A new study in the Journal of Consumer Research says that there may be an actual causal relationship between materialism and low self-esteem in teenagers. The study’s authors, Lan Nguyen Chaplin from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and Deborah Roedder John of the University of Minnesota, “studied children of different age groups and found that, generally, self-esteem increases from middle childhood (8-9 years) to early adolescence (12-13 years), but then declines during adolescence until the end of high school (16-18 years). This mirrors patterns in materialism, which increases in early adolescence but decreases in late adolescence during the transition into young adulthood,” says a press release about the study.
retail
Black Friday: More Shoppers Spent Less Money
By 11.26.07
The Los Angeles Times is reporting that traffic was up in stores around the country, but that shoppers were spending about 3.5% less per person than last year, or about $347.44.
Walmart Pays For Brain Damaged Employee's Medical Bills, Then Sues For The Money Back
By 11.21.07
A Walmart employee was hit by a semi, leaving her permanently brain-damaged and in a wheelchair. Walmart paid for her medical fees and her family successfully sued the trucking company. Now Walmart wants all the money she got from the trucking company. The family only has Social Security benefits and medicaid to pay for her 24 hour medical care. The company health plan contains a clause that allows it to recoup medical expenses it paid if the person also wins damages in an injury suit. This cost-effective management of the employee health plan is just another way Walmart delivers America everday low prices.
Gap Responds To Child Slave Labor Scandal
By 11.20.07
The Gap has pledged $200,000 to to improve working conditions in India, where only some forms of child labor are outlawed, and it also promised to tighten its own standards. The retailer canceled half of its orders with the vendor in India that was responsible for subcontracting the workshop in which children who had been sold to the factory were working off the debt by embroidering clothing for Gap Kids.
Fired By Circuit City? They Might Want You Back
By 11.20.07
Circuit City fired 3,400 of its highest-paid store employees in March, claiming that it needed to hire cheaper help in order to stop hemorrhaging money. It didn’t work. Only a few months later, analysts blamed the ill-advised job cuts for Circuit City’s poor sales.
Probably Why HomeDepot.com, et al, Doesn't Accept Gift Cards
By 11.19.07
Here’s a probable answer for that reader who complained Friday that HomeDepot.com won’t let you use gift cards, forcing him to drive 20 miles away to get his tool fix. It’s probably better than driving all the way there, only to find his gift card was empty. If you recall, last year there was a big problem with thieves stealing git cards….
Identify And Resist Pressure To "Buy Now"
By 11.19.07
Wikiow has an interesting entry on resisting sales pitches. Most of the stuff is the fundamentals, but we think this maxim always bears repeating:
Lots Of Retailers Don't Use Proper Wireless Security
By 11.16.07
The recently reported TJ Maxx security breach—where data on 94 million credit card accounts was stolen in 2003, 2004, and 2006—has ended up costing the company $200 million and counting. But although it’s the biggest example so far of retail data theft, TJ Maxx isn’t the only retailer doing a poor job of keeping sensitive data protected from hackers. One wireless security vendor recently surveyed thousands of stores and discovered that a significant number of retailers don’t practice good wireless security:
JC Penney Sales Down, Blames Subprime Meltdown, Bad Weather
By 11.15.07
JC Penney isn’t doing so well this fall and has cut its forecast, admitting sluggish same store sales and citing bad weather and the subprime meltdown as the reasons for the downturn.
Best Buy's Myspace Forum For Sharing Dumb Customer Stories
By 11.14.07
There’s a forum on social networking site Myspace where Best Buy employees share the dumbest things customers have ever said to them. They range from the “I probably should find another job:”
wheres the bathroom
Walmart "Saves The Average Family $2,500 A Year," But You Don't Actually Have To Shop There
By 11.13.07
Walmart’s new ad campaign says that the store saves the average American family $2,500 a year. What is doesn’t say is that you don’t actually have to shop at Walmart to take advantage of the savings.
Has Best Buy Improved Their Customer Service?
By 11.13.07
Could there actually be a secret program afoot to improve Best Buy’s customer service and make amends for their bad ways? Marjorie writes:
Something is going on at Best Buy. I noticed that the phone for the local store, which used to be maddening with it’s endless options that never seemed to route to a real live person, is actually answered by a real live person now. On top of that, I actually got good customer service from corporate. And it wasn’t a hassle!
By 11.13.07
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AT&T will begin selling phones and wireless service at Costco. [BusinessWeek]
Movie Trailer: What Would Jesus Buy?
By 11.9.07
What Would Jesus Buy? is a new documentary from producer Morgan Spurlock, who made Supersize Me, and director Rob VanAlkemade, following Reverend Billy and the Church of Stop Shopping Gospel Choir “on a cross-country mission to save Christmas from the Shopocalypse (the end of humankind from consumerism, over-consumption and the fires of eternal debt.)”
Consumer Confidence At 2 Year Low, Again
By 11.9.07
Another consumer confidence index has plummeted to its lowest post-Katrina level, and retailers are crying in dark corners of their bedrooms, waiting for the inevitable disastrous holiday season.
Lemon Pricing At Meijer Is Very Straightforward
By 11.8.07
I saw this in a Meijer store in Grand Rapids, MI this summmer. Finally got it off of my cell phone and thought I’d send it your way. I’m still confused by it. I believe they were actually $2 per lemon when I rang one up.
So, apparently the sign really means: “Lemons $2.00 each.” That’s a pricey lemon, we hope you did not buy it.
Email Circuit City Executive Customer Service
By 11.8.07
Circuit City sent us the email address for their consumer affairs division. You can contact them there if you have a complaint not resolvable at the store level or by calling regular customer service.
Blank Discs Inside Call Of Duty 4 At Best Buy? Better Open Them In The Store
By 11.8.07
Reader Zak writes to tell us that his copy of Call of Duty 4 was blank. Thankfully, he opened it while he was still inside the Best Buy, so exchanging it wasn’t a problem. (Though some random Geek Squad guy did accuse him of being a scammer.)
I generally read a few of the network sites, Giz, LH and of course for a chuckle I also read Consumerist. Now I lack photo proof of this as I immediately did an illegal u-turn and took my product back to the store, but I’ll let you know anyways.
