Some retailers donate unsold clothing to charity, or discount it by the palletful and sell it to thrift stores or closeout retailers. But the New York Times reports that the H&M at Herald Square in Manhattan gets rid of their unsold clothing by cutting holes in it to render it unwearable, then throwing it away. [More]
Stores Worried About Employees Using Gift Cards To Steal
By December 31, 2009
Gift cards may encourage spending, but they also make it easy for employees to steal, writes the New York Times.
Among the variations of such crimes, cashiers often do fake refunds of merchandise and then, with the amount refunded, use their registers to electronically fill gift cards, which they take. Or sometimes when shoppers buy gift cards, cashiers give them blank cards and then divert the shoppers’ money onto cards for themselves.
Target Is Out Of PrePaid AT&T Cards, So How About Some WalkieTalkies?
By December 29, 2009
Reader David spotted this odd suggestion on Christmas Eve at his local Target. Not the most practical idea they’ve ever had, but then again: Target is crazy. [More]
This Verizon Store Provides Weird Repair Services
By December 21, 2009
Some Motorola Droid phones are having problems with the battery cover coming off too easily. That’s what was happening to Chris’ Droid, so he and his girlfriend brought it into a Verizon store in Pleasant Hill, CA. His girlfriend brought along her defective enV Touch for service as well.
When they left, Chris had a sticker stuck to the back of his Droid, and his girlfriend was told to stop wearing makeup because makeup ruins the enV Touch.
You Must Waste A Shopping Bag At Bath & Body Works, Or Else
By December 19, 2009
Some retailers, like CVS, reward their customers for using reusable shopping bags. Others, like Macy’s and Borders, sort of do the opposite. Reader Jennifer says that this happened to her. A local Bath & Body Works store wouldn’t sell her anything if she stubbornly insisted in putting her purchase inside one of the bags she already had. Wait, isn’t she saving the store money by not taking a bag? [More]
The Truth About Walmart's Super-Secret Data Center
By December 11, 2009
Reader humphrmi thinks he knows what’s up with Walmart’s giant unmarked datacenter, photos of which we posted recently. It’s a truth SO REVEALING that it may make you go, “Oh, that makes sense.” [More]
Flyby And Driveby Photos Of Walmart's Super-Secret Data Center
By December 9, 2009
Have you ever seen these crazy Walmarts ginormous data center in Missouri? Airplanes and the Google Maps Streetview car have. Dubbed, “Area 71,” the facility is built on bedrock so it can withstand numerous kind of disasters. Four years ago, their Bentonville, Arkansas HQ was said to have 460+ terabytes of storage. This is an auxilary facility in Missouri, located 15 miles from their HQ. It’s gotta have something in the peta or exabytes. Wonder what they use all that for? More pix inside. Leave your crackpot conspiracy theories in the comments. [More]
Toys R Us Invites You To Save -$10
By November 23, 2009
We love when Toys R Us does this. Ah, yes. “While supplies last.” Hurry, people. Hurry.
Call Home Depot CEO Frank Blake
By November 23, 2009
You can also email Frank_Blake@homedepot.com.
Nordstrom Continues To Oppose Christmas Creep
By November 19, 2009
When I was growing up we always put up our Christmas stuff the day after Thanksgiving. Nordstrom agrees. Once again, they are taking a stand against Christmas Creep.
[More]
Ulta District Manager Apologizes For "No Writing Anything Down" Policy
By November 16, 2009
Last week, Daynah wrote about how she was forced to stop writing anything down during a recent shopping trip to the cosmetics store Ulta. At the time, Daynah grudgingly gave in because she really wanted to make a purchase (she tests products for consumers). But once she left the store, she took the fight back to Ulta.
Ulta Manager: "Take Your Pen To Your Car, You're Not Allowed To Write Anything Down"
By November 9, 2009
In a world where smartphones can shoot video, snap photos, record audio, scan barcodes, and let you make price comparisons via text message, it’s almost funny to run into a paranoid manager like the one at an Ulta makeup store in Seattle. Well, funny except for that petty tyrant part where she tells you that you’ll have to take your old-school pen and papers out to the car and come back empty handed before she’ll sell you any makeup.
Best Buy Says Ian Can Keep His Free Xbox
By November 9, 2009
Last month Best Buy gave Ian a free Xbox 360 due to a snafu while handling his extended warranty.
Government Helped CIT Limp Along Long Enough To Keep From Ruining Christmas
By November 3, 2009
According to SpendMatters, one big reason the government burned through $2.3 billion in TARP funds for CIT even though it was buckling under debt was to try to avoid ruining everybody’s Christmas this year.
Microsoft Stores To Sell Bloatware-Free PCs
By October 30, 2009
If you hate buying a new PC that’s riddled with bloatware, you may want to pay a Microsoft Store a visit on your next computer shopping trip. They plan on selling PCs free of any third-party trial applications, reports OhGizmo.
If Best Buy Gave You A Free Xbox 360 By Accident, Would You Give It Back?
By October 19, 2009
Walt Disney Planning On Turning Stores Into Shopping Theme Parks
By October 14, 2009
Starting the middle of next year, Walt Disney will be rolling out a new version of its mall store format that is intended to suck in your child like a fairy princess crack pipe. “The goal is to make children clamor to visit the stores and stay longer,” writes Brooks Barnes in the New York Times, by using things like embedded chips in the packaging to trigger responses from the store’s furnishings, a rotating library of scents that fill the store, and karaoke.
Linens 'N Things Resurrected (In Canada)
By October 13, 2009
In today’s marketplace, going out of business doesn’t mean you go away forever. Your storefronts may disappear, but you’ll just pop up again online—like CompUSA and Circuit City—or you’ll come back on someone else’s shelves as a brand, like Linens ‘N Things.
