Back in July, we shared the tragic story of a man being pursued for shoplifting from a mall in Maryland who hid in a drainage pond and drowned. A shoplifter in New Hampshire was saved from a similar fate by a police officer who is also a veteran of the Marines…but she was also the officer who pursued him to the river. [More]
Retail Services
TV Viewership Down 10%; Industry Blames Streaming Video
By 3.11.15
Even though many of us have hundreds of channels to choose from on cable or satellite, we’re choosing to watch less live TV. But it’s not just because we’ve all decided to go outside and take up steeplechase; it has a little something to do with the availability of subscription streaming services. [More]
Amazon Launches “Exclusives” Store For The Things You Didn’t Know You Needed
By 3.11.15
If you’ve ever searched high and low to find the perfect present for your odd cousin Bob only to find that everything you see in the store is generic or just wouldn’t fit his unique personality, then you’re the type of consumer Amazon aims to please with its latest store. [More]
Target Confirms 3,100 Jobs Being Cut, Left Unfilled At Minneapolis Headquarters
By 3.10.15
When Target announced it would shut down its Canadian operation, 17,600 people lost their jobs. Now, as the company prepares to embark on a $2 billion cost-cutting effort over the next two years, it has eliminated an additional 3,100 positions, this time at its Minneapolis headquarters. [More]
News Flash: Someone Will Probably Notice If You Try To Wheel A Jewelry Case Out Of Kmart
By 3.9.15
While we’ve heard of suspected shoplifters obscuring pilfered items on their person in unique ways in an attempt at subterfuge, police in Kingsport, TN say one woman accused of trying to steal from a local Kmart cut right to the chase in her effort, as she allegedly attempted to wheel an entire jewelry case out of the store. [More]
Caché To Liquidate, Close All Remaining Stores
By 3.9.15
If you have a gift card sitting around for women’s clothing retailer Caché, it’s time to dig it out of the depths of your purse and use it. The company wasn’t able to find a buyer to keep some version of its business alive into the future, and going-out-of-business sales began over the weekend. [More]
Walmart Displeased With Walmart.Horse, Wants It Taken Down
By 3.9.15
If you’re looking for the Walmart website, your instinct would be to simply go to Walmart.com, or maybe Walmart.net, or even Walmart.org… all of which go to the same place. There is currently no reason whatsoever to type the URL Walmart.horse into your web browser, but if you go there, you get pretty much exactly what you’d expect — a picture of a horse and a Walmart store. [More]
Police: Former Amazon Employee Siphoned Off $18,000 In Gift Card Balances
By 3.9.15
When you send someone a gift card, you do so under the assumption that no one with access to the card has been draining any of the balance. That’s what we assume when having a card sent to the recipient, or when mailing it ourselves: why check to make sure the whole balance is there? Police say that a woman fulfilling Amazon gift card orders took advantage of this for a few years, draining $18,000 in Amazon gift card balances to her own cards. [More]
March Recall Roundup – Plummeting Chandeliers And Ceiling Fans
By 3.9.15
In this month’s Recall Roundup for non-edible items, fans and chandeliers might plummet from the ceiling, handlebars on kids’ bikes and amphibious vehicles for grown-ups fall apart, and cocktail glasses shatter for no reason. Also, there are 40,000 portable heaters out there that could spray hot oil on their owners at any time. [More]
“Sustainability Leader” Badges On Walmart Products Don’t Mean Items Are Good For Environment
By 3.6.15
If you see a product tagged with a “sustainability leaders” badge on the Walmart website, you might think this is an indication that this item is more environmentally friendly than others. And you might be correct; but you might also be mistaken. Because the truth is that this badge has virtually nothing to do with the product being advertised. [More]
Home Depot Employees Build Custom Wagon For Cancer-Stricken Dog
By 3.6.15
The owner of an elderly cancer-stricken canine says she was just hoping for some wagon-building advice from Home Depot employees but she ended up with something much more — a custom-built cart for her ill furry friend. [More]
Experimental Crocs Store In Tokyo Brings You Shoes With Drone
By 3.5.15
If you’ve always thought that shoe stores would be improved by replacing salespeople with drones, well, you’re going to have to wait a while before you can experience your dream. The technology apparently isn’t quite here yet. As a promotion for a new shoe line, Crocs has a store in Tokyo where customers tap on a pair of shoes on an iPad, and a green Crocs-branded drone fetches the item and brings it to them. [More]
Raiders Of The Lost Walmart Uncover 11-Year-Old External Hard Drive
By 3.5.15
The Raiders of the Lost Walmart are a bold group of retail archaeologists who comb the big-box stores of the world for whatever the exact opposite of treasure is. They find obsolete technology available at prices so high that it deeply confuses savvy shoppers. While knocking $20 off the price of a 4-year-old blender and putting it in the “clearance” section is a decent strategy to move some housewares, it works less well for external hard drives. [More]
Abercrombie Sells Corporate Jet, Shelves Phil Collins CD For Good
By 3.4.15
For me, one of the most memorable things that the public learned from an age-discrimination lawsuit against a former pilot for Abercrombie & Fitch’s corporate jet was not that the attendants were male models required to wear flip-flops, boxer briefs, and A&F cologne. It was that CEO Michael Jeffries required that the jet play the song “Take Me Home” by Phil Collins whenever it was headed back to Ohio. Now the jet is for sale and the CD has been shelved for good. [More]
Target To Cut Headquarters Jobs, Put Up Some Mannequins
By 3.4.15
Earlier this week, we shared the news that Target plans to make some changes to its food offerings to appeal to a different group of consumers, especially millennials. Changes at Target will go beyond the grocery department. The company announced a $2 billion cost-cutting effort over the next two years that will result in layoffs and a reorganization at the company’s headquarters in Minneapolis. [More]
Why Is Amazon Mom Called Amazon Family Outside Of The U.S.?
By 3.3.15
Amazon does business in many different countries, and knows how to market to people all over the world. The Amazon Mom program started a few years ago, providing special discounts and fast shipping on items needed for babies. Yet why is it called “Amazon Mom?” Most primary caregivers are mothers, but there are plenty of children being raised by single fathers or two fathers: don’t they buy diapers, too? [More]
Amazon Reportedly Adds “Ship To Cuba” Option In Preparation For Restored Diplomatic Ties
By 3.3.15
If it wasn’t enough that Americans traveling to Cuba might now be able to bring back Cuban rum and cigars from their travels, those in Cuba may soon be able to order goods from Amazon, or at least get things shipped to them. [More]
Chase Hit With $50 Million Settlement Over Robosigned Mortgage Documents
By 3.3.15
The nation’s biggest banks have already been hit with billions of dollars in settlements over robosigning — the illegal process of signing and filing important mortgage documents without reviewing them for accuracy — so what’s a few million more? Today, the Justice Dept. announced a settlement with JPMorgan Chase that will require the bank to pay more than $50 million in cash, mortgage credits, and loan forgiveness, to over 25,000 currently and recently bankrupt homeowners. [More]
