Members of the Raiders of the Lost Walmart, our brave band of retail archaeologists, need a GPS unit to help them find their way from one big-box store to the next. However, the savvy big-box store explorers know that while this rare and ancient Garmin unit is a special find, they shouldn’t purchase it. Because it’s old and overpriced. [More]
Retail Services
Sears-Affiliated Real Estate Investment Trust Raises $1.6 Billion
By 7.7.15
If you’ve always secretly wanted to be the partial landlord of a Sears or Kmart store, you have some unusual and specific life goals. You can also achieve your goal as of this week. The real estate investment trust spun off from Sears Holdings, Seritage Growth Properties, is now selling shares to the public, and the offering has been successful so far, raising more than $1.6 billion. [More]
Reminder: Hallmark’s Ornament Launch In July Is Not Christmas Creep
By 7.7.15
We take a firm stand against Holiday Creep, which is when retailers start to merchandise and decorate for a given holiday months in advance. The offending holiday is usually, but not always, Christmas. Every year around this time, we hear from exasperated shoppers who walk by a Hallmark gift shop and see their display of new Christmas ornaments, leading our readers to wonder what this world is coming to. Yet Hallmark’s Christmas displays aren’t what they seem. [More]
Amazon Must Face Trademark Lawsuit Over Wristwatch Search Results
By 7.7.15
If Amazon doesn’t sell a specific product I’m looking for, should it simply tell me “Sorry, nothing here” or should it bring up a slate of other, possibly similar, competing products? To one high-end watchmaker that’s been involved in a four-year legal battle with Amazon, these questionable search results aren’t just an annoyance but constitute trademark infringement. And yesterday, a federal appeals panel said Amazon must face this trademark complaint in court. [More]
Walmart Also Selling Mislabeled “Made In America” Products In Stores
By 7.7.15
Last week, an advertising watchdog group called out Walmart’s website for selling more than 100 products labeled as “Made in the U.S.A.” even though they were manufactured in other countries. Now comes a local news report showing that the confusing problem isn’t relegated to Walmart.com. [More]
Amazon Is Data Mining Reviewers’ Personal Relationships
By 7.6.15
Any Amazon customer is likely aware that the e-tail giant knows a lot about them. That’s how it personalizes product suggestions and customizes the marketing e-mails it sends. But some Amazon users are now finding out that the site knows — or at least it thinks it knows — who your friends are, and is restricting their reviews accordingly. [More]
Amazon Celebrates 20th Birthday By Creating A New Holiday For You To Buy Things
By 7.6.15
Black Friday is coming four months early for Amazon Prime members. The online retail giant is celebrating its 20th birthday in a big way its upcoming deal-filled Prime Day. [More]
Amazon Will Reportedly Pay Self-Published E-Book Authors $.006 Per Page Read
By 7.2.15
Last month, Amazon revealed it planned to begin a new payment system that entailed paying some authors per page read instead of per book purchased. Today, we know a little more about those impending payments, including the dollar value that Amazon intends to associate with each turn of the page. [More]
Report Finds 100+ Walmart.com Products Labeled “Made In U.S.A.” That Were Made Elsewhere
By 6.29.15
While there is no official review process required for labeling a product as “Made in the U.S.A.,” a company can get into legal trouble for misusing that label, as doing so may constitute false advertising. A new report from an advertising watchdog group claims that Walmart’s website has more than 100 examples of products incorrectly marketed as made in America. [More]
Amazon’s Roving Treasure Truck Delayed In First Weekend Of Business
By 6.29.15
After more than a week of cruising the streets of Seattle, Amazon’s Treasure Truck was supposed to start handing out goods on Saturday. But that didn’t happen, as the company announced in the early hours of the weekend that it would postpone its big debut. [More]
BaubleBar Latest E-Commerce Retailer To Open A Real-Life Store
By 6.25.15
If you’re worried that online shopping is killing off real-life commerce, don’t fret just yet. A popular online jewelry seller, BaubleBar, is bringing its brand to Roosevelt Field Mall on Long Island. Yes, they’re moving from online to real life, opening a physical store where loyal customers and new ones can touch and try on their jewelry before buying. [More]
Raiders Of The Lost Wal-Mart Are Virus-Proof Through 2011
By 6.24.15
The Raiders of the Lost Walmart are the brave retail archaeologists who comb our nation’s retail stores for hopelessly outdated electronics at comically high prices. The items may not always be useless or dangerous, but they are destined to either be purchased by clueless customers or to sit on the shelf indefinitely. [More]
Zulily Will Test Accepting Merchandise Returns
By 6.24.15
The great flash-site boom of the past decade has one great success story that has survived the recession: Zulily, which started out selling children’s clothing and toys and has slowly expanded into clothes and accessories for women. That expansion means that the company is trying something that it previously found unthinkable: they’re testing merchandise returns. [More]
Amazon, eBay And Etsy Join List Of Retailers That Have Removed Confederate Battle Flag Items From Their Stores
By 6.23.15
Amazon, eBay and Etsy have joined fellow retailers Walmart and Sears in announcing that they’ve removed all merchandise featuring the Confederate battle flag from their stores. [More]
Amazon Makes Echo Available To Everyone, Not Just Invited Prime Members
By 6.23.15
If you’ve been patiently waiting for your chance to boss around a speaker, now is your time: Amazon has finally made Echo (also known as Siri in a box) available to the masses. [More]
Two Arrested After Video Surfaces Of Guy Streaking Through Walmart, Dousing Himself In Milk
By 6.22.15
A man seen on video running almost naked through a Kentucky Walmart wearing only his socks, shoes and a Halloween mask has been arrested, along with the suspected cameraman, after the footage hit the Internet last week. The man also treated shoppers to the sight of him pouring milk on his naked body and yelling that he was on fire. [More]
Amazon Tweaks Review System To Crack Down On Fakes, Highlight The Most Helpful Entries
By 6.22.15
Amazon is taking its recent crackdown on fraudulent reviews a step further by implementing a system to ensure customers see the most authentic – and helpful – reviews of a product first. [More]
