Did you ever take an old pair of jeans, cut the legs along the inseams, sew in some fabric, and call it a skirt? That’s a popular do-it-yourself project, but one fashion brand has taken that idea and flipped it upside down. The latest item in the ongoing overpriced weird denim trend is like a skirt in this style, but flipped, with the jeans’ waistband dangling around the wearer’s knees. [More]
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Welcome To The Fifth Circle Of The Denim Inferno: A $445 Sundress Made From Upside-Down Jeans
By 5.30.17
How To Get Your Refund From Amazon For Your Kids’ Unauthorized In-App Purchases
By 5.30.17
If you’ve been waiting patiently for a refund from Amazon for in-app purchases your kids made without your permission, your time has come. [More]
RadioShack Closed All But 70 Stores This Weekend
By 5.30.17
Unless you happened to walk or drive past a RadioShack this weekend, you may not have realized that Memorial Day weekend 2017 marked the end of almost all of the chain’s stores. It once had more than 7,300 locations, and now it’s down to 70 corporate stores and a few hundred franchisees. [More]
Chipotle Confirms Data Breach Hit “Most” Restaurant Locations
By 5.30.17
Chipotle recently made a vague disclosure to investors that its card-payment system had likely been breached by cybercriminals. Now the burrito chain is confirming that this attack affected most Chipotle stores — including its Pizzeria Locale restaurants — for nearly a month. [More]
Online Eyeglass Vendor Who Threatened Customers Arrested Again For Running Another Bogus Store
By 5.26.17
You may remember the bizarre tale of Vitaly Borker, the man who served three years in prison for trying to boost his Google search ranking by harassing his customers online. Federal prosecutors say he’s back at it, once again selling eyewear on the internet, and allegedly bullying customers who dare to ask for refunds. [More]
Underpaid & Overstressed: 4 Things Starbucks Baristas Say Is Wrong With The Company
By 5.26.17
Millions of people count on Starbucks baristas to provide them with a jolt of caffeine each day, but those employees might be the ones truly in need of a little help: Baristas around the country are spilling the coffee beans on their employer, claiming they are overworked and strained thanks in part to the chain’s endless stream of pilot programs and new services. [More]
One IKEA Offers Instructions On How To Turn Those Blue Bags Into Pet Raincoats & Picnic Blankets
By 5.26.17
While you might be an expert at reusing that blue plastic shopping bag from IKEA by filling it with junk and hiding it in your closet/under your bed, there’s a lot more you can do with it — like turning it into a doggy raincoat or a handy picnic blanket. [More]
Amazon Finally Opens Its Grocery Pickup Stores To Public
By 5.26.17
Amazon Prime customers in Seattle will now have another option for groceries: Two AmazonFresh pickup sites are open to the general public after an employees-only testing phase. [More]
Sales At Pottery Barn Are Falling Because Your Apartment Is Too Small
By 5.26.17
It used to be that if someone wanted to update their living room to look like it came straight from a magazine, the place to shop was Pottery Barn. But times have changed and that’s apparently not great news for the home decor retailer, who has seen sales fall along with the size of consumers’ living spaces. [More]
BBB Asks States To Go After Payless Car Rental After Receiving 830 Complaints In 3 Years
By 5.26.17
If you’ve ever shaken your fist at the sky in outrage over getting charged extra fees or higher rates for a rental car, you’re not alone. And while the Better Business Bureau can’t punish companies itself, it’s asking four states to go after the rental car industry after a flood of complaints about one company. [More]
“Herbal” Coffee Recalled For Containing Same Ingredients As Viagra, Cialis
By 5.26.17
A “natural” coffee promises to improve a drinker’s sexual desire and stamina through the use of three herbs. But it’s now being recalled after Food and Drug Administration tests found that the coffee — which has been linked to one death — actually contains the same active ingredients found in prescription erectile dysfunction drugs Viagra and Cialis. [More]
Costco Is Thriving Because People Still Don’t Buy Their Toilet Paper Or Steak On Amazon
By 5.25.17
As retailer after retailer closes up shop, and big box stores like Target and Walmart put increased focus on e-commerce, Costco continues to not only stay open, but to grow, despite having virtually no online retail presence. Why? Because people aren’t yet turning to Amazon to fill up their kitchens, bathrooms, and laundry rooms. [More]
hhgregg Stores Are Down To Mangled Stoves And Fixtures
By 5.25.17
We are in the final days of hhgregg, the bankrupt appliance, electronics, and furniture retailer, conjuring that mixture of sadness and aggressive bargain-hunting that happens at the end of any retail operation. What’s left in the stores? If the one in Cincinnati is any indication, there’s nothing left but appliances that are dented or even mangled. [More]
Here Are The 408 Stores Payless ShoeSource Wants To Close Next
By 5.25.17 — Updated: 6.14.17
Payless ShoeSource, the world’s most reliable source for glitter-covered ballet flats for under $10, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in April, and immediately began the closing process for 400 stores, around 10% of its footprint. Now the chain has asked the bankruptcy court for permission to close an additional 408 stores — and we have the list. [More]
Sears Could Stay Afloat… If It Had A Few Dozen More Tool Brands To Sell Off
By 5.25.17
Given all the doom and gloom headlines about Sears Holdings Corporation, you might be surprised to hear that the company turned a profit last quarter. Until you realize that the only reason Sears didn’t lose money is because it sold its once-beloved Craftsman tool brand to Stanley Black & Decker. [More]
Pranksters Who Spent Two Days In Walmart Were Sick Of It After 35 Minutes
By 5.25.17
If the idea of spending 48 straight hours in a Walmart store sounds like 47.5 hours too many, you’re not alone. Even the two guys who pulled off that dubious accomplishment recently say they were sick of the place not long after walking in. [More]
American Eagle May Team Up With Private Equity Firm To Buy Abercrombie & Fitch
By 5.24.17
Abercrombie & Fitch, the teen-oriented clothing store that you haven’t visited since age 17 because the music is too darn loud, let the world know that it was for sale a few weeks ago. It shouldn’t surprise anyone that a prominent private equity firm is interested, but that firm, Cerberus Capital Management, is teaming up with competitor American Eagle. [More]
J. Crew CEO Says It Was A “Big Mistake” To Bank On Elitist Image
By 5.24.17
As J. Crew struggles to compete in today’s tough retail world and avoid going bankrupt like so many other brands, the company’s CEO is admitting that he wasn’t quite prepared for how its high-priced image would fail to lure customers amid competition from fast fashion retailers with cheaper clothing.. [More]
