Sears Holdings, owner of the perpetually troubled retailer power couple Sears and Kmart, has released the locations of 80 out of the 100 to 120 “under-performing” stores that will close in the coming months. Most of the stores on this first list are in the southern and midwestern U.S. [More]
Retail Services
All It Took To Convince Bank Of America To Finally Close On A Mortgage Loan Was A Music Video
By 12.29.11
Next time your bank is being stubborn over closing on a mortgage loan, perhaps consider doing a little song and dance — it worked for one couple battling with Bank of America. Well, that and a really good credit rating of 798. [More]
The Dollar Menu McDonald's And Taco Bell Don't Want You To Know About
By 12.29.11
Some poor eaters justify their junk food diets with the claim that it’s cheaper to eat bad. That’s not necessarily the case. There are loads of overlooked foods out there that cost little. [More]
Millions Of Women Are Joining Shoe-Of-The-Month Clubs
By 12.29.11
Would you like to have a new pair of shoes in your favorite styles sent to you every month, at a discount, without having to visit stores to try them on, or slog through online catalog pages trying to find just the right pair? Millions of women think that this is a great idea, and have joined online shoe-of-the-month clubs like JustFabulous, ShoeDazzle, and ShoeMint. [More]
Was I Wrong To Profit From Returning An Online Purchase To Walmart?
By 12.29.11
A frequent reader who we’ll call M. wrote in to offer his post-holiday moral dilemma. Well, it’s not so much a dilemma, since he he’s already done it. He bought a Microsoft Kinect controller online, but wanted to return it after the holidays were over. Too lazy to package the controller and mail it back, he instead took it to his local Walmart and returned it for store credit. $50 more than he originally paid for the device. [More]
Target Helpfully Suggests I Donate Item Since It's Not What I Ordered Three Months Ago
By 12.28.11
Lindsey was already frustrated that she had to wait about three months for an item she ordered on Target.com, on the day the popular Missoni for Target line launched. But then when the wrong item showed up, things got even more annoying when customer service shrugged and suggested she donate it. [More]
Sears To Shutter 100 To 120 Sears & Kmart Stores After Disappointing Holiday Sales
By 12.28.11
Sears is pointing to a big drop in this year’s holiday sales as the reason they’ll have to close 100 to 120 Sears and Kmart stores in 2012. Which means it’s your fault, consumers, for failing to shell out big dough at Sears. Kidding! Mostly. [More]
Breastfeeding Moms Stage Nurse-Ins At Targets Across Country
By 12.28.11
Earlier this morning, groups of nursing moms gathered in Target stores around the country to stage “nurse-ins” to protest what they believe is the retail chain’s anti-in-store-breastfeeding stance. [More]
How Long Should You Expect To Wait For Refunds From Online Retailers?
By 12.28.11
We are now three days into the official Holiday Returns & Exchanges Season, and while those shoppers who paid a little more — and put on pants — to go shopping at bricks-and-mortar stores, it’s usually just a matter of waiting in line to get your refund. But for gift-givers who did their buying online this year, that wait for a refund could be anywhere from a few days to several weeks. [More]
5 Things That Will Cost More Next Year
By 12.28.11
The rough economy of the last few years has spoiled shoppers with low inflation, but there’s no guarantee that prices will continue to stagnate next year. As the calendar turns and we march into 2012, some items and services to which you’re accustomed to paying the same price could be more expensive. [More]
Walmart Greeter Asks For Receipt, Customer Punches Her In The Face
By 12.28.11
On Christmas Eve in Batavia, N.Y., an elderly Walmart greeter asked a 26-year-old customer for the receipt for her electronics purchases. Instead, the customer allegedly punched her in the face and tried to flee. A mob of customers chased her and prevented her car from leaving the parking lot, and she’s now in jail, charged with two counts of assault. Here’s the unusual part: the customer had receipts for all of her purchases. [More]
No, You Don't Need To Drop $1000 On A Wifi TV To Use A Roku
By 12.28.11
Sure, you should research purchases ahead of time, but discovering new things while shopping out in the real world can be fun. Reader HogwartsProfessor was browsing the electronics section at Walmart and had some questions about a Roku. Two associates told her that no, the devices only work if you have a wifi-enabled TV. This isn’t true, as she learned: the point of the Roku is that it is the device that streams Internet content to your TV. [More]
Stay Grounded By Avoiding Pricey Airport Impulse Buys
By 12.26.11
You’re at the airport with far too much time to kill before your flight boards. You realize you’ve got nothing in your pocket to help you pass the time, and an electronics-vending kiosk catches your eye. You could walk over, swipe your credit card and claim your salvation from boredom, but if you do so you may well regret the purchase after your flight lands. [More]
Shoppers Duke It Out Over Air Jordans
By 12.26.11
Although there may not have been a must-buy toy to cause a shopping frenzy this holiday season, a shoe managed to make adults behave like children. Police were called to various locations across the country to break up scuffles over the latest Nike Air Jordans. [More]
How To Find The Best Nearby Beer Sales
By 12.23.11
You may hear about a nice beer sale, but without research you may be missing better offers elsewhere. Luckily there’s a site that will virtually stroll the aisles for you and point you in the right direction to find the cheapest booze. [More]
Before You Return Gifts, Check Out Return Policy Tweaks
By 12.23.11
Retailers are always tweaking their return policies, weighing the delicate balance between protecting their bottom lines and treating customers with fairness. No two return policies ever seem to be the same, and even if they are, changes come along soon enough to differentiate them once again. [More]
The Point Of A Monogrammed Bathrobe Is That Someone Has To Monogram It
By 12.23.11
The point of ordering a monogrammed bathrobe for someone as a gift is that you want to give a monogrammed bathrobe as a gift. Jennifer planned to give such a gift this Christmas, and ordered the robe from Brookstone at the beginning of the month. It arrived without the monogram, and thus without the point. The best Brookstone has been able to offer her is a $20 gift card. She is not pleased. [More]
Bank Of America Decides To Let Foreclosed-Upon Family Stay In House Until Wife Dies
By 12.22.11
At the intersection where Foreclosure Ave. crosses Health Care Blvd. lives a California couple who had to choose between mortgage and the health insurance needed to cover the wife’s late-stage amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Until recently, it looked like they would be forced to vacate the house they’d bought 15 years ago, but Bank of America has decided to delay the eviction until after the wife’s death. [More]
