Consumerist
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shopping
Layaway Making A Comeback
Sears and Toys R Us are among retailers who have brought back layaway programs to help boost sales, reports Eve Mitchell at the San Jose Mercury News. Not all stores think it's worth the effort, so you won't find it at JCPenney, Target, or Walmart. However, if you want to use layaway at retailers that don't offer it, there are now websites that can help. More » -
expansion
Walmart Prepares For New Push Into Major Urban Areas
If you live in Chicago, New York City, or Philadelphia, expect to start hearing some noise about Walmart in the coming months. The retailer has announced that it's going to "step up efforts to mobilize local political support" so that it can finally open stores in those cities, reports the Financial Times. More » -
mashups
Radio Shack Opening Mobile Phone Kiosks In Target Stores
One problem I've always had when shopping for jacked-up prices is I can't find enough crazy to go along with it. Same thing for the crazy: I know where to go to get cart-loads of that, but I can't find the 2400% markup! What I need, clearly, is for Radio Shack to open up specialty kiosks inside Target stores, so then— oh hey! It's the Bullseye Mobile Solution! More » -
free publicity
Best Buy Can Now Overcharge New Yorkers 'Round The Clock
If you like Best Buy, come to New York City! In November the company will open its first 24-hour store, in the remodeled carcass of the Circuit City that formerly anchored Union Square. In fact, it's probably best we call it the Circuit City Best Buy to avoid confusion. According to Best Buy's PR department, the store will also feature "the largest Best Buy Musical Instruments Department in the United States."
"Best Buy Opens First 24-Hour Store" [RetailWire]
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zombie brands
Linens 'N Things Resurrected (In Canada)
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. More » -
recession
Christmas This Year Will Be Less Tacky
Because retailers plan their Christmas offerings so far in advance, most were too far along with trendy or ostentatious Christmas merchandise to change course last year, reports the Associated Press. This year they're prepared to pursue the fiscally conservative consumer, which means everyone is selling the holiday decor equivalent of comfort food. More » -
new and exciting laws
Connecticut Bathroom Access Law Now In Effect
Connecticut shoppers with bowel disorders, rejoice! Now, there's a sentence we never expected to write. In order to prevent humiliating and undignified restroom access debacles for people with verified medical conditions, Connecticut has passed a law guaranteeing their access to otherwise off-limits restrooms in public places. The law went into effect on October 1st. More » -
very direct marketing
Men's Retailer Begs For Customers
Here's a new take on direct mail that we'll call the "painfully honest but kind of sad" approach. George Anderson at RetailWire writes that a local men's retailer sent him the following plea via snail mail. More » -
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fines
Target Must Pay $600,000 To Settle Lead Paint Charges
Looks like the CPSC can afford donuts tomorrow for their office: Target has agreed to pay $600,000 for selling toys with too much lead on them from May 2006 to August 2007, reports Reuters. The fine "resolves allegations" over the issue, so now Target can focus on what it does best, which is act crazy. More » -
democracy
Why Even Bad Online Reviews Can Increase Sales
We're generally quite critical of companies that try to squelch negative online reviews, astroturf them, or just bribe customers for positive ones. Not only is this behavior bad for consumers, but the experience of one company shows that it's bad for businesses, too. More » -
walmart
Walmart's New Competitor-Crushing Initiative
Walmart is looking to grow. Yes, grow. Their latest initiative, "Project Impact," aims to make stores easier and quicker to navigate, improve customer service, and to move in on competitors' territory as much as possible. More » -
shopping
Retail Expert Describes What Men Want Out Of A Shopping Experience
Brand specialist Bertrand Pellegrin has published a new book for retailers that says if they want to capture the typical guy's dollar, they need to create more inviting spaces to shop in. The author "points to electronics stores, strip clubs, sports bars and gyms as spots where men feel comfortable socializing and spending money." That may all be (kind of) true, but that's gonna make one hell of a noisy, sleazy, sweaty, drunken place to shop for clothes. More » -
security holes
Another Sears.com Security Hole Discovered
That Sears website exploit we posted about a couple of weeks ago was funny, mainly because it seemed more embarrassing for Sears than a true security risk. However, an independent security researcher had also discovered a more significant issue with the site—it allowed for an unlimited number of gift card verification attempts via an external script, so a criminal could use the site as a brute force method to identify valid gift cards for Sears and Kmart. More » -
customer service
Three Reasons Why Customer Service Stinks
Jay Goltz, a small business owner in Chicago, thinks there are three reasons why customer service is so terrible at so many companies. More » -
sheltered
Anna Wintour Doesn't Understand Why Price Fixing Has To Be Illegal
The editor-in-chief of American Vogue, Anna Wintour, proposed a novel solution to the problems that plague clothing retailers at a recent industry meeting. And by "novel" we mean "she's completely clueless." More » -
empty promises
Watch Out For Best Buy's Extended Warranties
HD Guru took a deeper look at the extended warranties and service plans Best Buy pushes on customers who buy expensive electronics like hi-def TVs. You probably won't be surprised to find out that the fine print negates a lot of what the person or pamphlet on the sales floor will try to promise you—but you might be surprised at just how useless these plans can be when you get right down to it.
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sneaky
Teavana Salesperson Throws Involuntary Tea Party
When you think of "boutique tea," you probably don't associate it with obnoxious upsells and sneaky add-ons. If you do, perhaps you've visited the same Teavana outlet as one of our readers. Michael was so annoyed with his recent visit to the Willow Grove, Penn. store that when he realized what had happened, he had to share it with Consumerist over a nice cup of white needle tea. More » -
bad consumer
The Duct Tape Shoplifters: Coming Soon To A Mall Near You?
Watch out for organized, highly trained teams of shoplifters in your local mall. They aren't small-time operators—they stole $23,000 worth of bras and panties from a West Virginia Victoria's Secret. No, really. More »
retailers
New York, 10:49 PM
Mon Nov 9
23 posts in the last 24 hours
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