Retail
”Lazy Employees Lose Kohl's An Easy $300 Sale
When husbands, boyfriends, and sons go shopping for womanly gifts, it's like shooting fish in a barrel for store clerks—these guys usually want to get in and out of the store as quickly as possible, and either they'll decide in a snap what to buy or they'll happily take your advice on what makes for the best gift. Either way, it's easy money with little hassle. Somehow, though, Kohl's jewelry counter clerks missed this bit of retail advice—here's how they lost a $300 sale from a guy who was ready to buy and bolt earlier this week. More »"Free Engraving" For Electronics Really Means "Ha, Ha, You Can't Return This Unless It's Defective"
Certain electronics retailers such as Apple and Sony offer engraving for laptops, cameras and MP3 players. It may seem like a nice service, but it really saves them lots of money. Why? Engraved products can't be returned just because you couldn't figure out how to use the product or because you realized that you spent too much on it and now have to eat peanut butter and corn tortilla sandwiches for a month to avoid defaulting on your student loan. More »Home Depot Won't Let You Buy Stuff Without Knowing What You Plan To Do With It
Reader Helen went to Home Depot to buy some various and sundry items, but left empty-handed after the self-checkout refused to let her complete her purchase without disclosing what she planned to do with her items. Helen says: More »OfficeMax Calls You A Thief For Trying To Recycle
OfficeMax called Chris a thief for recycling empty printer cartridges. OfficeMax's MaxPerks program gives customers $3 for each empty cartridge they recycle, with a limit of 5 cartridges per customer per day. Chris runs a computer repair business that leaves him flush with empty cartridges. According to one cashier, this makes Chris a thief. More »Kohls Violates Visa's Merchant Agreement, Refuses To Accept Credit Card Without ID
Inelegy writes:This afternoon I visited the Kohl's store in Moline, Illinois. When I was checking out I elected to pay with my Visa card. After sliding my card through the card reader I signed the screen when prompted. My cashier asked to see the card, which I handed over to her. She handed my card back to me and then asked to see my identification, to which I respectfully declined. She said I had to show my ID or I could not leave the store with my purchases...More »
Toys"R"Us Pretends To Have Wiis In Stock, Disappoints Customers
Contact Sears Public Relations
Unlike other companies, Sears seems a fortress of indifference; our readers, even after arming themselves with our standard escalation kit, dash themselves against their facade like a spray across the face of a giant stone statue of Stalin that for some reason had found itself in the ocean. One reader says he's been able to get traction out of calling the Sears Public Relations department: 847-286-8371. " I have used this number before and things have worked out pretty well," he writes. It's worth a shot, especially if we're talking about $1070 they're refusing to refund for a TV they never delivered.
(Photo: Sister72)
Retail Bankruptcies Threaten To Wreck Economy, Empty Your Local Mall
As the cost of food and gas begin to crowd out other expenses, and access to credit is limited by the mortgage meltdown, a "widening wave of bankruptcies in American retailing" is threatening the economy, says the NYT. More »New York State To Start Taxing Amazon Purchases
One of the budget-related changes voted in last week by New York State's politicians included a new "Amazon tax":"Another $50 million will come from requiring online retailers like Amazon that do not have a physical presence in New York to collect sales taxes on purchases made by New Yorkers and remit them to the state.New York's argument, based on a reading of the 1992 Quill vs. North Dakota U.S. Supreme Court ruling, is that because Amazon makes sales through affiliates who live in the state, it can be considered to have a physical presence there—which means the new law wouldn't apply to retailers who don't use affiliate programs. More »
Best Buy: Only $1700 For This Awesome Broken Computer
Reader Scott says:I was wandering around Best Buy yesterday here in Missouri when we came across this. Essentially, the back of this "open box" tagged computer was completely broken off. I realize that this may indeed be the nature of "open box" product, but seriously... 1700 dollars for a computer with this kind of blatant damage?More »
Wal-Mart Holds Your Credit Card and ID Hostage When You Complain
When reader Steve went to Wal-Mart to buy Rock Star for his daughter, he reluctantly presented the cashier with a state issued ID containing just his picture, name and signature. Steve's job is to consult with law enforcement about identity theft, so he's more careful than the average bear. For one thing, he only likes to show his state issued-ID. The cashier, however, refused to accept it as a valid ID, and tense negotiations ensued. When Steve said he'd call corporate about their ID checking policy, the cashier refused to hand back Steve's credit card or ID until Steve spoke to an in store CSM. That's right, after he complained, the cashier held his credit card hostage. Check out the gory details, inside.More »








