Daniel Kline

5 days ago | thestreet.com | Daniel Kline

Amazon has a massive advantage over most retailers. Its size gives it a level of buying power that's unprecedented. Basically, only Walmart sits in a similar position and even players like Target and Costco don't have the same ability to dictate terms to suppliers. Normally, Amazon controls its own fate. It can tell suppliers to lower prices, make demands on packaging, and otherwise set its own terms. That does not make it immune to what's happening in the world.

5 days ago | thestreet.com | Daniel Kline

"The Love Boat" gave people the wrong idea about cruising. Yes, there are some newlyweds on their honeymoons, but most cruises are not full of single good looking people ready to find the love of their life. That's especially true on Carnival Cruise Line, a company geared toward families. There are, of course, single people, especially younger ones traveling with their families. Love connections are made, and the fact that everyone has a smartphone makes geographic barriers less important.

5 days ago | thestreet.com | Daniel Kline

Costco offers a weird mix of consistency and surprise. Members know exactly what they will get in certain areas. The company always stocks the basics when it comes to groceries, household goods, and other basics. That experience never changes. You know you can buy the core grocery ingredients you need at home, but the other items each warehouse club stocks change regularly. This changing inventory creates the "treasure hunt" aspect of Costco (COST) that keeps people coming back.

6 days ago | aol.com | Daniel Kline

Royal Caribbean fixed a massive passenger pain point originally appeared on Come Cruise With Me.While cruise ships have become technical marvels, they still have limitations based on their size. There can only be so much seating in the buffet and the line will back up at the coffee shop or pizza place during busier hours. There's no real way to speed up embarkation and disembarkation. When thousands of people want to get on or off the ship at the same time, that creates a bottleneck.

6 days ago | thestreet.com | Daniel Kline

Soda companies, love to follow the blueprint created by fast food chains like McDonald’s and Burger King. Those companies will occasionally remove something from the menu only to bring it back with more interest at a later date. Sometimes the item was a limited time offer in the first place and, in other cases, it was a menu item that grew a little bit tired. But as they say, absence makes the heart grow fonder.