The e-commerce behemoth Amazon is so keen to fill 50,000 open jobs that it’s holding a series of job fairs across the country. Most of those jobs are in its warehouses and sortation centers, and the problem Amazon is encountering is that the labor market for people who work in warehouses is becoming very competitive. [More]
Retail Services
Owner Of Terrifying Clown Motel Getting Out Of The Terrifying Clown Motel Business
By 7.25.17
Unless your subconscious has buried this memory among other real life nightmares, you may recall the story about the creepy Clown Motel in Nevada filled to the brim with leering, smiling painted faces — and located next to a cemetery filled with gold miners who died from the plague who are bound to be grumpy ghosts (when they aren’t hiding from the clowns). Anyway, good news! It’s up for sale. [More]
Which Major Retailers Sort Their Toy Departments By Gender?
By 7.25.17 — Updated: 7.26.17
While some toy companies have been giving up on long-held preconceptions about gender-specific products in recent years, we were curious how this was affecting retailers, so we checked out a few of the big chains. Here’s how the major stores sort their toy departments so you can shop by your preference. [More]
Michael Kors Goes Shoe Shopping, Buys Jimmy Choo For $1.3B
By 7.25.17
Nothing goes together quite like shoes and purses — just look in my closet. For that reason, it makes sense that two high-end accessory brands would be interested in becoming one: Despite closing stores and falling sales Michael Kors went shopping this week, placing Jimmy Choo in its shopping bag. [More]
Fewer Restaurants Serving Up Sugary Drinks On Kids’ Menus, But Most Still Do
By 7.24.17
American kids are eating out at fast-food and full-service restaurants more than ever, and that makes it even more important what restaurants are serving to them. A new study of restaurant offerings by the Center for Science in the Public Interest shows that while they’re not as common as they were in the past, meals that include soda or other sugar-sweetened beverages are still common. [More]
Sally Hansen And Revlon Fighting Over The Essential Nature Of A Gel Manicure
By 7.24.17
Gel nail polish is a product mostly available at salons that lets you keep a shiny-looking manicure for weeks on end. Companies that market nail polish to home users have tried to create long-lasting products that wear for weeks, too, but an ad watchdog has determined that the Sally Hansen brand is making claims that go too far. [More]
Winkel Colorburst Toys Recalled Because They May Crumble, Seem Edible To Babies
By 7.21.17
The Winkel Colorburst is an adorable and colorful teething toy. “Colorful loops made from soft, pliable plastic are easy to grasp and hold,” its manufacturer, Manhattan Toy, says on its website. Yet on some of the colorbursts, the plastic loops may become brittle and break, and the infant may try to eat these pieces, because that’s how infants roll. [More]
AB InBev Jumps Into Energy Drink, Juice Market With Purchase Of Hiball
By 7.21.17
In recent years, Anheuser-Busch InBev has been padding its portfolio by purchasing craft brewer after craft brewer, but the beverage giant’s latest merger is a bit different — it doesn’t include alcohol. [More]
FTC Reportedly Looking Into Potentially Deceptive Amazon Discount Pricing
By 7.21.17
When you say you’re selling an item for 30% off of some higher original price, there are rules about how real that “original” price has to be. If that reference is made up, or the item never actually sells for that price, you can land yourself in some legal trouble. And now sources say that the Federal Trade Commission is having a look to see if that’s what Amazon is up to. [More]
Redbox Adding 1,500 Kiosks Because People Still Want To Rent DVDs
By 7.21.17
Between disappearing rental kiosks and attempts to break into the streaming market, one might get the impression that Redbox was ready to leave physical video rentals behind — but that’s not the case: The video rental company is preparing to add 1,500 kiosks to its roster. [More]
As Sears And Kmart Shrink, Amazon Grows
By 7.20.17
Earlier today, we shared the announcement that Amazon and Sears would be teaming up to sell Kenmore brand appliances, beginning with air conditioners. The retailers have more in common than you might think, though. [More]
Target Ending Pilot Program That Rewarded Customers For Using Cartwheel App
By 7.20.17
Last year, Target began testing a pilot rewards program that allowed some users of its Cartwheel app to earn points redeemable for merchandise based on how much they spend at the register when using the app. Now, that test is coming to an end. [More]
Chipotle Customer Tested Positive For Norovirus
By 7.20.17
The day after a Virginia Chipotle reopened following a temporarily closure for sanitization after more than a dozen patrons reported becoming ill after eating at the restaurant, one customer has tested positive for norovirus. [More]
Sears Begins To Sell Kenmore Brand Appliances On Amazon
By 7.20.17
Would you buy a Kenmore air conditioner, refrigerator, or dishwasher if you didn’t have to go to a Sears store, leave your house, or register for a Sears.com account? As part of its ongoing efforts to increase sales and make the most of its store brands, Sears Holdings, the parent company of Sears and Kmart, announced that it will be selling Kenmore appliances on Amazon, beginning with air conditioners. [More]
Report: Only One Bidder Wanted The RadioShack Brand And Mailing Lists
By 7.19.17
You have to feel kind of sorry for RadioShack. After filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy for the second time in two years, the once-ubiquitous electronics chain has fewer than 100 corporate stores. Now the brand has a new owner after only one bidder was interested in buying the brand and its intellectual property. [More]
There Are Only 32 Retail Gas Stations Left In Manhattan
By 7.19.17
Every day, new people arrive in New York City, and those people need housing. In response to that demand, developers in Manhattan have been busy knocking down old buildings and putting up new ones. One casualty of that real estate boom? Gas stations, which have become increasingly rare in recent years. [More]
Amazon Spark: Like Instagram, But Dedicated To Convincing You To Buy Stuff
By 7.19.17
Have you ever found yourself scrolling through your Instagram feed and thinking, “Gee, all these photos of my friends’ meals and their feet are great; but I really wish every single photo was an ad for a product?” It just so happens that Amazon has something just like that. [More]
Chipotle Reopening Virginia Store Closed Over Possible Norovirus
By 7.19.17
A Virginia Chipotle restaurant will reopen today after it was temporarily closed following reports that some customers became violently ill after eating there. [More]
