Nearly 30 years after JCPenney discontinued selling ovens, refrigerators, washers, and the like, the retailer is once again dipping its toes into the appliance business, this time with a focus on targeting female shoppers. [More]
sales
Lawsuit Accuses Fiat Chrysler Of Paying Dealers To Falsify Sales Reports
By 1.14.16
Each month for the past six years Fiat Chrysler has reported gains in sales. But a new lawsuit accuses the carmaker of conspiring with dealers to inflate U.S. sales, casting a shadow of doubt over those impressive numbers. [More]
Victoria’s Secret Giving Away $70 Workout Pants When You Buy $30 Sports Bras
By 1.8.16
Usually, when someone offers a “Buy X, Get Y Free” deal, Y is something that costs the same or less than X. But that is apparently not the case for a deal currently being offered by Victoria’s Secret. [More]
Chipotle’s Sales Took A Deeper Dive Than Previously Expected Amid Food Safety Issues
By 1.6.16
It’s safe to say that Chipotle’s year is off to a rough start. Today, the company announced that it had received a subpoena from a grand jury looking into the circumstances surrounding a norovirus outbreak in California, and then it disclosed another bit of not-so-great news to investors: sales this quarter are down even more than analysts predicted in November. [More]
For Reasons Good And Bad, 2015 Was A Big Year For McDonald’s
By 12.31.15
By now you’ve probably heard that McDonald’s may have managed to turn years of slumping sales around by offering customers the ability to munch on an Egg McMuffin (or biscuit, if you live in the right place) after 10:30 a.m. But before the company ultimately went the all-day breakfast route, it tried a lot (we mean a lot) of other ideas in 2015 in an attempt to claw its way back to the top of the fast food restaurant pyramid. [More]
Hoverboard Catches Fire At Texas Mall, Federal Safety Officials Record 22 Explosions In 17 States
By 12.29.15
Even as the holidays wind down, so-called “hoverboards” continue to be a hot ticket at retailers and shopping malls around the country. One such busy mall happened to be in Texas where a self-balancing scooter caught fire, marking it just one of dozens of fires reported to federal safety officials in recent months. [More]
Yet Another “Hoverboard” Catches Fire While Charging, Singes Carpet In New Jersey Home
By 12.28.15
As expected, so-called “hoverboards” – that don’t actually hover at all – were a hot commodity under the Christmas tree. But for one New Jersey family, the holiday gift quickly turned from exciting new device to dangerous fire-starter after it burst into flames while charging. [More]
Analysts Predict Chipotle Sales Slump To Continue Into Late 2016 Amid Food Safety Issues
By 12.28.15
Back in November when Chipotle’s woes centered solely on a six-state E. coli outbreak, stock analysts predicted the company’s sales would be down for the fourth quarter. Now, with the addition of another rare strain of E. coli sickening five customers in two additional states and more than 150 students sick from norovirus in Boston, analysts are anticipating declining sales for the fast casual restaurant until at least September 2016. [More]
CPSC Intensifies Investigation Into Exploding “Hoverboards,” USPS Restricts Shipments
By 12.17.15
One of the holiday’s hottest gifts has gotten a bit too hot, literally. Following claims that so-called “hoverboard” scooters have caught fire while charging, retailers have pulled the popular devices to ensure they’re safe. In the meantime, the country’s top product safety regulator says his agency is working “non-stop” to find the root cause for the fire hazards linked to the self-balancing scooters. [More]
Anheuser-Busch Distributor Incentive Program Raises More Concerns Of A Stifled Craft Beer Market
By 12.10.15
With its $107 billion merger with SABMiller making waves and federal regulators investigating its purchase of several small distributors, one might think that Anheuser-Busch InBev would lay low when it comes to rocking the distribution boat. But that’s apparently not the case, as the company recently unveiled an incentive program that would provide distributors with a sliding scale of bonuses if most of the beer they sell comes from the brewer. [More]
Can You Spot The Black Friday Deal? Sale-Stacking Makes It Harder
By 11.24.15
Happy Shopping Frenzy Week! Marketers no longer want to confine Black Friday to the last Friday in November, and instead have started the festivities as early as Nov. 2. Fine. Now we’re heading into the final week of Deal Season. Yet something isn’t a deal just because a retailer’s ad tells you it is. How do you navigate layers of discounts and know what a fair price for something is in the first place? [More]
Stock Analysts Believe That Chipotle Sales Will Be Down This Quarter For Some Reason
By 11.23.15
Are people heading somewhere other than Chipotle when a burrito craving strikes them? Stock analysts think so: while the company won’t release their fourth-quarter sales results for another few months, the after-effects of what is now a six-state E. coli outbreak will keep at least some customers out of restaurants for the immediate future. Especially if the chain and public health officials aren’t able to figure out what caused the outbreak. [More]
Walmart Starting Cyber Monday On Sunday Because That’s What Happens Now
By 11.23.15
Here’s a proposal: why don’t we toss out all the special names for the big holiday shopping days and just accept the fact that retailers are going to throw sales at the public before, during and after Thanksgiving? Walmart seems cool with that, as it’s moving its Cyber Monday sale-a-palooza to Sunday. [More]
Big-Box Stores Predict Electronics Won’t Be Big Sellers This Year
By 11.19.15
To make consumers want a gadget and not-so-subtly hint that they would really like that item as a gift this year, that gift has to be very innovative. Since what’s on the market are simply upgraded versions of the items that people already have, there aren’t any hot technology items like the Great Netbook Craze of half a decade ago. That’s why big-box tech stores are predicting sort of a glum holiday season. [More]
McDonald’s Might Replace Dollar Menu With “McPick 2” Micro Menu
By 11.16.15
From all-day breakfast to tests of a $4.99 build-your-own combo meal bag, McDonald’s has pulled out nearly all the stops when it comes to getting customers inside the Golden Arches. Today, the fast food giant announced its latest initiative, a new take on the Dollar Menu: “McPick 2.” [More]
Attention, Kmart Shoppers: The Bluelight Special Is Back
By 11.2.15
Sirens are sounding and the blue light is flashing once again at Kmart, as the struggling retailer tries to lure shoppers through its doors and revive its sales: after retiring “Bluelight Specials” in the early ’90s, the chain will once again blast sirens and turn on the blue light to alert shoppers to surprise, 15-minute long deals in its 942 stores. [More]
JCPenney Has Lots Of Data On Shoppers, Isn’t Using It For Anything
By 10.28.15
The new CEO of JCPenney, a chain of department stores that had a brief and disastrous attempt at becoming more hip and upscale, says that the company is done “patching holes” in its business, and that it’s time to start building itself up for the future. That includes something that retailers now generally take for granted: using its customer data to sell more stuff to the customers that it has. [More]
Target, ThredUP End Partnership That Let Customers Exchange Old Clothes For Gift Cards
By 10.21.15
If you were hoping to exchange your lightly used clothing for Target gift cards though the retailer’s partnership with online consignment store ThredUP, then you’re out of luck: turns out, the test ended weeks ago. [More]
