Nothing goes together quite like shoes and purses — just look in my closet. For that reason, it makes sense that two high-end accessory brands would be interested in becoming one: Despite closing stores and falling sales Michael Kors went shopping this week, placing Jimmy Choo in its shopping bag. [More]
accessories
Michael Kors To Close 100 to 125 Stores
By 5.31.17
Last year, Michael Kors pulled back on its department store presence and stopped accepting coupons for its merchandise in those locations in order to polish its brand and increase sales, but those changes have apparently only harmed the brand’s value. Now, the luxury accessories retailer is prepping to close at least 100 of its stores. [More]
Coach Goes Shopping, Picks Up Stylish Rival Kate Spade For $2.4B
By 5.8.17 — Updated: 5.9.17
Just months after Coach began to see promising results from pursuing wealthier customers and selling more high-end bags, the accessories company is ready to reward itself with a little something: rival handbag and accessory brand Kate Spade. [More]
Coach Is Already Doing Better By Raising Purse Prices
By 1.31.17
Accessory companies haven’t been doing so well for the last few years, especially brands that are pricey but not too pricey, like Coach, Michael Kors, and Kate Spade. A few years ago, Coach decided to pursue wealthier customers and sell higher-priced bags, and that strategy is apparently paying off. [More]
Apple: 90% Of “Apple” Power Accessories Sold On Amazon Are Fake
By 10.19.16 — Updated: 10.20.16
For years, Amazon and Apple have fought their own battles when it comes to counterfeit products: third-party retailers selling lookalike Apple accessories and companies hawking fake name-brand products on the e-commerce site. Now, the two issues have come together, with a lawsuit claiming that 90% of the supposed Apple power accessories listed on the site are fake. [More]
Court: Apple Has To Share The iPhone Name With Chinese Accessories Company
By 5.4.16
A Chinese company that peddles purses and wallets bearing the IPHONE name has the right to keep selling those products, despite Apple’s efforts to keep the trademark all for itself. [More]
Target, ThredUP End Partnership That Let Customers Exchange Old Clothes For Gift Cards
By 10.21.15
If you were hoping to exchange your lightly used clothing for Target gift cards though the retailer’s partnership with online consignment store ThredUP, then you’re out of luck: turns out, the test ended weeks ago. [More]
Target Partners With ThredUP To Let You Trade In Old Clothes For Gift Cards
By 10.19.15
Target knows you’ve probably got a bunch of old clothes you don’t wear but which are otherwise fine. It also wants you to spend money at Target buying new clothes (and groceries, and anything else). So now it’s willing to trade you some gift cards for your dust-gathering outfits. [More]
Amazon’s Apparel Sales Could Surpass Macy’s By 2017
By 7.20.15
While Amazon used to be the site where you bought affordable books, CDs, DVDs, and electronics, the online retailer is quickly gaining ground as a seller of designer apparel and accessories. [More]
Want Your iPhone Accessory Sold In An Apple Store? Let Apple Design The Box
By 7.7.15
The accessories department at Apple retail stores across the country are about to get a bit more matchy-matchy, as the retailer prepares to line its shelves with third-party accessories encased in packaging that looks suspiciously like those used for actual Apple products. [More]
Apple Revokes “Made For iPhone” License For Monster Headphones
By 6.17.15
There’s nothing like a lawsuit to break up what appears to be a rather cozy and lucrative relationship. And that’s exactly what appears to be happening between Monster and Apple, with the accessories company saying the iPhone maker has revoked its authority to make licensed accessories for iOS devices because of a pending lawsuit against Apple subsidary Beats. [More]
iPad Mini Screen Protector Conjures Up Tactile Keyboard From Thin Air
By 2.12.15
In spite of the near-ubiquity of virtual keyboards on flat smartphone and tablet screens, some people really long for the haptic feedback provided by actual keys. That’s why some companies — like the legally besieged Typo slip-on keyboards — have tried to bring that sensation back to consumers who want it. Now there’s a new iPad screen protector/case that claims to be able to conjure up something keyboard like out of thin air. [More]
Restaurant Turns Away Customer In Wheelchair, Charges $245 To Cancel Reservation
By 10.3.13
Some people may disagree that it’s fair for a restaurant to charge a cancellation fee when someone misses their reservation. However, there’s pretty much no one who thinks that it’s fair to charge a cancellation fee because a customer uses a wheelchair and is literally unable to get in the door. [More]
Totes Has Lifetime Warranty, Actually Means It
By 7.19.13
It shouldn’t be refreshing to see a company that boasts about its “lifetime warranty” and truly stands behind a product, even offering an upgrade when it fails. Reader Scott reports that was his experience with Totes, the company that made his mother’s umbrella. [More]
Did A Retailer Make You Buy Accessories With Your iPhone 5?
By 9.28.12
As you may know, our parent publication Consumer Reports sends a nationwide army of secret shoppers out into ordinary stores to purchase the items they review, in order to make sure that they don’t receive items that were handpicked for media outlets and triple-checked for flaw. One person dispatched to purchase an iPhone 5 from Sprint reports that anyone who wanted to buy the new Apple gadget was also required to buy an accessory package. [More]
RadioShack Employee Buys Customer An Accessory In Order To Get System To Approve Phone Upgrade
By 9.27.10
Has RadioShack gone too far with its sales quotas? Allison wrote us to say that when she tried to upgrade her phone recently, the employee had to add accessories to the transaction before the system would approve it. She said he canceled some, and she ended up paying $2 for “two plastic covers for phones I don’t own.” But she says her mom had an even more bizarre experience at a RadioShack, where the assistant actually paid for the accessories herself. [More]
99-Cent Cardboard iPhone Case Won't Make You Awesome
By 9.17.09
If you think 99 cents is a fair price to pay for the latest fart-simulator or “Are You a Moron?” quiz in Apple’s App Store, Case-Mate has a deal for you. The company’s Recession iPhone case is made from 100% cardboard, and sells for 99 cents — with free shipping included. Case-Mate doesn’t claim that the case is actually useful in any traditional sense of that word; the FAQ for the product makes it clear that there’s no warranty, it doesn’t include any kind of screen protector, and that it’s flammable “if you light it on fire.”
Create A Phone Stand For Free With A Business Card
By 5.5.09
Some PR person just sent us a notice about a new wallet-sized iPhone stand, which reminded us that there’s an easy and free alternative, and it most probably works for a lot of other (fairly thin) media devices as well.
