Most of us have experienced the pain of having to wait an ungodly long time for a pizza ordered during the big game, or on a Friday night, or some other time when pizza is on everyone’s mind. That’s why Papa John’s is willing to bet you’d pay extra to prioritize your pie ahead the rest of the crowd. [More]
Retail Services
BCBG Max Azria Reportedly Prepping For Bankruptcy
By 2.28.17
Earlier this month, BCBG Max Azria Group announced the closure of nearly 120 stores, setting off rumors that it would soon join the growing list of mall tenants filing for bankruptcy. Now comes a report claiming that this filing could happen as soon as next week. [More]
Target CEO: The Retail Landscape Hasn’t Been This Bad Since The Recession
By 2.28.17
Brick-and-mortar retail is in trouble. You can tell that from reports on this very site of retail bankruptcies and store closings, and from the number of Amazon boxes piled in front of your and your neighbors’ front doors. Today, Target executives shared discouraging news of falling sales and profits at its investors day event, and explained that the chain’s way forward is to imitate Walmart. [More]
5 Things We Learned About Sexual Harassment & Discrimination Claims Against Kay Jewelers, Jared
By 2.28.17
A year after Sterling Jewelers’ Kay Jewelers found itself on the receiving end of thousands of complaints from customers alleging the company swapped out their diamonds for fake ones, hundreds of employees are alleging they were victims of sexual harassment and discrimination at Kay and Jared the Galleria of Jewelry. [More]
JCPenney To Bring Appliances To 100 More Stores, Add Brands
By 2.28.17
While JCPenney recently announced plans to close more than 130 stores and offer early retirement to employees to cut its staff, the department store chain also has some good news. It is expanding appliance showrooms to an additional 100 stores for a total of 600, and adding more brands to its offerings. [More]
Walmart Adding Express Pharmacy & Money Services To Mobile App
By 2.28.17
In a bid to get you in and out of stores quickly and efficiently, Walmart is turning to its digital offerings. The big box retailer plans to roll out upgrades to its mobile app that will allow customers of its pharmacy and money service departments to complete some transactions through their phones and pick up items at new, dedicated “express lanes.” [More]
Leaked Memo: Third-Party Screen Repairs Don’t Void iPhone Warranty
By 2.27.17
Like slices of buttered toast, cupcakes, and pans of lasagna, smartphones always seem to fall face-down when dropped. Third-party repair shops have popped up to help users when this happens, but using these companies while an Apple device is still under warranty has been a gamble until now. [More]
Raiders Of The Lost Kmart Unearth Sports Memorabilia No One Wanted 5-10 Years Ago
By 2.27.17 — Updated: 5.10.17
The brave retail archaeologists we call the Raiders of the Lost Walmart recently made a side expedition to Kmart, where they dug up a cache of sports-related gear that has apparently been sitting around, unpurchased for years — more than a decade in one instance. [More]
Family Christian Closing All 240 Stores
By 2.27.17 — Updated: 3.14.17
After 85 years in business, Family Christian is closing for good, shutting down all 240 of its retail stores. [More]
Walmart Launches Price War With Aldi, Demands Price Cuts From Suppliers
By 2.27.17
Grocery sales comprise over half of Walmart’s receipts, so it makes sense that the mega-retailer wants to keep its prices competitive. In at least 1,200 of its stores, though, the chain is reportedly slashing prices in an effort to give customers a reason to shop at Walmart instead of discount grocer Aldi and other supermarkets. [More]
Trader Joe’s Applesauce Recalled Because Apples Don’t Contain Glass
By 2.27.17
There are number of things you can put in applesauce to give it a bit of a kick: cinnamon, brown sugar, but definitely not glass. Yet, Trader Joe’s is recalling its applesauce over concerns it might contain that dangerous, unwanted ingredient.
[More]
Sears’ Empty Sales Floors May Be Turning Customers Off
By 2.24.17 — Updated: 5.10.17
It should be pretty easy to tell a fully operational department store from one that it is closing down, but some Sears shoppers have found that their local store is not doing much to alleviate concerns about the company’s death spiral. [More]
Starbucks Shuttering Final Two Evolution Fresh Juice Stores
By 2.24.17
Six years after Starbucks branched out of its caffeinated coffee corner by purchasing juice maker Evolution Fresh for $30 million and eventually opening a handful of juice stores, the coffee conglomerate is closing the doors of the final two remaining juicy locations. [More]
Direct Flights From Kenya Means Direct Shipments From Flower Farms
By 2.24.17
Until now, airlines couldn’t have direct flights from Kenya to the United States: Travelers had to change planes in a third country because Kenya’s biggest airport didn’t meet the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration’s safety and security standards to send planes here directly. Now non-stop flights are beginning, and that means direct shipments of fresh vegetables and flowers. [More]
Kohl’s & Macy’s Looking For Roommates To Help Pay The Rent
By 2.24.17
The department store business model isn’t quite working in our current retail environment, so two of the country’s larger chains are thinking about taking on some roommates to help pay the bills. Both Kohl’s and Macy’s plan to do business in a smaller part of their existing stores if someone will rent them. [More]
hhgregg Reportedly Considering Bankruptcy, Other “Strategic Initiatives”
By 2.24.17
Appliance and electronics retailer (and lower-case letter enthusiast) hhgregg has been in trouble financially for a while now, having lost money in each of the last 13 quarters. While the company is trying to avoid a bankruptcy filing, maybe you should dig out any gift cards that you have and use them now. [More]
Lil Tikes Recalling 540K Toddler Swings Because Children Can Fall Out
By 2.24.17
As a kid, there’s probably nothing that feels like flying more than swinging as high as you can possibly go, before swooping back toward the ground and up again. But because that thrill can become dangerous if a child isn’t properly secured, Lil Tikes is recalling 540,000 toddler swings due to a fall hazard. [More]
