2020 was a strange year: frightening, chaotic and full of disruption, both professionally and personally. At times, just making it through the day felt like a tremendous victory. Yet the industry did more than just make it through.

I am writing this Editor’s Note just after concluding the all-new, all-virtual Path to Purchase Digital Expo. When you participate in a three-day marketing conference as both a speaker and attendee and you wear sweatpants the entire time (even when dressed in formal attire from the waist up), your thoughts can tend toward the surreal.

​​​​​​​“Equal pay for equal work” – the constant refrain of working women from the early 19th century. This powerful motto speaks to the simple fact that no one should be paid less for their work on the basis of gender.

​​​​​​​International Women’s Day (IWD), celebrated annually on March 8, is an opportunity for the global community to celebrate how far we’ve come for the rights of women – and to recognize how far we have to go.

I think I can safely say that the Walmart retail experience is one of the most underrated in the industry.

Meijer was founded in 1934 during the depression as a grocery store in central Michigan. In 1962, Meijer put a stake in the ground that ultimately redefined retail in the U.S., opening the first “supercenter” in this country.