There are many to blame for the demise of malls, but there’s one important factor that’s easy to fforget: There are just too dang many of them. The U.S. has more retail square footage per person than other industrialized countries, and we keep adding newer and bigger malls without humanely putting enough of the old ones out of their misery. At the same time, online retailers like Amazon are scrambling to find or build warehouse space to keep up with customer demand. [More]
commerce
Twitter Dissolves Commerce Team, Ceases Development Of “Buy” Buttons
By 5.26.16
For the past year or so companies have been working to streamline the buying process by cutting out the need to toggle between several pages to purchase a product. There’s one social network that’s decided dipping its toes into the world of e-commerce apparently isn’t worth it anymore: Twitter has shifted its focus away from the concept of a “buy” button. [More]
NYC Restaurant Stops Accepting Cash
By 9.11.09
If you decide to eat at Commerce, an unpleasantly named upscale restaurant in New York City that charges nearly $25 for spaghetti, your cash is no longer welcome.
Last Chance To Request $40 Digital TV Converter Box Coupons!
By 7.25.09
Alright slowpokes, you have less than a week to finally request your digital TV converter box coupons. The Department of Commerce plans to hand out the last $40 coupons on July 31. You don’t need a converter box if you pay for TV or have a newer set, but if you’ve been wondering where your stories have been since June 12, request a coupon while they’re still available.
Coinstar Calls Cashing In Change 'Recycling'
By 8.18.08
Douglas writes, “Coinstar wants you to ‘recycle’ your coins in their machines, and save the environment! Minus their 8.9% fee of course.” They even have a little wizard on their website that estimates how many parts of the environment—water, energy consumption, and geological waste—you save by putting those coins back into circulation, instead of hoarding them like the polar bear murderer you are. They don’t provide any source for these estimates, though, and we’re not convinced you’re doing anything “green” other than lining Coinstar’s pockets.
Canadian No Longer Has To Pay More For AppleCare
By 1.29.08
Zachariah no longer has to wonder about why AppleCare costs more in Canada ($199) than in the US ($169), he found a deal at L.A. Computer Company where he could get it for $119. They emailed him the agreement number, he registered the number online at Apple, and received his official AppleCare Protection Plan Certificate in the mail. So what’s the solution to the mystery of why there was a pricing disparity even though there’s parity between the dollar and the loony? We don’t know for sure, but we’re placing our money on that the prices were figured out when the dollar was worth more and they just haven’t been readjusted since.
Canadians Wonder Why They Have To Pay More For AppleCare
By 1.4.08
We all know that Canadians have to pay more for books, but why do they have to pay more for AppleCare?
Are Ice Cream Vendors A Public Nuisance?
By 10.17.07
The city of Portsmouth, Va. certainly seems to think so. An ice cream vendor who has been fined repeatedly for playing music from his truck has challenged the city’s regulations, claiming that they are a violation of his constitutional rights.
Sanchez drives a truck for Norfolk-based Jumpn’ G’s Ice Cream. He was convicted three times this summer in Portsmouth General District Court for the illegal use of noise from an ice cream truck.
Ted Stevens Wants To Switch Between Phones "As I Ride My Motorcycle"
By 7.12.07
Carey has a hot new Ted Stevens bon mot, gleaned from his liveblogging of the Senate Commerce Committee Hearing On Number Portability, coming from the same crazy-old-man-stratosphere as his infamous “series of tubes” remark.
Liveblogging The Senate Commerce Committee Hearing On Number Portability
By 7.12.07
Join us today at 10 am Eastern as we liveblog the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation hearing on telephone number portability. These are the laws and procedures governing your ability to take a phone number started with one carrier to another. Historically, telephone companies have sought to limit customer’s portability rights.
