of-hearing community. All of them lived lives of love and service and sacrifice. We also remember the survivors who will forever carry the memories and the physical and emotional scars of this. They should be embraced. And I know you will, and I know you do. You know, as we mourn today in Maine, this tragedy opens a painful — painful wounds all across the country. Too many Americans have lost loved ones or survived the trauma of gun violence. I know because Jill and I have met with them in Buffalo, in Uvalde, in Monterey Park, in Sandy Hook, in all — anyway, too many to count — too many to count — from places that never make the news all across America. It’s about bringing people together, different voices and perspectives, for an honest conversation on what’s to be a long road to recovery. You know — and I’ve been at this a long time, and I know consensus is ultimately possible. This is about commonsense, reasonable, and responsible measures to protect our children, our families, and our communities. Because regardless of our politics, this is about protecting our freedom to go to a bowling alley, a restaurant, a school, a church without being shot and killed. Let me close with this. Scripture says, “The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit.” “And saves the crushed in spirit.” Our prayer is that the crushed in spirit survive this more rapidly than otherwise. You know, as we gather here today, we know your hearts are broken because — but we also know your spirits are strong. The way this community has come together, the way this state has come together has been a marvel to the rest of the country. So, God bless those we lost and those that were wounded. And may God bless the first responders, as well as the nurses. I told the nurses, docs, if there’s any angels in Heaven, male and female nurses are the ones that are in Heaven. Docs let you live; nurses wa- — make you want to live. For a guy that spent a lot of time in ICU. So, thank you, thank you, thank you.   Sources: THX News & The White House. Read the full article

[bartletttiptoptaxiil]

Bartlett Taxi Service To/From O’Hare/Midway Airport

Get Taxi Near Me From Midway to Bartlett for Taxi To/From O Hare Dekalb, Sycamore, Schaumburg, Elburn, Geneva, Hanover Park, Naperville, Joliet, Maple Park, Montgomery, Morris, Oswego, Plainfield, Shorewood, Sugar Grove, Wasco, Waterman, Winfield, York ville, Bloomingdale, Aurora, Batavia, Big Rock, Burlington, Campton Hills, Carpentersville, East Dundee, Elburn, Elgin, Geneva, Gilberts, Hampshire, Kaneville, LaFox, Lily Lake, Maple Park, North Aurora, Pingree Grove, Sleepy Hollow, South Elgin, Saint Charles, Sugar Grove, Virgil, Wasco, and West Dundee, Addison, Bartlett, Bloomingdale, Carol Stream, Downers Grove, Glen Ellyn, Glendale Heights, Itasca, Lisle, Lombard, Medinah, Naperville, Oak Brook, Roselle, Warrenville, Wayne, West Chicago, Wheaton and Winfield, Cortland, DeKalb, Genoa, Hinckley, Kingston, Kirkland, Lee, Malta, Sandwich, Shabbona, Somonauk, Sycamore and Waterman, Arlington Heights, Barrington Hills, Barrington, Buffalo Grove, Deer Park, Deerfield, Des Plaine, Elk Grove Village, Hoffman Estates, Inverness, Mount Prospect, Northbrook, Palatine, Prospect Heights, Rolling Meadows, Roselle, Schaumburg, South Barrington, Streamwood and Wheeling.

Visit Now:https://bartlettairporttaxishuttle.website/ 

or Call us:630-847-2302 

#Bartlett Taxi Shuttle #TipTopTaxi #ordtaxi #miataxi #airporttaxi #OHareInternationalAirportTaxi #MidwayInternationalAirportTaxi

[restinthewest]

Cirque Meadows

[appalachiancowboy]

South Dorm at Colorado State University Mountain Campus

[detroitlib]

View of Hazen S. Pingree monument at Grand Circus Park. Printed on front: "Pingree monument, Detroit, Mich. No. 1013. W.G. MacFarlane, Buffalo." Handwritten on front: "With mute lips he greets you. A Merry Xmas, a Happy New Year per ... Dec. 1906 & 07."

Courtesy of the Burton Historical Collection, Detroit Public Library

[tyronebeerbohm]

He and every other competitor who reached the semifinals advance to the state tournament, which begins May 18 in Lexington.

