The XBOX that I bought on Black Friday had recently been scratching my discs.
retail
CompUSA's Pink Slip Is As Stingy As Their Liquidation Discounts
By 12.13.07
Engadget posted the layoff letter that CompUSA sent out to the people who will be losing their jobs. As you can see, it’s very warm and appreciative of their hard work.
Want To Shop At Amazon.com Without A Credit Card?
By 12.12.07
BusinessWeek says Amazon is buying a stake in “Bill Me Later” a firm that offers open lines of credit to customers so they can shop without using a credit card.
"Why Does Best Buy Hate Its Customers?"
By 12.12.07
My problem started yesterday morning when my wife and I decided we would either purchase 3 Microsoft Zunes or 3 iPods from Best Buy for part of our children’s Christmas gifts. I checked prices by going to bestbuy.com and searching Zune. [ed.note— item no longer on sale.]
By 12.12.07
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GameStop opens “Tournament Store” with “24 networked gaming stations equipped with plasma monitors.” [Next Gen]
Leaks: CompUSA's Going-Out-Of Business Discount List
By 12.12.07
We’ve got the CompUSA internal discount list for their going out of business liquidation sale. The discounts are mainly 10% and 20%, with some 5% and 30% in there. Audio hardware, mounting brackets and the like, is 30% off. Just because they’re imploding doesn’t mean they don’t have some pride, as least for now. They’re entitled “opening discounts,” so perhaps will keep dropping week by week until all the stock is gone. Looks like for now they’re using the same close-out strategy as when they closed down most of their stores before: offer crappy deals and advertise the heck out of it.
Stores Can't Force You To Show ID With Your Credit Card
By 12.11.07
Here’s an interesting fact in this Red Tape Chronicles post about how to protect your private data bits from retailers who don’t know any better: by the terms of their merchant agreement with credit card issuers, stores are not allowed to force you to present ID in addition to your credit card.
By 12.11.07
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The WSJ Holiday Sales Blog says that sales of the PS3 are picking up while Nintendo struggles to meet the demand for the Wii. Sony’s CEO claims that they’ve been selling 200,000 PS3 units a week in the U.S. since Black Friday. [WSJ Holiday Blog]
Talking Jesus Action Figure Sells Out At Walmart
By 12.10.07
If you were planning on getting a Talking Jesus Action Figure this Christmas (or whatever) you’re almost out of luck. Walmart has completely sold out of the toy and Target.com has “very limited supply,” according to the manufacturer’s spokesperson, Joshua Livingston.
CompUSA Will Close All Stores After Holidays
By 12.8.07
Last Tuesday, based on industry-insider information provided “on background,” we told you that this could be coming, and here it is: CompUSA announced Friday it will close all its stores after the Christmas shopping season. So to all you doubters, we offer a rousing, “nyah, nyah.” Rumor of the impending shutdown was also given to The Boy Genius Report via a leaked internal Best Buy memo.
Fine Print Mars In-Store Pickup Guarantees
By 12.8.07
Best Buy, Sears, and Circuit City all promise fast and easy in-store pickup for online orders and are willing to pay if they fail to deliver. Mouseprint scoured the fine print of each guarantee in search of loopholes.
By 12.7.07
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This year’s early Thanksgiving weekend is messing with retailers’ minds. [New York Times]
Walmart Pulls Superbad DVD Featuring Fake Hawaii "McLovin" License
By 12.7.07
Walmart has pulled copies of the Superbad DVD that contained a promotional “McLovin” Hawaii license after Honolulu Mayor Mufi Hannemann objected to the item. The “license” appears to be made with a lenticular lens, and when viewed at different angles shows either Fogell or his ever-sexy alter-ego, “McLovin.”
Sears' Eddie Lampert Is "Worst CEO of the Year"
By 12.7.07
The fact that Eddie Lampert isn’t even a CEO didn’t stop Herb Greenberg at Marketwatch from slapping the coveted “Worst CEO of the Year” award on him. Eddie beat out such unemployed luminaries as Chuck “Whoops” Prince, formerly of Citigroup, and Ed “I Hate My Customers” Zander, formerly of Motorola.
Dangerous Toys Helping Walmart?
By 12.7.07
Parents are staying away from small toys this holiday season, says a survey from America’s Research Group, and planning instead to buy more expensive tech items.
Dell Will Sell Computers At Best Buy
By 12.6.07
Dell is going to start selling laptop and desktop computers at 900 Best Buy locations in the U.S. says the WSJ. Dell has already started hocking their wares at Walmart, and has deals with “Staples Inc., France’s Carrefour SA and Gome, China’s largest electronics retailer.”
Costco Finds Item You Accidentally Left In The Parking Lot And Holds It For You
By 12.6.07
I wanted to let you know that Costco customer service is awesome. Last Sunday, My family went to Costco to shop. I saw they had a good deal on a chair mat. Right before we checked out, I went back to get it. As we were headed to the exit, my wife figures out they overcharged her for something. So (with help from a CSR) we split up so I could load the car. Well, I put the chair mat somewhere and forgot about it. (probably against the car) I realized it later that night that I had forgotten it, and had written it off. Today, I went to Costco to get a prescription filled and I thought I would ask about it. Apparently an employee found it, logged it, and put it back on the shelf. The CSR told me to get another one off the shelf and gave me a note to get through the cashiers with it. The cashier then radioed to the receipt checkers, so I didn’t even have to wait in the exit line!
Well, damn. That’s really nice! Good job, Costco.
Shoppers Chill Out: Retail Sales Down 4.4% From Last Year
By 12.5.07
Reuters is reporting that retail sales are down 4.4 percent compared with same period a year ago.
