You’ve probably had this experience before: A store’s own inventory system or its website says that the item you’re looking for is supposed to be, and no one seems to know where it went. That’s why stores are increasingly turning to RFID technology to quickly locate and track in-store inventory. [More]
Retail Services
Wet Seal Will Liquidate And Close 137 Remaining Stores
By 2.8.17
Attention, fashionable yet casual Consumerists: Get ready to head to your local mall if you’ve ever liked any products from clothing and accessories seller Wet Seal. The company is closing nationwide, which means selling everything from the clothes left on the racks to its office equipment. [More]
BCBG Max Azria Closing 120 Stores, Reportedly Looking At Bankruptcy Options
By 2.8.17
Following a trend set by Macy’s, Wet Seal, The Limited, and others, mall mainstay BCBG Max Azria plans to close 120 stores at shopping centers around the country, and may file for bankruptcy protection. [More]
America’s Liquor Cabinets Are Seeing A Lot Of Action
By 2.7.17
If you’ve been heading for your liquor cabinet more often than the beer fridge lately, you’re not alone: For the seventh year in a row, the spirits industry chipped away at beer’s market share. [More]
The Dream Is Still Alive For Alaska Pot Shop Smoking Lounge
By 2.7.17
Although an Alaskan retail marijuana shop’s efforts to get permission to open a pot lounge on the premises failed recently, there is still some hope for businesses in the state who are interested in providing on-site consumption. [More]
Artist Put iTunes Terms & Conditions Into Comic Book Form, Giving You Reason To Finally Read Them
By 2.7.17
Who among us has actually read through the terms and conditions for every device, service, e-tailer, or telecom provider in our lives? Would you be more inclined to pore over that tedious legalese if it were in a more enjoyable form, like say, iTunes Terms and Conditions: The Graphic Novel? [More]
Time Running Out For Sears To Figure Way Out Of Death Spiral
By 2.7.17
For quite some time, Sears has managed to stay afloat by selling off real estate and brands, closing stores, and borrowing huge piles of cash from its CEO, which is not exactly a plan for long-term sustainability. If that all weren’t grim enough, now comes news that raises even more doubt about the future of this once-great retailer. [More]
Malls Using Empty Spaces To Get Into The Party Venue Business
By 2.7.17
Maybe you’re horrified by the idea of getting married or having your family reunion inside a mall, but the huge spaces left vacant by the recent spate of store closures may just be the perfect venue for your next big party. [More]
Odds Against Tom Brady’s Stolen Super Bowl Jersey Ending Up On eBay
By 2.7.17
There are a few things that shouldn’t need to be said, and yet, someone ends up saying it anyway. Like, “Resistance is futile,” “One does not simply walk into Mordor,” or, “You won’t get away with selling Tom Brady’s missing Super Bowl jersey on eBay.” [More]
Where Do Customers Go When Their Department Store Closes?
By 2.7.17
This year, more than 150 locations for Macy’s and Kmart will close their doors forever. When these stores shut down, where do their former customers take their business? [More]
Anthropologie Must Face Complaint From Customer With Crohn’s Barred From Using Employee Restroom
By 2.6.17
Anthropologie will not be able to avoid having to explain why it allegedly violated Illinois state law by refusing to allow a customer with Crohn’s disease to use the employee restroom, resulting in the customer losing control of her bowels in the store. [More]
Toys ‘R’ Us Says Rewards Accounts Being Attacked Using Data Stolen Elsewhere
By 2.6.17 — Updated: 2.7.17
Here’s another example of why you should take experts’ advice when they say not to use the same password on multiple sites: Hackers have been apparently been attempting to breach accounts of Toys ‘R’ Us rewards program members using data they got from other hacks. [More]
Krispy Kreme Giving Away Free Doughnuts If You Buy Its Newest Coffee
By 2.6.17
Who wants cream and sugar with their coffee when they could have a free glazed doughnut? You can actually get all three of those elements at Krispy Kreme this month, if you’re willing to try the doughnut shop’s new, revamped coffee line. [More]
Owner Of Eastern Mountain Sports And Bob’s Stores Files For Bankruptcy Again
By 2.6.17
Last year, Vestis Retail –– parent company of Sport Chalet, Eastern Mountain Sports, and Bob’s Stores –– filed for bankruptcy and shed the Sport Chalet brand. Now the company formed out of that bankruptcy, Eastern Outfitters, is itself filing for bankruptcy and hoping for a buyer. [More]
Amazon’s Supermarket Of The Future Could Have Just 3 Employees
By 2.6.17
Amazon’s latest forays into bricks-and-mortar businesses — the recently opened Amazon Go convenience store, and “click-and-collect” locations for online shoppers to pick up purchases — are intended to be staffed by as few people as possible. But can the company actually operate a full-size grocery store with just three humans? [More]
Late Tax Refunds Could Mean Fewer People Watching Super Bowl On New TVs
By 2.3.17
The Internal Revenue Service recently announced that millions of tax refunds may be delayed this year as the agency tries to combat fraud. Some experts say this delay could have an unintended consequence: fewer new TVs tuned in to this Sunday’s Super Bowl. [More]
Target Refusing To Pay For Damage After Its Two-Ton Red Ball Rolls Into Driver’s Car
By 2.3.17
It’s not often that a shopping center turns into something out of an Indiana Jones movie, but that’s the first thing we thought of when we heard that a two-ton cement ball had been knocked loose from its berth in front of a Target store in New Jersey and rolled into traffic. And now, Target doesn’t want to pay for the damage it caused. [More]
Report: Hudson’s Bay Looking To Take Over Macy’s
By 2.3.17
Macy’s could soon be heading to Fifth Avenue, or rather, to the parent company of stores like Saks Fifth Avenue and Gilt, Hudson’s Bay is reportedly looking to take over the struggling department store. [More]