He and every other competitor who reached the semifinals advance to the state tournament, which begins May 18 in Lexington.. Lysene coins were oval and showed a naked woman. From tigers to leopards and crocodiles, there is so much to take in in this park. States next year, Toyota is launching Mirai, a four door hydrogen powered sedan that can go up to 300 miles on a full tank and emits nothing but water and vapor from its tailpipe. Some had children on their shoulders. LONCAR, Grace Caroline Sometimes the brightest star burns out too soon. If any slave be mutilated, beaten, or ill treated, contrary to the true intent and meaning of this section, when no one shall be present, in such case the owner, or other person having the charge or management of said slave thus mutilated, shall be deemed responsible and guilty of the said offence, and shall be prosecuted without further evidence, unless the said owner, or other person puma red bull racing evo cat ii so as aforesaid, can prove the contrary by means of good and sufficient evidence, or can clear himself by his own oath, which said oath every court under the cognizance of which such offence shall have been examined and tried is by this act authorized to administer.—Code Noir. Her fresh little face beamed with pleasure and satisfaction. And yet, this country needs a more knowledgeable work force to be competitive. “And do you know what I was doing? I’ve been walking up and down, reciting poetry. His chambers were large, airy, and handsomely furnished, but there were guards outside his doors. Mark Petrow had two hits and a RBI, Jimmy Parr added a RBI double, pendientes bulgari precio and Moragn Muschamp knocked in pair of RBI but the Generals dropped to 2 5.Pingree 4, Thayer 0: Brendan Oliver tossed a shutout scattering six hits while striking out eight for Pingree (8 3). Com or 646 4344.. And Quent, Seven save him, he looked like he was going to shit his smallclothes. Yes, I am. Some free companies had been born during the century of blood and chaos that had followed the Doom of Valyria. No doubt such an opinion was the direct result of his extreme guilelessness.. The butcher’s wagon was outside, waiting in the alley. “Bones,” said Bran. Because the brake pads in disc brake systems are external to the disc rather than contained within a drum, they are more easily ventilated and heat doesn't tend to build up quite donna di porto pim una storia riassunto as fast. He was sentenced chanel ágynemű to one year in prison after pleading guilty to charges of obstruction and having sex with a trainee in violation of Air Force conduct rules. I cannot describe what I went through in that time. He’s become so impatient here in Petersburg and so taken to shouting, So I went up to the table and began to look what paper it was he had been writing. But the new reports that were continually coming, the paragraphs in the papers, and finally some words of praise uttered about me by persons whom he revered and trusted forced him to change his attitude. We had a lot of young guys play last year, so they'll be able to come up this year," said Spady, who is a defensive back. After Perez was told Mens JORDAN Hoodie to let Ocon pass so he could challenge Ricciardo on his fresher tires, he radioed back: "Let us race, man. Comparisons were tough as last year Q2 sales were driven by stimulus checks and the Olympics.. Officers flushed out Fatialofa and he ran into a nearby Costco parking lot. Be very cautious with children's backpacks; painted characters and stuffed heads may be ruined in the wash. Who'd have thought it only had three cylinders?Inside, quality is okay as it is in the Fiesta while the extra height means decent space for four, or five at a push. Parents can pick up tickets at Guest Services or the Management Office.. Healers open the space with group rituals, artists showcase their dolce gabanna adidași bărbații work and DJs supply heart opening dance music. He was very anxious to learn the meaning of our arrival, and he looked inquiringly at both of us. If you looking for an air compressor then by choosing one from a range that Dewalt makes you could be confident of the highest quality. He had hurried off from me straight to the prince’s, had not found him at home and had left a note for him. Over the past couple of.. The great plaza before them was packed almost solid. Peering through the oakley m frame ice iridium mists, he glimpsed a broken spire, a headless hero, an ancient tree torn from the ground and upended, its huge roots twisting through the roof and windows of a broken dome. (Reuters) As rising temperatures send thousands to Southern California's storied beaches, lawmakers are rushing to make sure a classic rite of summer, the beach bonfire, doesn't burn out before they get there. “More trouble than they’re worth, that lot. I willingly did this several times myself. “What Astapori still survive have come creeping from their hidey-holes, it seems. "I felt like I was right there, but the games seemed to be getting away one way or another. “She’s quite well, quite well . The old man assumed a particularly serious and critical expression. She would have slain Varamyr had he come within her reach. The riders fed and watered their horses. Rumor has it North Face is working on its version, to be launched in 2012.. It’s past time. Q: I had a grandmother whom had rhumetoid arthritis until she died will I inherite her condition. “Our stores are ample for the moment,” he reminded her, “and Your Grace has planted beans and grapes and wheat. Suppose, further, as a final effort of long-suffering, and to leave her utterly without excuse, the 85worthy magistrate rides forth in full force,—man, horse, dog and gun,—to the very verge of the swamp, and there proclaims aloud the merciful mandate. In the dark he could pretend that it was the three-eyed crow who whispered to him and not some grisly talking corpse.. Zach Johnson dons a firefighter's hat as Jennifer Pate, not pictured, takes his photo at the Fire Museum of Texas during Thursday's Happy Hour event. Yes, my old friend was right; she had been ill-treated; her hurt could not be healed, and she seemed purposely trying to aggravate her wound by this mysterious behaviour, this oneil mellény mistrustfulness of us all; as though she enjoyed her own pain by this egoism of legjobb kutyaruha esőkabát suffering, if I may so express it. “She tried,” said the old man, “but she couldn’t hold on. It really was strange to see an old man who had so outlived the natural spar, alone, with no one to look after him, especially as he looked like a madman who had escaped from his keepers. The small company made the long descent in silence, stopping thrice to refresh themselves along the way. The employees all had nice things to say, and told me we should approach Tire Plus in Moorhead. “The High Septon speaks for the nike jean jacket Seven here on earth. She generally calls herself Mary Ann Paine,—can read print,—has some freckles on her face and hands,—shoes No. On the fourth day of her illness, I spent the whole evening with Natasha and stayed long after midnight.

