After trying to get into what the cool kids want these days, lingerie veteran Victoria’s Secret has decided to stop trying to be trendy, and just stick with what it knows best: Bras with padding, wiring, and the ability to push things upward. [More]
Retail Services
Old Navy Is Still The Only Part Of Gap Inc. That’s Doing Well
By 8.18.17
As retailers continue to struggle to keep sales up and stores open, Gap Inc. has been able to stay profitable. It’s all thanks to one brand, Old Navy. [More]
Nevada Court Lifts Block On Marijuana Wholesalers Because Stores Desperately Need More Pot
By 8.18.17
Good news for the recently legalized recreational marijuana industry in Nevada: To help meet overwhelming local demand, a state court judge has opened up the pool of applications for pot distribution licenses. [More]
Watch Out For Great Deals From Brand-New Amazon Sellers
By 8.17.17 — Updated: 8.18.17
The most effective scams take advantage of our greed, so it’s always good to have a reminder that deals that seem too good to be true probably are. The problem is that even if you know that an amazing deal from a seller who just joined Amazon last week and has no feedback is a red flag, Amazon’s “buy” button doesn’t necessarily understand this. [More]
“We Left Richard In North Dakota”: Belle & Sebastian Abandons Drummer At Walmart
By 8.17.17
With a gig looming in Minnesota, Scottish band Belle & Sebastian found themselves without a drummer — because they accidentally left him one state away at a Walmart in North Dakota. [More]
You Probably Live Near A Walmart, So It’s Depending On In-Store Pickup For Growth
By 8.17.17
Walmart is out to dominate in e-commerce, but while finding ways to deliver as few orders as possible to customers using the postal service or private carriers. Instead, the company wants to draw customers to its stores with pickup towers or grocery pickup points, or dispatch store employees to make deliveries. [More]
10,200 Refurbished Samsung Galaxy Note 4 Batteries Recalled Over Burn, Fire Risks
By 8.16.17 — Updated: 8.17.17
Nearly a year after Samsung recalled and discontinued its Galaxy Note 7 smartphones after the devices were found to overheat and explode, another phone in the company’s lineup is under recall: 10,000 Galaxy Note 4 devices have been recalled amid concerns they could overheat, posing a risk of fire or burns to users. [More]
Wells Fargo Board Gets Makeover Amid Continuing Scandals
By 8.16.17
Months after lawmakers urged the Federal Reserve to oust the 12 Wells Fargo board members who served during the bank’s fake account fiasco, the banking giant has taken it upon itself to revamp some board seats. Next year, Chairman Stephen Sanger will step down and two other members will retire. [More]
McDonald’s Customer Claims She Found Needle In Hamburger
By 8.16.17
Over the years, consumers have found a plethora of things in their fast food orders that are not actual ingredients for the meals, from marijuana dusted french fries to oatmeal with a free hot water machine lever. In the most recent incident, a Kentucky woman claims she found the tip of a needle in her McDonald’s hamburger. [More]
Target’s Efforts To Bring Customers Back Are Starting To Pay Off
By 8.16.17
For the last year or so, Target, America’s other national big-box discount store, has been struggling. Its leaders blamed falling sales on shoppers renovating their houses, on lower traffic to pharmacies after they were sold to CVS, and on customers’ general disinterest in shopping. In the last year, Target refocused on fundamentals instead of retail innovations, and that has paid off in more customer traffic and improved sales. [More]
There Are 210 Million Reasons Why You Should Expect More Amazon Brand Products
By 8.15.17
Amazon may call itself the “everything store,” but a growing chunk of that “everything” is now made by Amazon. A new report gives some idea just how much the online giant is making from its store brand products, and a hint at the potential market for everything from electronics through apparel. [More]
You Might Be Paying More For Avocados (Yes, Again)
By 8.15.17
If you’re already planning your end-of-summer barbecue, you might want to set aside a few extra pennies for that guacamole on the menu: The price of avocados has increased again. [More]
American Apparel Is Back, Offers Choice Of American Or Non-American Apparel
By 8.15.17
After Canadian company Gildan Activewear bought the American Apparel brand and the company’s assets in a bankruptcy auction, it said it would likely move some manufacturing outside of the U.S., in a big step away from the company’s founding mission. But the brand is back online now, and it’s offering shoppers a choice: Buy “Made in the USA” clothing, or shell out a few bucks less for identical “Globally Made” items. [More]
Dick’s Sporting Goods Hopes Discounted Prices Will Save It From Doom
By 8.15.17
Let’s take a moment to pay our respects to the dearly departed sporting good stores who have passed on in recent years: Sports Authority, Gander Mountain, Eastern Mountain Sports, Sport Chalet, Golfsmith and we’re probably missing a few. Dick’s Sporting Goods has fed on the bones of some of its former competitors, taking over their locations and inventory, but it still needs a plan to stave off the doom that consumed so many of its competitors. [More]
Taco Bell Has Decided To Inflict Taco With Fried Egg Shell On The Entire Country
By 8.15.17
Earlier this spring, Taco Bell continued its assault on the definition of “taco” by testing a new breakfast item in Michigan that involved putting stuff inside a fried egg and calling it a Naked Breakfast Taco. Now, the fast food giant is taking the item nationally. [More]
Amazon’s New ‘Instant Pickup’ Service Should Just Be Called ‘Going To The Store’
By 8.15.17
Here’s the newest concept from Amazon: A place where customers can quickly pick up a snack or a roll of toilet paper without having to wait in long lines. It’s called “Instant Pickup,” but you might already know it by a more familiar name: “Going to the store.” [More]
Costco To Pay $19.4M To Tiffany & Co. For Selling Bogus ‘Tiffany’ Rings
By 8.15.17
Costco learned a very expensive lesson this week: A “Tiffany” ring is a specific product sold by a specific company; not just a generic name for any diamond engagement ring. Now the warehouse retailer must pay Tiffany & Company $19.4 million for marketing and selling “Tiffany” diamond rings that had nothing to do with the famed jewelry store. [More]
Chick-fil-A Expands Breakfast Menu With Hash Brown Scramble Bowl, Burrito
By 8.14.17
Chick-fil-A lovers have long been able to order their favorite chicken sandwich in breakfast form via a biscuit. Now they can get it in bowl form, complete with hash browns. [More]
