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retail
retail
Do All Retail/Restaurant Workers Have To Deal With Poo-Related Vandalism?
By Chris Morran on January 25, 2012 3:15 PM
256 Comments
As I've mentioned in previous posts, I spent many a high school and college summer toiling behind the counter at Dairy Queen. But my particular DQ was a walk-up stand which meant no public restroom. And for this, so many years later, I am now very, very glad. More »
Priscilla Of Boston Spray-Paints Unsold Wedding Gowns To Keep Them From Grubby Poor People
By Laura Northrup on January 5, 2012 9:00 AM
226 Comments
Priscilla of Boston, a high-end bridal chain best known for making Grace Kelly's wedding gown, came to an undignified end last week when current parent company David's Bridal shut it down. This news wouldn't have made national headlines if an alert shopper in a Minneapolis suburb hadn't noticed unsold dresses by the rackful being wrecked with red spray paint and tossed in a dumpster. More »
Is It Time To Start A Best Buy Death Watch?
By Laura Northrup on January 5, 2012 8:00 AM
193 Comments
Is much-hated electronics chain Best Buy spiraling out of business and into irrelevance before our eyes? Maybe. But not for a while yet. Writing for Forbes, business expert Larry Downes laid out why the company could be gradually going out of business, one Black Tie Protection Plan at a time. More »
(sanden.)
5 Things That Will Cost More Next Year
By Phil Villarreal on December 28, 2011 10:15 AM
47 Comments
The rough economy of the last few years has spoiled shoppers with low inflation, but there's no guarantee that prices will continue to stagnate next year. As the calendar turns and we march into 2012, some items and services to which you're accustomed to paying the same price could be more expensive. More »
Before You Return Gifts, Check Out Return Policy Tweaks
By Phil Villarreal on December 23, 2011 12:15 PM
13 Comments
Retailers are always tweaking their return policies, weighing the delicate balance between protecting their bottom lines and treating customers with fairness. No two return policies ever seem to be the same, and even if they are, changes come along soon enough to differentiate them once again. More »
More Holiday Buying Leads To More Returns
By Phil Villarreal on December 15, 2011 9:30 AM
21 Comments
Retailers that rejoiced over big Black Friday numbers that kicked off a strong holiday sales season now have reason for pessimism. More buying means there's also more buyer's remorse, with a National Retail Federation survey finding that retailers will refund 9.9 cents for every dollar they take in, due to returns. The figure is up 0.1 cents from last year, and nearly three cents higher than in a better economic climate. More »
(dougtone)
After Last Department Store Leaves, Town Decides To Start Its Own
By Ben Popken on November 14, 2011 12:00 PM
116 Comments
After the last department store in town went bankrupt in 2002, the townsfolk of Saranac Lake, NY, faced the daunting prospect of having to drive 50 miles away just to purchase underwear. Rather than give up or give into complaining, they pulled themselves up by their mud boots and decided to build their own store, and it just opened. More »
(Romi)
"Booty Cam" Presents Firm Evidence That Your Butt Looks Big
By Phil Villarreal on November 9, 2011 10:15 AM
35 Comments
Coming soon to your changing room is a device dubbed the "Booty Cam," a closed circuit electronic eye that's strategically set up to give you a live feed of your butt. Developed by the founder of American Rag jeans company, the device is already inside upscale Industrie Denim stores in San Francisco and Scottsdale, with more locations expected to open next year. More »
JCPenney's Black Friday Ad Is Out
By Ben Popken on November 7, 2011 1:00 PM
31 Comments
If you want to see what kind of deals JCPenney is offering for the Black Friday sale this year, their entire 72-page ad just got uploaded. More »
Movie Studios Create Special Blu-Ray Slipcovers For Target, This Target Tosses Them In Trash
By Laura Northrup on November 3, 2011 9:00 AM
217 Comments
Michael has a cool hobby that I had never heard of until today: collecting new Blu-Ray disc releases, especially limited editions and interesting slipcovers. Studios issue exclusive slipcovers to certain retailers: a great marketing opportunity and plenty of fun for collectors, right? Sure. If the employees at Michael's local Target hadn't been ordered to slip off those neat slipcovers and toss 'em before putting new movies in plastic security cases before they go on the shelves. More »
Target Manager Sues, Says Was Fired For Working Through Lunch
By Ben Popken on October 18, 2011 12:00 PM
87 Comments
An ex-Target manager is suing his former employer, accusing the retailer of firing him for working during his lunch break. Ironically, he says it was retaliation for the complaints he had made about being denied uninterrupted breaks. More »
Lowe's Slashes 1,950 Jobs, 20 Stores
By Phil Villarreal on October 18, 2011 8:45 AM
71 Comments
It's hard times for hardware folk, with Lowe's announcing that it will slow growth while closing 20 stores and leaving nearly 2,000 people out of jobs. The company shut down half the stores already and plans to whack the others within the next month. It still plans on growing, opening 25 more stores this year, but will open only 10 or 15 stores a year starting next year rather than the 30 it previously planned. More »
Apple Allegedly Kicks "The Situation" Out For Trying To Cut iPhone 4S Line
By Ben Popken on October 17, 2011 1:00 PM
69 Comments
The Situation's six-pack was allegedly sent packing after the Jersey Shore star tried to cut an iPhone 4S line at an Apple store this weekend. More »
(WJZ)
911 Calls From Walmart Bleach Battle Released
By Ben Popken on October 13, 2011 12:15 PM
35 Comments
911 calls from the altercation inside a Baltimore County Walmart where two women began throwing liquid bleach and ammonia at each other, leaving 19 hospitalized from the resulting toxic chemical reaction, have been released. More »
(imtfi888)
Visa Will Incentivize Stores To Install Smart Card Terminals
By Ben Popken on September 19, 2011 12:00 PM
78 Comments
We could start to see "smart cards" — credit cards embedded with a PIN-encoded chip instead of just a magnetic strip — take hold in America next year due to a big move by Visa. They are offering some very enticing financial incentives to stores to get them to install point of sale terminals that can read smart cards. More »
I Decline Credit Card, Brooks Brothers Signs Me Up Anyway
By Laura Northrup on September 2, 2011 9:30 AM
46 Comments
You might think that Brooks Brothers would be a classy establishment. Maybe it is fashion-wise, but Not when it comes to meeting quotas for signing customers up for credit cards, apparently. More »
Why The Rich Shoplift More Than The Poor
By Ben Popken on July 7, 2011 4:00 PM
185 Comments
The biggest shoplifters aren't who you think they are. A study found that Americans with incomes over $70,000 were 30% more likely to shoplift than those making up to $20,000. Why? Because they feel they deserve it more. More »
Should We Open These Packages?
By Laura Northrup on June 22, 2011 9:00 AM
54 Comments
This sign was submitted to the Consumerist Flickr pool. Do you think I should open up one of these packages?
The magic of independent retail: signs like this one where the shopkeeper's personality so clear, you can feel it even from thousands of miles away. More »
Target Store Votes Against Unionization
By Ben Popken on June 20, 2011 10:00 AM
157 Comments
Workers at a Target store in Valley Stream, N.Y. voted against unionization, but the union has vowed to try again, alleging the retailer illegally intimidated workers. More »
Walmart Workers Try Non-Union Organization Effort
By Phil Villarreal on June 15, 2011 9:15 AM
32 Comments
Walmart users are again trying to band together and pursue better pay, benefits and treatment on the job, but the new organization effort won't involve a union. The Organization for United Respect at Walmart, or OUR Walmart, has reportedly signed up thousands of members in an attempt to unionize workers without actually unionizing. More »