[aaknopf]

The poet Quan Barry is also a fiction writer, whose mischievous We Ride Upon Sticks has just been published. In the fall of 1989, the seniors on the losing Danvers Falcons field hockey team avail themselves of some locally-sourced Salem witchery, in the hope of concocting a winning season. They make a pact, signing their names in a spiral notebook with Emilio Estevez on the cover, and rip and tie strips of Falcons-blue tube sock around all their arms, sealing their dark bond. In the scene below (which includes a special guest appearance by the poet Philip Larkin), the team mingles with members of the football team at their favorite pizza joint. We meet one of the more mysterious players, Girl Cory, so-called because there’s also a Boy Cory on the squad; Boy Cory’s story, like that of Girl Cory, their teammates Jen Fiorenza (whose awesome, high-teased bangs are known to all as “the Claw”), Abby Putnam (ancestor of an original Salem accuser), and others in the mix here, is a journey of identity, community, and the magic of high school friendships.

from We Ride Upon Sticks

“Our butts are going to States this year,” said Jen. “Where are your butts going?” Just then Girl Cory walked in. For a moment the air in Rocco’s filled with the scent of aquamarine waters and palm trees, the harmonies of steel drums, then just as quickly it was back to cheese pizza and the crackling of the deep fryer. “ ’Sup?” Log called out. Most guys at Danvers High didn’t talk to Girl Cory. From what we could glean of teen-boy-dom it seemed most teen boys only have a finite amount of confidence, and they couldn’t afford to go blowing it willy-nilly on a hopeless case like Girl Cory. It was plain to see she was out of everyone’s league. Most people accepted this. It was pure science, like the apple falling from the tree. Girls like Girl Cory didn’t date regular human boys. Historically, since the invention of written records in the girls’ third-floor bathroom concerning who was banging whom, Girl Cory had never dated anyone at Danvers High. Mostly she left in her wake a trail of names from the local private-school universe, places like the Prep, Pingree, even some faraway boy at Deerfield. Log’s “ ’Sup?” was still hanging in the air. Only he among his brethren had confidence to burn. Little did he know but “ ’Sup?” was an excellent question, one we’d been secretly wondering all our lives. Yeah, Girl Cory, what’s up? As she stood at the counter, Girl Cory nodded at Log but didn’t say a word or even take off her Ray-Bans. “And what does your soon-to-be captain have to say about you hosers going to States?” whispered Brian Robinson in a small voice, only looking at Girl Cory indirectly via a shiny plaque mounted on the wall, as if she were a Medusa with the power to transform flesh to stone. “Which is it?” he said. “You guys going to States, or 2-8 again?” “For your information, we haven’t voted for captain yet,” said Jen. Her Claw gave him the stink eye. Rocco’s adult son Vinny slammed her order down on the counter. Ceremoniously, she rose to retrieve her Diet Coke and two slices of Hawaiian. She noticed Log Winters was still staring at Girl Cory. “Take a picture, my friend,” she said, bending over and whispering in Log’s ear. “It’ll last longer.” Then she raised her voice so that all of Rocco’s could partake in the annunciation. “Besides, Cory already has a boyfriend.” “Who’s that?” said Log. “Nobody you’d know,” Jen projected. “He sent her flowers today. Isn’t that right, Cory?” Girl Cory turned and flashed Jen a look that simultaneously said both shut up and keep talking. She was an enigma like that. Honestly, none of us really knew her. Even now that we were all part of the sisterhood of the blue sweat sock, it was like she had constructed a wall to keep us out, a sunroom off the kitchen where she could sit and drink her Earl Grey in peace while the rest of us crowded around a plate of stale bagels in the breakfast nook. Girl Cory pulled a wad of napkins from the dispenser and went over to where Little Smitty was sitting with Mel. What’s up, Girl Cory? All season long, the rest of us standing around wondering, Girl Cory. What. Is. Up? And then one day we’d take a big juicy bite of the apple from the Tree of Knowledge, and to our everlasting sorrow, we’d find out. “Philip” made his first appearance during the ’88 season shortly after Girl Cory passed her driver’s test. It was late October, one of those autumn days when the afternoon sky prematurely takes on a hazy shade of winter. We were just off the school bus after returning from a massacre in Gloucester, 4-0. Truthfully, the score didn’t accurately reflect the gutting we’d endured at the hands of the Gloucester Fishermen. The two senior co-captains, Gina Packer and Mary Ellen Sommers, had gotten into a fight during