If you don’t compete, you die. That’s what’s pushing retailers to give it their all to nudge Amazon and Apple from their spots atop the e-commerce and e-reader world, and basically anything else you can put an “e-” in front of. Today Barnes & Noble unveiled its newest Nook Tablets, both with HD to produce better video viewing. [More]
Retail Services
Amazon Keeps Sending Me Dinged-Up Graphic Novels
By 9.26.12
Yes, buying used books can save a lot of money, but Spencer went to the trouble and expense to buy a new copy of the trade paperback he wanted from Amazon. A Star Wars graphic novel, thank you very much. Only Amazon was unable to send any books to him in mint condition, or without getting banged up in the box or puny padded envelope. [More]
Are Office Supply Stores Following Big Box Chains Down The Drain?
By 9.26.12
We’ve seen big box stores pare down the number of retail stores from their roll, as well as cut physical space and try to bulk up online sales. Now it looks like office supply stores are the latest retailers to feel the heat from Amazon: Staples announced it would be shuttering 45 stores in Europe and speed up the closing of 15 more in the U.S. to try and save $250 million a year. [More]
Target Creates “Shoppable” Film To Sell You Target Products While You Watch
By 9.26.12
Are you sick of movies that try to ruin solid product placement with things like plot, action, and characters? Do you also ache to see B-list TV actors cashing a paycheck by appearing in extended commercials for a discount retailer? Then the folks at Target have got the show for you! [More]
Ask The Consumerist: Is There Any Point To All These Stupid Surveys?
By 9.19.12
Rachel is sick of surveys and writes in to ask if we think they serve any purpose. [More]
Macy's Flagship Store Is The Next To Get An Apple Makeover & It's Ticking Some People Off
By 9.19.12
Spending $400 million on a makeover is something only an established store with a worldwide brand should attempt — but is it worth it if you’re just turning it into yet another Apple-esque space? Macy’s is the next to go for the shiny, sleek and super-white Apple look at its famous flagship store in New York City, but some traditionalists say in this case, change isn’t good. [More]
Hackers Claim They Messed With BofA Website & NYSE Because Of Anti-Islam Movie
By 9.18.12
Like most of you, we’ve never seen — nor have any intention of ever seeing — this Innocence of Muslims movie. (Gawker claims to have the full-length script, if you’re more interested than we are.) Regardless, the short film that apparently mocks Islam is upsetting people around the world, some of whom claim to have launched denial of service attacks against Bank of America and the New York Stock Exchange. [More]
Walmart Customer Says Store Stuck Her With Bogus $100 Bill
By 9.17.12
Here’s a nice companion piece to this morning’s story about the Walmart employee who allegedly tore up two legitimate $100 bills claiming they were counterfeit. This afternoon’s tale is from a Walmart customer in Michigan who says the store gave her a bogus $100 bill and refused to take it back. [More]
Electrolux Introduces $100K Kitchen Range Because Some People Have Enough Money To Actually Burn
By 9.17.12
The next time you feel like burning some money, you could just grab a wad of cash and light it on fire. Or you could get super fancy about it and fork over $100,000 for a new deluxe kitchen range from Electrolux. Yep, a stovetop and oven for more money than some of the priciest luxury vehicles out there. Hey, we’ve all got hobbies. [More]
Don't Get Your Hopes Up If You Live In New York City & Really Want A Walmart To Move In
By 9.17.12
Walmart just has the worst luck at trying to get set up in New York City. The mega-chain recently failed to come to economic terms for what would be its first store in the city, but it is refusing to give up the fight. Opponents of Walmart have been successful so far at keeping it out of the city, however, so that battle is going to be a tough one for biggest of big box stores. [More]
Walmart Apparently Feels Rollback Is The Same Thing As Rolling Absolutely Nowhere
By 9.17.12
Walmart just loves bragging about how it’s rolling back prices on items, you know, because that’s so much different than just calling something a sale. But perhaps the company and its handy little rollback sign needs a refresher course on the definition of “back,” as Consumerist reader Ben points out in this pic snapped at his local Walmart in Plano. [More]
Customer Sues Walmart Because Cashiers Shouldn't Rip Up Two $100 Bills Without Making Sure They Are Real
By 9.17.12
Anyone who has paid for a purchase with a $100 bill is probably familiar with the various methods that stores have for validating the authenticity of the note. But one Texas woman says she was publicly humiliated at her local Walmart when a cashier ripped up two of her C-notes — and then detained her on allegations of trying to pass counterfeit bills — without properly checking to see if the money was the real deal. [More]
Report: The Government Is Going To Start Busting Heads Over Money-Laundering At Big Banks
By 9.17.12
If big banks weren’t at the root of so many problems, maybe we’d be starting to feel the tiniest bit bad for all the trouble they’ve been getting into lately with authorities. But yeah, we don’t feel the slightest twinge of sympathy that regulators are reportedly about to start cracking down on a few big banks for money-laundering. [More]
Perhaps Grocery Store Should Reconsider This Sign's Placement
By 9.14.12
After all the mislabeled, unfortunately worded, bad math-y and otherwise plain wrong signs we’ve seen, we’re convinced that all retail establishments should hire an official Sign Executive dedicated to making sure these slip-ups don’t happen. [More]
Bank Of America Mobile App Says Money Orders Are Allowed, Rejects My Money Order Deposit
By 9.14.12
Before snapping photos of her money order with Bank of America’s mobile deposit app, April took the time to make sure that money orders were permitted. She lives 200 miles away from the nearest Bank of America (yes, there is such a place in this country) and can’t go to a branch or ATM to deposit it. The app’s “help” section said that money orders are totally allowed, so she went ahead with the deposit. They rejected it, and customer service told her that money orders can’t be deposited with the mobile app. Well, fine. Maybe she’ll just go ahead and deposit that money order at a bank that’s local to her. [More]
Old Wells Fargo Contract Allows Bank To Basically Do Whatever It Wants At Any Time
By 9.14.12
A California couple is finding out the hard way that the contract for the home equity line of credit they’ve had for decades with Wells Fargo isn’t really what most people would consider a binding contract so much as an agreement that allows the bank to change the terms however it wants to and whenever it chooses to do so. [More]
Turns Out Regulators Aren't Too Keen On Ice Cream Shops Going Into The Banking Business
By 9.13.12
Although federal regulators never caught onto my father’s First Bank of Dad, they’re totally paying attention to a Pittsburgh man who’s set up his own community bank right at his ice cream and coffee shop. He even doles out interest in the form of gift cards to his business, which might go over well with his customers, but there are rules against that sort of thing. [More]
Home Depot Leaves Me With A Concrete Condo Floor And An Awful Lot Of Supplies
By 9.13.12
Navid’s idea wasn’t bad: he wanted to install wood floors in his condo, and chose to hire installers from the store where he bought the flooring and supplies, Home Depot. This should be a simple transaction: he gives them money, they come over and put floors in his condo. It’s just that something that employees assured Navid wouldn’t be a problem suddenly became a problem. There’s a large dip and some cracks in his subfloor, and Home Depot’s original rough estimate for how much it would fix to cost the problem was much lower than it should have been. Navid agreed to pay that expense, and the contractors walked off the job anyway, saying that they wouldn’t be able to warranty the work. Now Navid is stuck with a lot of supplies and a ripped-up floor. [More]
