Two years ago, a Walmart employee who worked in the automotive department of a store in New Mexico walked up to a customer shopping with his family and threatened to fight him. Witnesses say that he then stabbed him in the chest and arms with a switchblade. Another customer, who authorities say tried to break up the fight, was stabbed under his chin. He was found guilty in May, and this week was sentenced to eight years in prison for the attacks. [More]
Retail Services
The World Needs More People Like This Walmart Candy Sorter
By 10.31.12
The next time you’re shoulder deep in a big box store bargain bin, you can think about this guy and wish that he’d make an appearance. [More]
The Not-For-Sale DVD Players And The Invisible Raincheck
By 10.31.12
Yesterday, we asked you for your tales of big-box stores with items on the sales floor that weren’t actually for sale. A decade ago, Jan scored a consumer victory against Best Buy with the help of her state attorney general. Big Blue and Yellow had a case full of portable DVD players that they wouldn’t sell her, claiming that they were on hold for customers with rain checks. Guess who had a rain check? Jan. [More]
Bank Of America Fires Investment Banker Over 1998 Dine & Dash At Denny’s
By 10.30.12 — Updated: 11.1.12
More than a few people are upset at large financial institutions for their apparent lack of accountability following the 2008 economic collapse, so the banks and their regulators have paid lip service to the idea of having tougher standards. As a result, one investment banker says he was fired from Bank of America for a minor breakfast-related misunderstanding from 1998. [More]
Can Bank Of America Argue Its Way Out Of Federal Lawsuit?
By 10.29.12
Last week, the federal government reminded Bank of America once again of how stupid an idea it was to acquire Countrywide Financial, filing the latest in a slew of lawsuits that have already cost BofA an estimated $40 billion. But some say that the bank might have some legal wiggle room in this case. [More]
Maybe Best Buy Would Compete Better If Their Employees Acknowledged Customers
By 10.29.12
Ryan wanted to buy a tablet, but he’s in the Northeast and couldn’t expect a delivery to show up reliably while his region is getting smacked by a massive Frankenstorm. He took the opportunity to try to buy the tablet he desired in person. Where he lives, the main place to buy electronics is Best Buy, which had the Asus Transformer Infinity in stock. Should be simple enough: go to the store, buy the tablet, then come home and play with the tablet. Right? [More]
If You Get Screwed By eBay Seller, Complain Within 45 Days Or Forever Hold Your Peace
By 10.26.12
When you pay for something on eBay but it never arrives, you’d expect that eBay would be on your side and work to get your money back. That might be true, if you plead your case within 45 days of making the purchase. [More]
Apple & Amazon Top This Year’s Brand Loyalty Survey, Blackberry Hangs On In Last Place
By 10.26.12
If there’s anything we want from our products and the brands that provide them, it’s love, true love. Well, maybe not quite that level, but according to the most recent Brand Keys Loyalty Leaders List, we consumers are craving an emotional connection to brands. And when they fill that special place in our hearts, they earn our loyalty. [More]
The Good, The Bad & The Complicated Of Employee Discounts
By 10.26.12
Between the hours, the pay and the occasional scowling customer, working retail isn’t always the fun times it’s made out to be in film comedy. But at least there’s the employee discount, right? [More]
Pharmacists Confirm Pressure From Management To Refill Prescriptions Automatically
By 10.25.12
Since we began following the stories of CVS pharmacists who appear to have been pressured into automatically refilling customers’ prescriptions, regardless of whether or not a refill has been requested, we’ve received enough e-mails from from both customers and pharmacists at a number of companies who say these are not isolated incidents. [More]
Someone Should Inform This Walmart That These Beers Are Neither Fresh Nor Local
By 10.24.12
Yes, Virginia is for lovers of all kinds, craft beers and otherwise. But it’s also all about promoting its state’s various foods and beverages, as any state is wont to do. You know how it is — pride, homegrown industry, all of that good stuff. Which is why perhaps someone at either this local Walmart or the Virginia Board of Tourism needs to do a little background research before promoting certain beers as a way to “Buy Fresh, Buy Local.” [More]
Feds Sue Bank Of America Over $1 Billion In Bad Loans Sold To Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac
By 10.24.12
Bank of America continues to crawl through the legal spanking machine because of its ill-fated, idiotic, utterly stupid decision to buy Countrywide Financial and its mountain of toxic mortgages in 2008. This time, it’s the U.S. government that has sued the bank over all the rotten loans it sold to Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae, both of which were bailed out by the feds in 2008. [More]
6 Everyday Food Items That Have Soared In Price
By 10.23.12
We all know about the huge recent price increases in bigger-ticket expenses like education, health insurance, and gasoline, but what about those items in your fridge and pantry that are chiseling away at your checking account? [More]
Selling Me Hundreds Of Cans Of Soup For Food Bank Is Just More Work For Walmart Employees
By 10.23.12
Johnny went to Walmart early in the morning to purchase a huge amount of soup for a food drive. This is a case where he couldn’t win: visiting the store at 6 AM, it was understaffed and only the self checkout was open. If he had visited later in the day, it would have been busy and cashiers wouldn’t have had time to help him locate hundreds of cans of soup to donate. [More]
Court Rules That Best Buy Violated Federal Telemarketing Reguations
By 10.22.12
Reversing a summary judgement by a U.S. District Court, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled last week that calls from Best Buy to customers asking them to update their Rewards Zone accounts cross the line from informational to telemarketing, in violation of federal law. [More]
FedEx Hiring 20,000 Seasonal Workers To Deal With Upcoming Holiday Rush
By 10.22.12 — Updated: 10.24.12
Tis the season to sit at home and click, click, click buy and send presents to loved ones around the world. This year, FedEx is expecting even more shipping traffic than it did last year and as such is hiring 20,000 seasonal workers to help make things run smoothly. [More]
4 Black Friday Myths Debunked
By 10.22.12
Black Friday has grown from the day to kick off the holiday shopping season to a bizzaro holiday of its own, with people celebrating by cutting Thanksgiving dinner short to camp outside of a big box store to clamor for deep discounts that are gone by sunrise. During this evolution, Black Friday has also taken on its own mythology. [More]
Amazon Erases Customer’s Kindle, Wishes Her Luck In Finding Somewhere Else To Shop
By 10.22.12
Compared to ebooks, physical books might have the disadvantage of being heavier and subject to wear and tear. But you know what’s nice about a printed book? Amazon can’t come to your house, take it off your shelf and tell you to go buy it somewhere else. [More]