the coin toss over whether to pick heads or tails. At one point, Gina reached over and ran her finger through the blue face paint where Mary Ellen had spackled the letters DHS on her cheek. We winced. It was like watching someone ruin a beautifully frosted cake. When we finally arrived back at Danvers High, Julie Kaling stopped reciting that part of the Nicene Creed about God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God, her crucifix glinting in the dark of the bus. To be honest, after the kind of outing it had been, some of us found her religious yammering weirdly comforting. We’d grabbed our stuff from the locker room and headed out to wait for our moms to come get us or to bum rides with the seniors who lived in our neighborhoods. Girl Cory had hit the two-fecta, having recently passed her driver’s test and been given her own wheels to boot. Her brand-new white Fiero was parked in the student lot. The Fiero had been purchased weeks before her driving test and was just sitting around in her multi-car garage collecting dust. Driving was still a novelty to her, the monogrammed fingerless gloves still fun to slip on. That day she was giving Abby Putnam a ride home. It was Abby who pointed out the mint-green envelope stuck under the windshield wipers. Girl Cory peeled the envelope off the wet glass and held it between her fingers like a dead roach. “This is a wicked bummer,” she said. “Can you get ticketed here?” Abby shook her head. She watched as her friend tore open the soggy envelope. Girl Cory’s face betrayed nothing. If anything, she looked a little more bloodless. “Lemme see,” said Abby. She took the slip of paper in her hands and stared for a long time at the blurred writing, the washed-out words as if painted in watercolor. Roses are Red— Your Fiero—it’s White— With seating for two. Don’t! Put up a fight—take me with you! The next day before practice we showed the letter around. Heather Houston performed a close reading on it worthy of a 5 on the AP English test. She commented on the juvenile use of the Dickinsonian em dash, the strange imperatives, the elisions, the contradictory tone of both fight and flight. “Whoever wrote this is not playing with a full deck,” she concluded, pushing her glasses up the bridge of her nose. “It doesn’t even make sense. Like this part. ‘Don’t!’ Don’t what? Use your words, people!” She was practically spitting she was so worked up about it. Poor Heather Houston took weak syntactical choices as a personal affront. Julie Kaling patted her comfortingly on the back. “I dunno, I think it’s sweet,” said Little Smitty softly. This was back in the days before Emilio and the blue tube sock, back when Little Smitty ate all the spinach on her plate happily with a big smile as though it were cotton candy. “What I will say,” said Heather, offering a second conclusion about the note, “is Philip Larkin he is not.” Becca Bjelica looked at AJ Johnson and silently mouthed, Philip who? We were all thinking the same thing. Nobody rolled their eyes at her. How were we supposed to know some curmudgeonly British poet, even one who’d written: They fuck you up, your mum and dad. They may not mean to, but they do. They fill you with the faults they had And add some extra, just for you. And thus “Philip” was born. That first year “Philip” mostly left little things lying around in plain sight, like a cat who brings its owner dead robins. A tube of Chanel lipstick without the actual lipstick in it. A box of chocolates, but instead of sweets slotted in each compartment, there were rocks. Girl Cory took it all in stride. We didn’t tell anyone in the adult world because what was there to say? Some poor slob had the hots for a girl so beautiful she should have been in a music video, and he left her crazy presents? Back then the word “stalker” wasn’t really part of anyone’s vocabulary. Fatal Attraction had come out the year before, but that was just stuff that happened to sexy creeps like Michael Douglas, who banged complete strangers and mostly had it coming. And so Girl Cory learned to live with it. And so we learned to live vicariously through her. In time, we began to look forward to “Philip’s” offerings. They made us feel like maybe somewhere down the road, somebody, anybody, might possibly want us. Even the time he dropped a note in her schoolbag that said, “I hate you, you stupid peckerhead,” and signed it “Much l♥ve.” We were a bunch of mostly inexperienced teen girls. We thought that’s what true romance was supposed to look like. A boy telling a girl she was a stupid peckerhead, but she was his stupid peckerhead. Lord, make us worthy, we prayed. God from God, Light from Light, Boyfriend from Boy Who Considers Us a Peckerhead. It seemed like the thing to ask for. None of us ever thought to pray for a better caliber of boy.

