The Boston Globe has an interesting article in which they attempt to explain the phenomenon of “retail renting” or “wardrobing”–where consumers buy items with the intention of returning them when they’re done with the prom or the meeting or whatever. The article blames a mix of influences, including the economy and celebrities who obviously borrow many of their fancy gowns and jewelry.
retail
Retail Management: "We Have To Check ID Or We Get Screwed By Credit Card Companies"
By 2.21.08
Scott, a member of management for a retail chain, wants to share the other side of the checking-ID debate:
Your website continually runs stories about how merchants aren’t allowed to ask for ID during a credit transaction. I work on the management team at a nationwide retailer, and credit card fraud occasionally hits our location. Every so often, we are hit with something called a ‘retrieval request’ from one of the big 4 credit authorization companies (Discover, AMEX, MC, Visa). This means we have 48 hours to provide a legible signed receipt, and video evidence of my staff checking a photo ID to verify the cardholder.
Home Depot, Lord & Taylor, Walmart Hire Law Firms To Harass, Bully Alleged Shoplifters
By 2.20.08
The Wall Street Journal has an interesting article about retailers who hire law firms to engage in something called “civil recovery,” in which alleged shoplifters are harassed into paying thousands of dollars… even if the case against them has been dropped, or the retailer never intended to sue at all.
By 2.15.08
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Wilson’s Leather is closing half of their stores and firing 1,000 people. [Wall Street Journal]
By 2.15.08
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Best Buy’s sales are down.
Best Buy said it expects sales at stores open at least 14 months, or same-store sales, to fall slightly in the fourth quarter on lower revenue for advanced televisions, MP3 devices and video games.
CompUSA Employees Jerking Off As They Await Store's Death
By 2.14.08
Now that they’re either liquidated or being sold to TigerDirect, it’s getting pretty chillax around CompUSA land. Here are some pictures reader Jon snapped when he went to snag some computer deals. In the left you can see a CompUSA employee whiling away his last remaining hours by playing a first-person-shooter. In the right, you can see the manager of the store talking to his friends and buying tickets for rap concerts. Jon says he stood in the computer section for twenty minutes before anyone helped him. Jon isn’t mad, really, as he got some good deals, “but what an interesting way to close out the store,” he writes on his blog. What was that, something about not with a bang, but a whimper? Full size pics inside.
By 2.13.08
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Sears will eliminate 200 “support” positions as part of their new “deck chairs on the Titanic” strategy. [Chicago Tribune]
7 Lies You'll Hear From Salesmen At Electronics Stores
By 2.13.08
Future Shop is a Canadian consumer electronics retail chain. Charlie used to work there, and has now passed along the 7 most common lies he heard salesmen use on unsuspecting customers. Whether you have a Future Shop in your area or not, you’ll find these lies familiar.
Follow Up: Woman Tasered Last November At Best Buy Will Not Have Charges Filed Against Her
By 2.12.08
On November 26th, a 35-year-old woman was shopping at Best Buy in Daytona Beach, Florida when there was some sort of communication breakdown, and a police officer who was at the store tasered her. We wrote about it here, and it turns out there’s a video of the event here. At the time there were few details, but the full story has since been pieced together and resolved, and last week the Florida state attorney said “charges won’t be pursued because there is no evidence that Beeland committed a crime.”
By 2.7.08
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Costco is kicking serious ass, says BusinessWeek. [BW]
Walmart To Partner With Hospitals, Open More In-Store Clinics
By 2.7.08
The first of the new Clinic at Wal-Mart walk-in centers, as they will be called, is to open in Little Rock, Ark., in April and be run by nurse practitioners employed by the St. Vincent Health System, a three-hospital group in central Arkansas.
Macy's Sales Down, Will Eliminate Former Marshall Field's Headquarters, Fire 2,550
By 2.6.08
Macy’s Inc. plans to eliminate the former Marshall Field’s headquarters in Minneapolis and cut more than 2,000 jobs as part of a move to consolidate regional offices and boost sales and cut costs.
By 2.5.08
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Furniture retailer Wickes has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. [Chicago Sun-Times]
Men's Wearhouse Can't Help You, Get Out
By 2.4.08
Clint at Seattlest went shopping for a suit for his wedding. The wedding isn’t until August, but he and his beyonce just wanted to see what Men’s Wearhouse had to offer. Mostly, they had to offer a really rude sales clerk who told them to get out of her store and come back in the summer when they were ready to shop.
TigerDirect Will Take Over 16 CompUSA Stores
By 2.1.08
TigerDirect has gone through with its plan to purchase CompUSA, including its website, inventory, and “16 of the best CompUSA retail stores,” according to an email sent by CEO Gilbert Fiorentino to TigerDirect employees. The tipster writes, “This also includes Tiger absorbing a fair amount of their stock, though most of what’s in the stores IS going to get cleared out.”
Dell Closing All U.S. Dell Direct Kiosks, Effective Immediately
By 1.30.08
There was a rumor going around since last night that Dell was shuttering its 140 mall kiosks nationwide in another wave of belt-tightening. Now it’s official: “Dell Inc. will close its 140 kiosks in the U.S. as the computer maker is changing its retail strategy to sales in partnering stores.
Buy More! Save Nothing!
By 1.29.08
Here are a few Walmart photos that we’ve noticed. It sort of makes us wonder:
Walmart Says It Will Cut Prices In Order To Save The Economy
By 1.29.08
Walmart says it’s going to cut prices 10-30% in order to help “cash-strapped consumers” and keep them “excited about shopping.”
