It is a nibble weird that a guy who describes his relationship to Christmas as “hostile” runs around greater Los Angeles in a floppy red Santa hat and answers his iPhone, “Merry Christmas, this is Scotty Claus!” But bummed as false merriment and gift obligations render him, Scott Martin — landscape architect and tree hugger in a literal sense — was unnerved by the sight of post-Christmas trees lying about like so much discarded sausage casing. What people really ought to do, he reasoned, was rent a Christmas tree, and return it, alive, to the nursery after the season. Mr. Martin’s idea, enabled by a rotten economy that made his free time greater and his potential labor pool deeper, is now manifest in his new business delivering live, potted Christmas trees that are taken away once the toys have been unwrapped.  You can try anything here, and no one will tell you it’s a bad idea,” said Mr. Martin, who is 30 and grew up in the South Bay here, where as a teenager he delivered trees for a nursery. “California is more attached to the green movement, so they are more willing to try this service here.”  (more…)

Seasonal sales bumps are associated with products like sleds and air conditioners, but there is, oddly enough, an example in the cereal aisle too. About half of the total yearly sales of Chex occur in the final three months of the year. Looking to spice up sales and increase relevancy, General Mills is reinventing the classic party staple. While tossing together a few ingredients to bake for an hour may have seemed convenient during the Truman administration, it seems less so in the era of microwaveable popcorn. Besides, ready-to-eat Chex Mix, which was introduced in the snack aisle in 1987 and now includes more than a dozen varieties, is simplicity itself. So Chex has embarked on an effort to publicize new microwaveable recipes and, through a recipe contest, is adding spice, literally, to the snack.  (more…)

It might not just be the economy that’s holding back sales this holiday season — it’s also the lack of breakout products. Industry analysts and even retailers are hard-pressed to identify any must-have items beyond an $8 toy hamster. ”There’s no killer item this year. There is no XBox or item that’s out of stock that everyone has to have, and typically we benefit when that happens,” John Donahoe, eBay’s CEO, said at an investors’ conference this week. “There just simply … isn’t one this year. (more…)

Marketers are facing the litmus test of whether their brands truly are indispensable as retailers show a growing willingness to boot even major, well-advertised brands to improve leverage, margins and lower prices. Costco’s recent decision to strip Coca-Cola products from its shelves in a pricing dispute is the highest-profile sign yet that the age-old battle between marketer and retailer is escalating, due to the growing power of private label, looming package-goods deflation in the face of falling commodity prices, rising pressure on retailer margins, and softening volumes. Facing those factors and armed with data from loyalty cards, retailers are getting savvier about which brands to keep and which to lose. However, faced with shrinking choices after decades of unlimited options, the shopping public may just revolt. (more…)