More on this book and author:

Learn more about We Ride Upon Sticks by Quan Barry

Browse other books by Quan Barry including her four poetry collections published in the Pitt Poetry Series

Read the full text of Philip Larkin's "This Be the Verse" at the Poetry Foundation

Peruse other poems, audio recordings, and broadsides in the Knopf poem-a-day series 

To share the poem-a-day experience with friends, pass along this link.

[sarahfishfotos-blog]

The View From

[the-world-travelers-blog]

Storm Brewing in the Mountains. Pingree Park, Bellvue, Colorado [OC] [4032x3024].

[mlorenzetti]

Detroit: Reconstructed, 12/7/17 Fyfe’s Shoe Store, 1919 Smith, Hinchman, Grylls with monument to Hazel S. Pingree ( The Idol of the People) #8x10 gelatin silver contact print

Cass Gilberts Woolworth building 1913 in New York established a precedent for Gothic commercial architecture. Fyfe’s Shoe Store in Detroit built in 1919, continued that tradition in a 14 story structure. Designed by Smith, Hinchman and Grylls, this handsome building with soaring vertical lines and deep window reveals stands as a landmark at the head of the busy thoroughfares that converge at Grand Circus Park. (Hawkins Ferry)

Marco Lorenzetti

[detroitlib]

View of Hazen S. Pingree monument at Grand Circus Park. Printed on front: "Pingree monument and Grand Circus Park, Detroit, Mich." Printed on back: "Pingree monument and Grand Circus Park, Detroit, Mich. The Pingree monument in West Grand Circus Park, was erected in 1904 by popular subscription. The late Hazen S. Pingree was four times mayor of Detroit, and twice governor of Michigan. He died June 18th, 1901, aged 60 years. C.T. Co., Chicago, R-27921." Handwritten on back: "Dear Father, I received both your cards but did not receive them till after you were gone so excuse me for not being at the depot. Excuse me for writing with a pencil but my pen won't write on these cards. Edwin Henmen." Card is postmarked Aug. 21, 1917.

