A while back we asked the readers to tell us what was wrong with Gap, INC. Since we asked, they’ve sh*tcanned their CEO, closed a chain of stores, launched new ad campaigns featuring celebrities, rethought their merchandise and…nothing has has helped.
retail
Walmart Instigates Back-To-School Season Price War
By 7.25.07
Walmart will offer 10 to 50 percent discounts on 16,000 items to boost sales during the lucrative back-to-school season. The cuts are part of Walmart’s broader plan to abandon its pursuit of the upscale market, which “confused customers,” and return to its core business of undercutting competition and instigating price wars.
Starbucks Raises Prices
By 7.24.07
Starbucks has announced that they’re raising prices on most of their “freshly made” drinks, including coffee, Frappuccinos, some “tea-based” drinks, and yes the much-loved latte.
Religious Action Figures Are Coming To Walmart
By 7.24.07
Talking Jesus dolls will make their Walmart debut early next month as part of a spiffy new line of religious action figures. Walmart claims it is responding to the needs of kids who want to ditch their G.I. Joe for a Samson, and will only stock the religious toys in stores where the bible is a best-seller. Walmart has always catered to the family values crowd, but that hasn’t stopped some Christian ministers from questioning Walmart’s faith:
“They’ll carry anything that sells,” says David Croyle, president of FamilyLife, a non-denominational ministry of Campus Crusade for Christ. “This simply signals intelligent buying within Wal-Mart.”
Macy's To Be Bought Out?
By 7.19.07
According to Women’s Wear Daily, struggling, Cincinnati-based retailer Macy’s may be the target of a buyout. Despite grand plans to become a nationwide discount department store, Macy’s has been struggling to make any money.
Walmart Adds "Customer Reviews" To Website
By 7.19.07
Walmart has announced that it will add “amazon” style customer reviews to its website, according to the Wall Street Journal.
Walmart Will Now Prosecute Shoplifters As Young As 16
By 7.12.07
With increased shoplifting and employee theft hurting Walmart’s bottom line, the store says it will now go after first-time shoplifters who are as young as 16. Previously, it was Walmart’s policy to only prosecute first-time shoplifters who were at least 18.
Departmental Phone Extensions For Every Fry's
By 7.10.07
Here’s a potentially handy list of phone numbers for Fry’s, the electronics retail chain, for bypassing the store operator. Apparently, each Fry’s phone system is set up the same way with the first five digits being the “base” number and the last two being the extension number.
Does The Future Of Internet Commerce Look Like QVC?
By 7.8.07
Internet retailers may soon embrace video product demonstrations to boost stagnant customer satisfaction levels. Though internet commerce has kept pace with technological changes, many consumers still expect an even richer experience.
Now some observers predict a future where online retailers will essentially adopt something like the QVC model, with sales staff pitching the site’s merchandise with polished video presentations, produced in a high-tech television studio.
Electronics Retailers Are Angry After iPhone Snub
By 7.2.07
“We sell elaborate home networks and people view their homes or their kids with the babysitter when they are out to dinner. Because of the iPhone’s large screen, it works fine with that application, and our customers want to put it on the network.”
Wait, you can watch your baby monitor on the iPhone? It’s a brave new world.
By 7.1.07
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The list of top retailers by sales has changed little since last year. Walmart is still number one with sales of $348 billion, followed by Home Depot, Kroger, Costco, and Target.
States Target Big Box Retail
By 6.29.07
Maine Gov. John Baldacci last week signed into law a measure requiring developers of retail stores exceeding 75,000 square feet to conduct studies gauging the project’s impact on municipal services, the environment and local businesses. The proposed store can’t be approved if the studies find it is likely to cause a quantifiable, “undue adverse impact” on more than one of those fronts and is expected to have a harmful effect on the community overall.
By 6.29.07
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Target construction worker climbs ladder and peeps on female customer trying on bras (it was a temporary dressing room with no roof). When confronted about the incident, the store manager effectively shrugged her shoulders. With video.
String Bikinis: Now Available for Toddlers!
By 6.28.07
GapKids recently featured a white, crocheted string bikini you’d likely see Anna Kournikova wearing on the cover of the Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue. The bikini was for a 12-month-old.
Why So Sad? Consumer Confidence Is Down
By 6.27.07
The Conference Board, based in New York, said that the consumer confidence index fell almost five points, to 103.9, from a revised 108.5 in May, reaching the lowest level since August 2006, when the reading was 100.2. Analysts had expected a reading of 106.
17 Confessions Of Staples Drones
By 6.27.07
14. Managers have coupons kept in the safe that they can use for dissatisfied customers. If you have a problem ask to speak to a manger and most of the time they will offer you some sort of discount on a product or a free service in the store.
Kmart Employee Busted For Letting Relatives Walk Out With Shopping Carts Full Of Stolen Stuff
By 6.26.07
Employee theft is a serious problem for retailers. It makes prices go up and return policies more strict. So when we hear about an employee getting busted for such a spectacularly stupid, yet probably effective and routinely performed scam we are glad.
Let's Make Rebates Worse: Put 'Em On A Gift Card And Have 'Em Lose Money Over Time!
By 6.26.07
The rebate has mated with the gift card to produce a super-strain of super-sucky rebates. By adopting the gift card’s”dormancy fee,” your rebate’s value now shrinks over time. In many cases it’s only a few months before it starts to lose value, reports The Red Tape Chronicles. Some cards will even ding you for an activation fee, or charge you for checking your balance.
