Granola and protein bars can make a great snack, but they aren’t as good when they come with a side of listeria. For that reason, Trader Joe’s and Wildway grainless granola, along with bars from GoMacro and Bulletproof are being recalled. [More]
Retail Services
Trader Joe’s Grainless Granola, GoMacro & BulletProof Bars Recalled Over Listeria Concerns
By 6.15.17
Your Great Finds From TJMaxx May Come From Underpaid Workers Right Here In The U.S.
By 6.15.17 — Updated: 6.18.17
While shoppers may believe that the merchandise on the shelves of their local TJMaxx, Marshalls, or other off-price store consists of castoffs from department stores, there simply isn’t enough of that kind of merchandise to keep every store filled. Instead, off-price retailers fill their racks with items that come directly from factories, and some of those factories have been linked to terrible labor practices. [More]
Costco Launches Program To Screen Products For Troublesome Chemicals
By 6.15.17
The products dotting Costco shelves could soon be changing if manufacturers don’t ditch certain ingredients, as the warehouse store steps up its scrutiny of chemicals in products. [More]
Updated Amazon Dash Wand Includes Alexa, Is Basically Free For Prime Members
By 6.15.17
Since Amazon first debuted the Dash Wand in 2014, the tool has gone from a stick that could add grocery items to your shopping list to a $49 stick that lets Prime members order anything Amazon sells. In the latest update, Amazon is basically making the wand free (for Prime subscribers), integrating its Alexa digital assistant, and giving users the power to buy their items directly instead of having to check out on Amazon’s site. [More]
Whole Foods CEO Says “Greedy Bastard” Investors Are Pushing For Sale
By 6.14.17
Whole Foods CEO John Mackey has some unkind words for investors who have been pushing the upscale supermarket to put itself up for sale, calling them “greedy bastards” in a recent interview. [More]
Here Are The 81 Stores Payless ShoeSource Wants To Close Next
By 6.14.17
Payless ShoeSource is the nation’s leading provider of shoes that look just enough like Chuck Taylor All-Stars but that are buy one, get one free. The chain is now in Chapter 11 bankruptcy, hoping to trim its store fleet and its substantial debt. In a recent court filing, the chain listed 81 more locations that it may or may not close, pending negotiations with its landlords. [More]
Some IKEA Products Are Now Available On Amazon
By 6.14.17
Well, that was fast: Not even a week after an IKEA executive said the company would start selling products online through third-party vendors sometime next year, various IKEA items have popped up for sale on Amazon. [More]
Never Mind: Neiman Marcus Isn’t For Sale Anymore
By 6.13.17
Upscale department store Neiman Marcus has been the subject of takeover talks for at least a year, with recent rumors claiming that the company could soon fall under the same corporate umbrella as Saks Fifth Avenue, Lord & Taylor, and Gilt. Alas, Neiman Marcus has decided to remain single for now. [More]
Is A “Reinvented” J. Crew Catalog Enough To Keep Company Afloat?
By 6.13.17
Amid sinking sales figures, executive turmoil, and a seismic consumer shift away from traditional retail, J. Crew is staking part of its turnaround plan on… rethinking its print catalog? [More]
Retail Apocalypse Is Not All Bad News For Surviving Mall Stores
By 6.13.17
With retail chains going bankrupt or closing stores at a record pace, mall landlords have empty slots that need filling. That’s good news for the retailers who remain and are able to negotiate better deals for their mall stores. [More]
Sears Laying Off 400 Employees At HQ In Addition To Store Closures
By 6.13.17
Last week, we learned that Sears Holdings, parent company of Kmart and Sears, was planning to close a few dozen more stores as part of its ongoing “transformation” from a nationwide retailer into a handful of appliance showrooms and an online rewards points scheme. Today, the company announced more cuts among staff at its headquarters outside of Chicago, eliminating 400 positions. [More]
Jet To Stop Selling Costco’s Kirkland Signature Products
By 6.13.17
If you like Costco’s Kirkland Signature line of store-brand products — encompassing everything from laundry detergent to vodka — but aren’t a Costco member, you’ve had the option of buying some Kirkland items online at Jet.com. But now that Walmart owns Jet, those Kirkland items will be going away. [More]
Imminent Arrival Of Lidl Supermarkets Means U.S. Stores Are Renovating, Lowering Prices
By 6.12.17
Walmart and Aldi are currently locked in a price war for national grocery domination, with Walmart demanding price cuts from suppliers to help it cut prices for consumers in turn. Yet the company’s price war will soon have a new front in some markets, as another German discount grocer, Lidl, opens its first U.S. stores. Both Walmart and Aldi, as well as other stores nearby, are figuring out how to beat a rival that hasn’t opened any stores on this continent yet. [More]
Best Buy To Offer Try-Before-You-Buy Program For Some Products
By 6.12.17
Customers who purchase expensive electronics only to return them days later has long been a bane of Best Buy and other retailers. But now the store is embracing this try-before-you-buy approach for certain products. [More]
McDonald’s Now Accepting Job Applications Via Snapchat
By 6.12.17
As part of an effort to hire 250,000 workers this summer, McDonald’s is expanding into social media to lure the millennial set: It’ll be accepting applications via Snapchat. [More]
Gymboree Files For Bankruptcy, To Close Hundreds Of Stores
By 6.12.17
Retail-watchers have predicted the impending bankruptcy of children’s clothing store Gymboree, and the filing has finally arrived. The chain, which has 1,281 stores between its Gymboree, Gymboree Outlet, Janie and Jack, and Crazy 8 chains, said in a bankruptcy court filing that it plans to close as many as 450 of its stores, but stay in business while cutting its substantial debt. [More]
Amazon Changed Its Prime Logo And People Don’t Know How To Feel
By 6.12.17 — Updated: 6.13.17
Whether it’s a big change or a barely recognizable tweak, when a company changes its logo, people are going to notice — and odds are, some of those folks are going to hate it. Case in point: Amazon has redesigned its Prime logo ever so slightly, and many people are unsure how to feel about the change. [More]
BCBG Max Azria Avoids Death Sentence, Saved By Owners Of Juicy Couture, Body Glove
By 6.12.17
After filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection and closing 120 stores, apparel retailer BCBG Max Azria had hopes that some bigger company would swoop in and save them from oblivion. Turns out there were actually two companies willing to rescue BCBG. [More]
