Sure, saving $1,000 on a car that may cost you far in excess of $70,000 might seem like a minor victory, but it’s still better than nothing. But now that Tesla is becoming more of a household name and hoping to reach a more mass-market car-buying audience, it’s getting rid of even this relatively small savings program. [More]
Retail Services
GameStop Launching Video Game Rental Program With Unlimited Access To Pre-Owned Titles
By 10.30.17
In what sounds like the lovechild of a Blockbuster video store and Netflix’s DVD rental service, GameStop is launching a new video game rental program called PowerPass that gives customers unlimited access to used games. [More]
Raiders Of The Lost Walmart Uncover Ancient And Mysterious 12-Year-Old GPS
By 10.27.17
Back in 2005, you needed a standalone GPS device if you wanted a disembodied voice to yell at you when you made a wrong turn. Before smartphones existed, a pocket-size GPS device that was small enough to be convenient for motorcycle and bike use was novel and useful. However, such a device available on the shelf at Walmart in 2017 isn’t so impressive. It’s also not much of a deal. [More]
Even If You’re Locked In A Store’s Beer Cooler, It’s Not Okay To Drink Whatever You Want
By 10.27.17
As the saying goes, when life hands you lemons, make lemonade. However, if life locks you in the beer cooler, don’t crack open a few cold ones — tempting though that may be — or you may find yourself charged with retail theft. [More]
Amazon’s Bookstores Apparently Aren’t Bringing In Many Sales
By 10.27.17
Are Amazon’s bookstores headed for the same future as struggling chains like Barnes & Noble? It’s possible, according to the company’s latest financials, which suggest the company’s physical bookstores aren’t doing so hot. [More]
FAO Schwarz Is Back — With Piano Mat — At Bon-Ton Department Stores
By 10.27.17
It’s been nearly two years since customers have been able to shop at an FAO Schwarz store. That’s about to change… kind of: Department store chain Bon-Ton will open nearly 200 FAO Schwarz toy departments at stores this holiday season. [More]
Amazon Has Obtained Pharmaceutical Wholesaler Licenses In 12 States
By 10.26.17
There are a few things left that Amazon.com doesn’t sell, and one of them is prescription drugs. Yet for most of the last year, analysts and retail-watchers have speculated that Amazon may be looking to get into the prescription drug business. Now there’s proof that the retailer has taken more official steps toward becoming a mail-order pharmacy. [More]
Illinois Sues Payday Lender For Forcing Employees To Sign Non-Compete Agreements
By 10.26.17
The state of Illinois has filed a lawsuit against payday lender Check Into Cash, but not for its short-term lending practices. Instead, the company is accused of exploiting its low-wage employees by forcing them to sign non-compete agreements that restrict their ability to find jobs elsewhere. [More]
Amazon Selling Discounted LG Phones, But You Have To See Ads All Day
By 10.26.17
Is a $50 discount on a new LG phone enough to offset having to look at ads everytime the device locks? That’s the question some Amazon customer are debating, as the company is offering to knock $50 off LG smartphones that show ads on the phone’s lock screen. [More]
Most Walgreens Pharmacies Now Offering Overdose Antidote Narcan Over-The-Counter
By 10.26.17
Opioid overdoses can, and do, happen just about anywhere, from schools to public parks, from homes to workplaces, restaurants, and night clubs. Narcan (naloxone) is a drug that can be used to halt an overdose, and it’s increasingly being used to save lives by people other than police, first responders, or emergency room staff. In fact, the demand for Narcan is such that Walgreens will now be stocking the treatment and selling it over-the-counter at its pharmacies. [More]
Sears Brings Back Holiday “Wishbook” In Search Of Nostalgic Customers
By 10.25.17
Sears might be selling off brands, taking loans from its CEO, and ending relationships with long-standing partners, but that doesn’t mean it’s giving up just yet. In an apparent effort to strike a nostalgic chord with customers who remember flipping through the Sears catalog and flagging the things they wanted as gifts, the struggling department store chain is resurrecting its once-popular holiday Wish Book. [More]
Walgreens & Rite Aid Will Close 600 Stores (Mostly Rite Aids) As Part Of $4.4B Deal
By 10.25.17
A month after the Federal Trade Commission gave Walgreens the go-ahead to acquire half of Rite Aid’s 2,000 stores for $4.38 billion, the chain says it will be closing 600 stores — and most of those will be Rite Aid locations. [More]
Lumber Liquidators To Pay $36M To Settle Formaldehyde-Filled Flooring Suit
By 10.25.17
More than two years after an investigative report alleged that laminate flooring sold at Lumber Liquidators contained high — and potentially dangerous — levels of formaldehyde, the flooring retailer has agreed to pay $36 million to close the books on class-action lawsuits brought by customers. [More]
Burger King Definitely Won’t Regret Offering Free Food To Customers Who Dress Up Like Clowns
By 10.25.17
In a move that absolutely will not backfire and result in viral videos of terrifying clowns menacing the customers of their local fast food franchises, Burger King has come up with the brilliant idea of offering free food to customers who slather on the clown greasepaint this Halloween. [More]
Despite Negative Feedback, Chipotle Says Queso Sales Are Doing Just Fine
By 10.25.17
When burrito chain Chipotle recently added queso dip to its menu, it seemed like the answer to many Chipotle fans’ prayers. But while the new cheesy dip made headlines, they weren’t necessarily good, with a number of early customers voicing their disappointment. However, Chipotle claims most people actually like the queso, and at the very least it’s not hurting sales. [More]
Despite New Safety Rules, Family Says Two Of Its Hoverboards Caught On Fire
By 10.24.17
While the craze surrounding hoverboards may have died down, that doesn’t mean the self-balancing scooters are any safer. To that end, a Wisconsin family says they recently experienced not one, but two hoverboards that caught on fire. [More]
How Malls & Big Box Stores Are Using Real Estate Contracts To Stall Amazon’s Whole Foods Expansion
By 10.24.17
While many Americans know the Whole Foods brand, there are only about 450 locations nationwide, a fraction of the number of stores held by national retailers like Walmart, Kroger, or Target. Amazon’s purchase of Whole Foods is expected to help grow the supermarket chain’s footprint — which would help Amazon’s food delivery business — but some competitors have realized they can use the fine print in their real estate contracts to undercut Amazon’s Whole Foods hopes. [More]
McDonald’s Gets A Boost From Cheap Drinks, McPick Menu
By 10.24.17
All of those $1 drinks from McDonald’s continue to add up, boosting the fast food giant’s bottomline for a second quarter in a row. [More]
