Reader Sean is the most recent reader to purchase food at a major “big box” store, find it unacceptable, and send us a picture.
big box
Walmart Took Secret Life Insurance Policies Out On Employees, Collected After Their Death
By 7.3.07
Armatrout was one of about 350,000 employees Wal-Mart secretly insured nationwide, said Texas attorney Michael D. Myers, who estimated the company collected on 75 to 100 policies involving Florida employees who died.
Target Horror Story: Lies, Misprints, Credit Cards, Gift Cards and Accusations Of Theft
By 7.3.07
It was $999 but you got 10% off for applying for a Target card making it $899. Not too shabby I thought. The picture looked good, it sounded good, and I liked the style of it. The sign talking about the Target card said that you just had to apply for the card and that it did not need to be used for the purchase. We said that we had $100 in Target gift cards with us and that we’d take it. They rang it up and we handed them the gift cards. They scanned them through the computer. It popped up on the screen and said that the Gift Cards could not be used as the item was on Sale. Well that’s a load of crap…gift cards are supposed to be as good as cash.
States Target Big Box Retail
By 6.29.07
Maine Gov. John Baldacci last week signed into law a measure requiring developers of retail stores exceeding 75,000 square feet to conduct studies gauging the project’s impact on municipal services, the environment and local businesses. The proposed store can’t be approved if the studies find it is likely to cause a quantifiable, “undue adverse impact” on more than one of those fronts and is expected to have a harmful effect on the community overall.
Kmart Pays $15,000 Fine For Not Putting Price Tags On Merchandise
By 6.18.07
Kmart has paid a $15,000 fine to Westchester County, NY for not putting price tags on its merchandise. “Westchester’s law is clear: Items on store shelves must be clearly marked with a price tag, so consumers can verify how much an item costs and be sure that they are being charged the correct price at the checkout register,” County Executive Andy Spano told Lower Hudson Online.
Is Walmart Too Cheap For Its Own Good?
By 5.30.07
According to a confidential report leaked to the New York Times by WakeUpWalmart.com, Walmart’s low prices may be working against it when it comes to selling plasma TVs and more expensive clothes. From the NYT:
A confidential report prepared for senior executives at Wal-Mart Stores concludes, in stark terms, that the chain’s traditional strengths — its reputation for discounts, its all-in-one shopping format and its enormous selection — “work against us” as it tries to move upscale.
Sears Tells You Your Order Is In Stock, Even If It's Not
By 5.14.07
Here’s a good way to lose customers. Tell them that their order is in stock and ready to be picked up, even though it is not. Hey, at least they came in, right? Maybe they’ll buy some gum on their way out of the store… forever.
Kmart To Resurrect "Blue Light Special"…Again
By 5.8.07
Sears is aiming to be a one-stop shop for the home, while Kmart is turning its discount stores into a “marketplace of discoveries,” Lampert’s chief marketing officer, Maureen McGuire, said as Lampert looked on.
Will Walmart Be Your New Doctor?
By 5.8.07
Millions of Americans don’t have health insurance, and many of them are Walmart shoppers. Heck, many of them are Walmart employees. The solution? Walmart is opening 400 more “health clinics” in the next 2-3 years. Eventually, there will be over 2,000 of these clinics.
Target Tightens Return Policy: No Returns Over $20 Without A Receipt
By 5.7.07
Target is tightening up their return policy according to the Minneapolis Star-Tribune. Currently Target doesn’t allow any cash/check returns without a receipt for items over $40, but in August that limit will drop to $20. Customers who bought their items with credit or debit cards will still be able to return items without a receipt.
Would You Buy Your Wedding Dress At Target?
By 5.4.07
Getting married? Target is launching a bridal collection by Isaac Mizrahi. The collection has “8 stunning looks in ivory, white and black,” and range in price from $9.99-$159.99.
Bones Of 10,000 Year Old Camel Found On Walmart Site
By 4.28.07
Workers digging at the site of a future Wal-Mart store in suburban Mesa have unearthed the bones of a prehistoric camel that’s estimated to be about 10,000 years old.
Target And Walmart Are The New Music Tastemakers
By 4.27.07
In past decades, deejays and music critics helped shape musical trends. Today, many music industry executives agree, the big boxes have become the new tastemakers. Even as compact disc sales fall, their choices dictate which CDs are widely available on store shelves across the U.S. Big boxes are the industry’s biggest distribution channel — and the rock, hip-hop, jazz and classical music titles they choose not to carry face drastically reduced chances of reaching mass audiences.
New York City Comptroller Requests Investigation Into Walmart Spying Operation
By 4.11.07
In letters to both agencies, Comptroller William C. Thompson Jr., citing a recent article in The Wall Street Journal, said he was “particularly troubled by reports that Wal-Mart engaged in chilling and truly outrageous surveillance activities.”
Walmart Gives Up: No Stores For New York City
By 3.28.07
Frustrated by a bruising, and so far unsuccessful battle to open its first discount store in the nation’s largest city, Wal-Mart’s chief executive said yesterday, “I don’t care if we are ever here.”
Now Home Depot Wants To Be A Bank
By 3.19.07
Atlanta-based The Home Depot Inc. (NYSE: HD) also has applied to run its own bank…The bank would allow Home Depot to enable contractors to offer home improvement loans to their own remodeling customers.
Is Costco "The Anti-Walmart"?
By 2.22.07
This formula has generated fierce loyalty among both shoppers and workers while rewarding long-term investors…the company also has managed to make discount shopping fashionable for affluent Americans by offering fine wines, books and big-screen televisions at low prices, and staples such as paper towels and razor blades in bulk.
Target Bypassing Music Labels, Releasing Its Own Music
By 2.3.07
Target on Thursday said it partnered with an independent start-up music label, 180 Music, to release 15 adult contemporary CDs in all 1,449 stores on February 25 for $9.99 each. Similar releases are set to follow, according to 180 Music founder and chief executive officer Jim Brandmeier.
They’re planning on releasing CDs by Kenny Loggins and David Cassidy.
