Our reader The_Lone_Gunman just had a great experience with the Best Buy in Irving, Texas. Snark fails us at a time like this, so we’ll just humbly print his email.
big box
Walmart To Rest Of Planet: "What Recession?"
By 5.7.09
A new survey of American consumers shows something very unusual — they’ve lost their interest in shopping. Is this lack of interest driving them to discount stores like Walmart? Seems so.
What Happens When You Actually Try To Buy The Stuff In Target's Ads?
By 5.4.09
We’ll give away the answer right away. You need to talk to at least 3 people, and 2 of them will try to sell you a Target credit card. Finally, the last one will locate a product that may or may not be the one from the ad. It may, however, be cheaper than the advertised deal.
Returning These Games To Best Buy Could Get A Little Awkward
By 5.4.09
Reader Charlton went to Best Buy to buy some games. He successfully accomplished his task, only to find that opening his purchase was going to be a little difficult.
NY Corks Selling Wine In Supermarkets Plan
By 4.9.09
Do you enjoy one-stop shopping? Do you love to pick up your groceries, Valium, cat litter, and a nice Cab Sauv all from the same place without the sheer slog of taking out your credit card a whole four times? Well, tough luck, because New York Governor Paterson has nixed his plan to sell wine at supermarkets. Why?
Is Buy.com Friendlier To The Environment Than Brick And Mortar Stores?
By 4.7.09
A study by the Green Design Institute at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh states that when comparing getting a flash drive from Buy.com versus a physical retailer, Buy.com ends up being about 30% less damaging to the environment. To reach their conclusion, the researchers compared transportation, packaging, warehousing, and energy usage both by the consumer and the retailer.
By 4.3.09
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The mice are all gone and the Pikesville Target is again open for business! [Baltimore Sun]
Rodent Infestation Forces Target To Close
By 4.3.09
A Target in Pikesville, Maryland “has been closed until further notice because of a rodent problem,” reports WBAL Baltimore. Target officials wouldn’t tell customers why they were closed—our tipster aishel says they told him it was for maintenance, and a person interviewed by WBAL says she was told it was a “water main problem.” Target’s corporate office, however, confirmed there’s a big mouse problem. Update: The store has reopened.
Best Buy Taking Over Circuit City Credit Cards
By 3.31.09
“Good news about your credit card account,” proclaims the letter Wilman recently received from Chase. Starting in May, you’ll be able to use that Circuit City card to make purchases at Best Buy. We think this is more like “mixed feelings” news, but on the plus side you won’t have an otherwise good credit card account closed (assuming you care about your FICO score). See the Chase letter below.
Home Depot Begs You Not To Leave The Store Because Of Their Crappy Service
By 3.20.09
Reader Shawn submits this photo that he took at Home Depot. The sign begs you not to leave the store if you’ve experienced bad customer service…
Office Depot To Employees: "Don't Lie About Inventory"
By 3.13.09
An anonymous Office Depot employee sent us this internal reminder from HQ that addresses this week’s allegations that associates and managers lie about inventory depending on the customer. Now the next time you’re told by an Office Depot associate that the laptop you want is out of stock, you can say, “Are you absolutely sure? Because I know you had a Sales Practices Reminder on March 12th about lying to customers.” And if a manager tries to get all up in, uhm, your grill area, you can say, “Don’t you have some tasks to go check off in your Task Manager?”
Is Target Too Expensive? Profit Down 41%
By 2.24.09
Consumers are cutting back — and the AP says that shoppers are abandoning Target for even cheaper stores. In addition, Target’s credit card division is running into trouble as shell-shocked shoppers aren’t able to pay their bills.
Animation: Target's Spread Across The U.S.
By 2.23.09
Last summer, we highlighted an ominous-looking animation that traced the spread of Walmart stores across the American landscape over the past 5 decades. Now the same guy behind that map has put together a new one, this time tracing Target’s growth.
Walmart Greeter Attacked By Cop During Receipt Check Suing For $21 Million
By 2.3.09
Remember the Walmart greeter that got attacked by a cop during a receipt check? Well, he’s suing for $21 million, says Chattanooga’s News Channel 9.
"Why Circuit City Failed"
By 1.19.09
Now that Circuit City has finally sputtered out, it’s fun to talk about what did them in—see their firing-your-best-employees stunt a few years back, for example. But what do former Circuit City employees think? This guy worked with them from 1997 to 2002, and he says for one thing, they should have never stopped carrying appliances.
No Store Was Spared The Holiday Bloodbath, Not Even Walmart
By 1.8.09
Walmart missed its same store sales estimates (considered the most important barometer for the health of a retail operation) for December — leaving analysts “shocked and disappointed.”
Fry's Price Matches, But Only If You Pay "Overnight Shipping" For Item In Your Hand
By 12.27.08
This Fry’s in Texas apparently wants you to pay for them to replace their inventory. Or they think their customers are idiots. Maybe both?
Recession Watch: Walmart Up, Target Down
By 11.7.08
Walmart is winning the big box retail war it seems. They reported same-store October sales were up 2.4 percent versus October 2007. Target, however, lagged behind, with same store sales dropping 4.8%.