Courtesy of the Burton Historical Collection, Detroit Public Library

[thatsnakeman]

[OC] Crique Meadows near Pingree Park, Colorado, USA [2590x3885] via /r/EarthPorn https://ift.tt/2JXZAZk

[retailtouchpoints]

RTP Editors Preview Retail TouchPoints Live! @ RetailX

In partnership with the brand new RetailX event (the co-location of IRCE, GlobalShop and RFID Journal Live! Retail), Retail TouchPoints is hosting Retail TouchPoints Live! @ RetailX for the first time June 25-26 at McCormick Place in Chicago. The event includes three content tracks focusing on the next gen store, omnichannel optimization and digital transformation, and is designed to create a forum addressing the convergence of physical and digital shopping experiences.

Speakers from retailers such as BJ’s Wholesale Club, Under Armour, Hibbett Sports, Moosejaw and Adore Me will share the stage with analysts from BRP Consulting, HighStreet Collective and A.T. Kearney, among many others. The RTP editors share which sessions they’re most looking forward to at Retail TouchPoints Live!

Adam Blair, Editor: Surveying the session offerings for the debut of Retail TouchPoints Live! in Chicago next week is a bit like reading a restaurant menu when you’ve got the munchies: everything looks so good. But I’ll force myself to choose two tasty items: Driving A Decent Specialty Approach At the World’s Largest Retailer (While Still Remaining Well-Coiffed), with Moosejaw’s Dan Pingree revealing how the often edgy outdoors retailer is (hopefully) keeping its identity within an e-Commerce structure known for selling commodity-type consumables, a.k.a. Walmart.com. Given the recent absorption of Jet.com into Walmart, the session is quite topical. I’m also looking forward to Delivering A Consistent Customer Experience In A Complex Environment with Todd Sasala of Cedar Fair Entertainment. The ability to delight visitors in an amusement park’s multiple locations and situations sounds like it will be a great object lesson for retailers trying to create engaged, relevant customer journeys in increasingly experiential stores.

Glenn Taylor, Senior Editor: Being stuck in that middle ground of not being cheap enough while also not being differentiated enough is a harsh pit that no retailer wants to fall into. When it comes to those that do compete on price, even that is no longer enough to win the wallets of consumers. Many retailers seeking to compete on price are competing on just that factor, so I’m definitely curious to see what the session titled Breaking The Chains Of Price & Convenience With Omnichannel Experience has to offer. I think of companies like TJX and Dollar General that have done so well under their business models, simply because they offer things that can be found elsewhere — but for much lower prices. I wonder if other retailers can make headway in these verticals with the takeaways from this session. In the case of pricing and convenience, breaking conventions and making your own rules can often be a major risk, especially from a profitability standpoint, so I’d love to see where retailers can possibly mitigate that risk.

Bryan Wassel, Associate Editor: While Amazon Go has certainly generated a lot of buzz and a few other companies have launched their own takes on the format, the cashierless store has yet to take off. I’m not sure if this is a matter of cost, technology, or other factors, but I feel like the Will Cashierless Stores Dominate New Spaces? session has the right team of experts to shed some light on this trend and discuss what the future holds. Scan-and-go technology is not without its downsides, and new, previously unconsidered problems may crop up as more stores appear, but there will be unforeseen benefits as well. Innovators from companies like Third Haus and Innowi have a good grasp on what’s possible and likely in the future of retail; this should add some grounding in the realistically possible to this discussion of what is yet to come. The panel also will discuss best practices for designing the checkout experience itself, which will practical info for retailers that are just starting to explore these concepts.

[emilyby]

at Pingree Park Campus Colorado State