GameStop is well known for often getting the jump on new video game releases by opening stores at midnight, so you might expect that the chain would be throwing open its doors as early as possible on Thanksgiving to get out ahead of the Black Friday competition. But today, the retailer announced that its workers won’t be enjoying their Thanksgiving dinner in between dealing with customers. [More]
Retail Services
CurrentC, Walmart-Led Competitor To Apple Pay, Has Already Been Hacked
By 10.29.14
A number of major retailers, most notably Walmart, have yet to allow shoppers to use the recently launched Apple Pay system at checkout, and national drugstore chains Rite-Aid and CVS stopped offering Apple Pay as an option after only a few days. That’s because all of these retailers are part of a consortium working on a competing system called CurrentC, which by the way, has already been hacked. [More]
A $100 Gift Card Selling For $10 On Walmart.com Is A Mistake, Not Bait & Switch
By 10.29.14
Once again, the Walmart website made a pricing error, and once again shoppers tried to pounce on it only to later have their orders canceled. And as always happens in these situations, some of these folks are mistakenly claiming that this was a bait-and-switch scam. [More]
Woman Allegedly Squirted Breast Milk At Pharmacy Staff, Then Stole Money
By 10.29.14
When you need to distract someone in order to steal money, simply use what you have at hand. A woman in Germany allegedly stole cash from a pharmacy earlier this week after she distracted employees. Police say that she distracted the employees by whipping out a boob and squirting milk at them. [More]
This ‘Premier Shopping Destination’ Is A Mall For Rich People
By 10.28.14
When people who are truly wealthy go shopping, they don’t always go to the regular malls that regular people use. No, people who drop six-figure sums at a single mall every year are entitled to a much fancier level of service, and there’s a Long Island mall that exists to provide it to them. Since the ’80s, Americana Manhasset has been a mall only for rich people. [More]
Walmart Officially Begins Reselling All Those Video Games You Traded In For Groceries
By 10.28.14
Back in March Walmart launched a program that allows customers to trade in their used video games for store gift cards, you know to buy milk, bread, sweatpants. Now that the mega-retailer likely has a hefty stockpile of said used games it’s ready to resell them, completing its transformation into a bonafide video game reseller. [More]
Amazon’s Kindle Scout Give Readers The Choice In Which Authors Gets Published – Kind Of
By 10.27.14
Despite its decidedly unfriendly-to-authors feud with a major publishing company, Amazon is touting a new program that provides an outlet for hopeful authors, while letting readers maybe, sort-of decide who’s worthy of being published. [More]
Kmart And Sears Closing List Keeps Growing, Now Includes Distribution And Repair Centers
By 10.27.14
When representatives of Sears Holdings argued that a recent national store closings list compiled by financial information site Seeking Alpha was inaccurate, maybe what they meant was that the list was incomplete. Since then, the list has grown. Depending on whether you choose to count Sears and Sears Auto stores closing at the same time as separate units or not, either 99 or 131 stores will close, in addition to a Nevada distribution center and an Ohio repair facility. [More]
Walmart Finally Removes “Fat Girl Costumes” Section Of Website
By 10.27.14
Almost a week after it was first called out for having a section on its website dedicated to “Fat Girl Costumes,” Walmart has finally removed the category and replaced it with “Women’s Plus Size Halloween Costumes.” [More]
Amazon Takes $170 Million Loss On Fire Phone Flop
By 10.24.14
Despite Amazon advertising the device on every doorstep and dropping the price under a buck, the company’s Fire Phone, companion smartphone to its line of tablets and TV streaming devices, failed to catch on with the public. Maybe it was the AT&T exclusivity, or the fact that it runs a customized version of Google’s Android operating system, without access to Google’s app marketplace. [More]
Apple Pay Lets Man Scan, Use Wife’s Citi Credit Card Without Additional Verification
By 10.24.14
One of the neat features of the new Apple Pay system is that it lets iPhone 6 users quickly scan and verify credit cards into their Passbook so they can use those accounts without ever providing participating businesses with their card numbers. But how easy is it to just scan in someone else’s card and start using it without that person’s permission? [More]
Costco Takes Unusual Stance That Retail Employees Should Have Thanksgiving Day Off
By 10.24.14
As the beginning of Black Friday and thus the holiday shopping season has crept backwards into the early hours of Thanksgiving, we at Consumerist have taken a cantankerous stance against these early openings. Even we can take heart, though: a few businesses have confirmed that they will not be opening on Thanksgiving Day, because they’d like employees to spend the holiday with their loved ones or something. [More]
$10K Or $250K — How Much Should Walmart Pay For Wrongly Accusing Man Of Attacking Worker?
By 10.24.14
In Sept. 2007, a man described as being 5’7″ and around 50 years old in California allegedly attacked a Walmart employee who had caught him shoplifting. Two months later, a man in his early 40s and five inches taller than that suspect walked into the Walmart, where he claims he was detained by a manager and publicly accused of being the attacker from the earlier incident. Seven years later, the legal debate is ongoing as to how much, if anything, Walmart should pay this man. [More]
Detergent Companies Are Unhappy With Our Efficient Washing Machines
By 10.24.14
High-efficiency washing machines, which use less water to clean your clothes, are an advance that most customers seem to like. Do you know who doesn’t like them, though? Detergent manufacturers. With traditional machines, consumers can dump any old amount of detergent in with our clothes, and it doesn’t matter. With a high efficiency machine, using too much detergent causes problems, so consumers are finally using the correct amount of detergent. [More]
Sears Says Reports Of Planned Store Closings Are Wrong, Won’t Elaborate
By 10.23.14
Sears Holdings wants you to know that the rumors of planned store closings by the end of this year are wrong. After a report earlier today put together information from local media reports about which Sears, Sears Auto, and Kmart locations are currently scheduled to close, Sears representatives reached out to major outlets like USA Today and the Chicago Tribune to explain that the reports were incorrect. [More]
USPS Gets Go-Ahead To Expand Deliveries Of Groceries & Other Stuff
By 10.23.14
Last month, the cash-strapped street urchin that is the U.S. Postal Service pleaded “more gruel, sir” to the Postal Regulatory Commission, asking for permission to expand its test of delivering groceries and other non-postal items during those wee-morning hours when mail trucks mostly sit idle. Today, the PRC granted the USPS its wish. [More]
Costume Shops Have To Guess What You’ll Rush In To Buy On October 30th
By 10.23.14
It’s October 23rd: do you know what you’re going to be for Halloween? How about your kids? If your answer is “no,” don’t worry. Most people don’t really plan ahead for this holiday, but do you know who does? Costume shop owners. They have to not only plan for Halloween, but try to figure out what people will be rushing to stores to buy at the last minute. [More]
Free Shipping Will Be More Expensive This Holiday Season
By 10.23.14
There’s no such thing as free shipping. What looks like free shipping from a shopper’s perspective is only subsidized shipping, and those subsidies come from shoppers. They could come in the form of higher prices, or higher spending thresholds to earn free shipping. This year, free shipping will cost you a little more. [More]
