Following the news of major store closing by fellow retailers Sears, Kmart, and Macy’s, the retail carnage continues with The Limited. After weeks of having liquidation and store-closing sales without admitting its demise, the retailer has finally confirmed it will shutter all of its remaining physical stores on Sunday, Jan. 8, and exist henceforth as an online-only merchant. [More]
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Amazon Opening Its Next Physical Bookstore In NYC This Spring
By 1.6.17
New Yorkers who like the experience of thumbing through a book made with paper and smelling the fresh ink before they buy it will have another place to browse this year. As we suspected in July, Amazon says it will open its next physical book store in Manhattan this spring. [More]
Here Are All Of The Kmart, Sears, And Macy’s Stores Closing This Spring
By and 1.5.17
It’s shaping up to be quite a depressing spring for a few retailers, after Sears Holdings announced it would be shutting down 150 Kmart and Sears stores in the next few months, and Macy’s notifying customers that 68 stores would close. Here is the list of all the stores that will be turning off the lights for good, where they are, and when they’re closing. [More]
Report: Amazon, Forever 21 Interested In Buying Bankrupt American Apparel
By 1.5.17
Stores are set to shut down, thousands of employees may be laid off, but we still haven’t reached the end of the American Apparel Bankruptcy: Part II saga. In yet another plot twist, Amazon and Forever 21 are appearing as rumored new suitors ahead of the upcoming bankruptcy auction. [More]
Customer Buys $150 Crafting Machine From Walmart; Receives Box Of Potatoes
By 1.3.17
Crafters and scrapbookers across the country are likely familiar with the Cricut, a device that cuts paper into just about any pattern you desire. They probably also know what a potato is, and that the two items aren’t interchangeable. Except, apparently, at Walmart. [More]
Racist Tirade Proves To Be One Way To Get Banned From A Mall
By 12.21.16
What kind of behavior can get you banned from a public place like a mall? Being caught on camera verbally abusing other customers is one way, as a woman in Kentucky recently found out. [More]
IKEA: We Know It’s Tempting, But Please Stop Having Sleepovers In Stores
By 12.21.16
Now matter how cool your inner child may be, you’ve almost certainly gazed upon IKEA’s vast array of demo rooms and beds and pondered some sort of Night at the Museum overnight adventure in the store. While IKEA understands this temptation, the Swedish retailer still considers it trespassing. [More]
How Do Some Retailers Succeed While Ignoring The Internet?
By 12.21.16
Shopping online: it’s convenient for customers and brings in big bucks for retailers. But not everyone is jumping at the chance to sell their goods on the internet. HomeGoods and Marshall’s don’t have websites filled with products and TJMaxx has a sparsely filled online platform, and they appear to be doing just fine, thank you very much. [More]
Six Major Retailers Agree To End On-Call Scheduling Amid Multi-State Probe
By 12.20.16
Aeropostale, PacSun, and Walt Disney Co. are among six major retailers who have announced they will stop using on-call scheduling in their U.S. stores. [More]
New Lands’ End CEO Will Pack Suitcases, Move To Wisconsin
By 12.19.16
After less than two years with mismatched CEO Federica Marchionne in charge, Lands’ End gave the former high fashion executive the (sensible, waterproof) boot back in September. [More]
From Cash Registers To Escalators To Shopping Carts: 11 Important Firsts In Bricks-And-Mortar Retail History
By 12.13.16
These days you can shop from the comfort your couch in your soft pants, ordering up a flat of cat food, paper towels, and a smartphone with one click. So it’s easy to forget that once upon a time shopping at retail stores wasn’t a necessary evil, but an “experience” that many of us actually enjoyed. [More]
Target Store Will Offer Quiet Shopping Hours For Autistic Customers
By 12.9.16
What makes a good shopping experience for some folks is not always ideal for others. That’s why a Pennsylvania Target store is setting aside certain hours on Saturday so autistic customers can shop in peace and quiet. [More]
American Apparel Confirms It Might Lay Off 3,500 Workers Next Month
By 12.6.16
After earlier reports that hundreds of American Apparel workers were told they would be out of a job next month, the struggling retailer confirmed on Monday that it had sent notices to almost 3,500 employees warning them of potential layoffs. [More]
Customers Complain When Walmart Won’t Honor Pricing Error That Listed 70″ TV For $99
By 12.5.16
If you see a TV that normally sells for $2,000 suddenly listed for sale at $99, you probably know it’s either stolen, worthless, or — most likely — a pricing error. You’re free to try to take advantage of that goof, but you don’t really have much of a legal leg to stand on if they realize the error and cancel your order.
[More]
10 Things You Should Consider Before Paying For Any Retail Membership
By 12.2.16
Memberships, once the exclusive domain of warehouse clubs like Costco and BJ’s, are officially hot right now. From Amazon Prime and Walmart ShippingPass to subscription boxes (like Birchbox) and membership programs from retailers including Bed Bath & Beyond and Restoration Hardware, companies aren’t content until they’ve turned occasional shoppers into loyal members. But should you join? Will it be worth the money? How will you know if a membership program is right for you? We break it down. [More]
Bargain-Hunting Beavers: 17 Times Animals Went Shopping In Human Stores
By 12.1.16
Does it make you giggle to think about a beaver going Christmas shopping at a dollar store? If so, you’ll be even more tickled to know this isn’t the first time we’ve heard about an animal waltzing into a human business like it belonged there. Heck, this isn’t even the first time we’ve heard about a beaver doing that. [More]
Nike Makes End-Run Around Retailers By Selling $720 Self-Tying Sneakers Itself
By 12.1.16
If you’re looking for Nike sneakers with self-tying laces, don’t go to FootLocker or Dick’s Sporting Goods: In an attempt to move away from relying on sports retailers to peddle its wares, Nike is cutting out the middleman and selling its new, pricey HyperAdapt shoes directly to consumers. [More]
Former JCPenney CEO: Sales Have Become A Cancer
By 11.29.16
Just days after JCPenney handed out a very limited number of $500 coupons to lure shoppers to stores on Thanksgiving, the retailer’s former CEO made it clear that he believes that similar promotions and sales could ultimately harm department stores. [More]
