The New York Times reports that retailers more used to selling aspirin and greeting cards are now offering more elaborate grocery options.
Stephanie Clifford of the New York Times writes:
"Like the grocers, the convenience stores and discount stores are not making a lot of money on their groceries. Instead, the goal is to draw more customers.
People shop for food on average about 2.5 times a week, [Bill Dreher, a retail analyst with Deutsche Bank] said, compared with once a month or so for a drugstore or Target. So if the stores can entice shoppers to pick up some groceries on the way home from work, marketing data shows they are likely to add some paper towels or nail polish or a DVD to their carts, spending around the same amount each time they visit."
FULL STORY: Big Retailers Fill More Aisles With Groceries

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Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
City of Albany
UCLA Lewis Center for Regional Policy Studies
Mpact (formerly Rail~Volution)
Chaddick Institute at DePaul University
City of Piedmont, CA
Great Falls Development Authority, Inc.
HUDs Office of Policy Development and Research