UPDATE: About an hour and 15 minutes after our initial post, a public relations representative for Forever 21 told Consumerist that the chain has pulled the shirt in question. [More]
retail
Apple Experiments With Replacing Genius Bar With Some Wooden Benches
By 3.11.16
Good news for people who find it intimidating to walk up to a counter for tech support: in new store designs, Apple is doing away with the physical Genius Bar. Instead, they’re replacing the bar and its stools with benches where the person assisting you simply sits down next to you. [More]
Target’s Secret “Goldfish” Project Is “Bent On Disrupting The Way People Shop”
By 3.10.16
Target isn’t exactly a brand most people associate with the mysterious codename-shrouded antics of Silicon Valley, but the retailer is cooking up something fishy with a new super-secret project in California.
[More]
New Credit Card Rules May Make It Difficult To Purchase Gift Cards
By 3.8.16
If you recently tried to purchase a gift card and were told you had to use cash or had to stick to a smaller denomination, you’re not alone. The way in which retailers sell gift cards has changed in the five months since new credit card rules went into effect. [More]
With Landlord Settlement, Target’s Failed Canada Experiment Nearing End
By 3.8.16
More than a year after Target announced plans to shutter its 133 stores in Canada, the retailer is finally ready to put the failed business venture behind it. The company recently reached a $30 million compensation deal with the landlords of these former Target stores. [More]
Costco Raising Entry-Level Employee Minimum Wage For The First Time In Nearly A Decade
By 3.4.16
In a bid to attract more quality workers, Costco says it will raise the minimum wage for entry-level workers for the first time in nine years. [More]
Sports Authority Officially Declares Bankruptcy, Will Close Up To 140 Locations
By 3.2.16
As it was foretold, so it has come to pass — and quickly: National retail chain Sports Authority Inc. is filing for bankruptcy today. [More]
Sam’s Club Revamping Its Grocery Offerings To Better Compete With Costco, Other Retailers
By 2.25.16
In the past year, Sam’s Club implemented several new polices and services as a way to get customers in the door, from getting into car sales to accepting Visa and American Express credit cards for the first time. Now the warehouse store appears to be taking on a larger segment of its business: groceries, including taking its house brand offerings from 21 to just one. [More]
Report: Sports Authority To File For Bankruptcy As Early As Next Month
By 2.24.16
A week after Sports Authority told employees it would close all of its Texas locations, the sporting goods retailer appears to be on the brink of filing for bankruptcy protection and closing nearly half of its stores. [More]
Hoverboards Vanish From Amazon… Again
By 2.23.16
The list of retailers removing hoverboards from their virtual store shelves after receiving a warning from federal safety regulators grew again today, with Amazon stopping the sale of the self-balancing scooters for the second time. [More]
Macy’s Opening 16 Additional Discount “Backstage” Stores This Year
By 2.23.16
Last year, Macy’s dipped its toes into the waters of discount retailing by opening six off-price offshoots called Backstage, and announced the closure of 40 struggling locations of its namesake store. Now it appears the retail company plans to meld those two things by opening 15 Backstage stores inside existing locations, and opening one standalone discount location. [More]
Target Stops Sale Of Hoverboards Amid Safety Concerns
By 2.23.16
More than two months after Target temporarily halted the sale of “hoverboards” over safety concerns, the retailer is at it again, removing the self-balancing scooters from its website. [More]
Thief Dons Walmart Smock, Steals Four Flat Screen TVs
By 2.22.16
In September, an alleged thief posing as a Walmart employee walked into a Dallas-area store, grabbed four big screen TVs, and simply walked out the way he came. That theft apparently worked so well, another shoplifter pulled the same stunt in Virginia. [More]
Toys ‘R’ Us Stops Selling Hoverboards Amid Safety Questions
By 2.22.16
Just days after federal safety regulators urged retailers and manufacturers to remove so-called hoverboards from their shelves if they don’t meet certain safety standards set by the Underwriters Laboratory, one of the country’s largest toy stores, Toys ‘R’ Us, did just that. [More]
Sports Authority Reportedly Closing All Texas Stores
By 2.17.16
One of the nation’s largest sports retailers is reportedly getting a bit smaller, as Sports Authority is reportedly set to close several stores, including all locations in Texas. [More]
Police: Would-Be Macy’s Thief Pepper Sprayed, Bit Worker So Accomplice Could Get Away
By 2.12.16
Sure, Consumerist has covered many a story of a thief who tries to get away from store employees by biting into arms and occasionally chomping off the odd finger. We’ve also heard several tales of would-be thieves and bad customers using pepper spray to get their way. But an alleged shoplifting duo recently combined the two tactics while attempting to steal from a Pennsylvania Macy’s. [More]
Stock Analyst: Sears Is No Longer ‘Viable As A Retailer’
By 2.10.16
You might not realize it when looking at our coverage, but we aren’t cheering for Kmart and Sears, the stores of Sears Holdings, to go out of business. The company’s continued survival is impressive, and sort of a surprise, but one stock analyst thinks that the company won’t survive without doing something drastic. [More]
Retailers Could Open More Restaurants Inside Stores To Drive Business
By 2.10.16
If you pay a visit to Macy’s flagship store in New York, you’ll find more than just clothing, accessories, and home goods. The store, overlooking Herald Square, is also home to the company’s only restaurant — at least for now. [More]
