Sometimes shopping can be frustrating, but that’s no reason to let an in-store experience come to blows. That’s why Walmart is promising to look into what led to a physical altercation between a customer and a store employee in Tennessee. [More]
retailers
Amazon Reportedly Working With Vendors To Create Its Own Sportswear Line
By 10.16.17
Following a report earlier this year that Amazon was perhaps working on launching its own line of workout apparel, it sounds like Amazon is making more moves toward peddling sportswear: A new report says the company is talking to vendors and suppliers that make workout gear for some of the most popular brands. [More]
Starbucks Shut Down Its Online Store In Effort To “Simplify” Things
By 10.3.17
Unless you’ve been surfing Starbucks.com recently, you may not have noticed that something is missing — its online store. The Seattle-based coffee chain shut down its virtual shop on Sunday, citing a desire to focus on the customer experience in physical stores. [More]
Target Raising Minimum Wage To $11/Hour With Promise To Hit $15/Hour By 2020
By 9.25.17
In an attempt to beat Walmart on worker pay (but not go as far as Costco), Target is raising its lowest hourly wage from $10 to $11 starting next month, with plans to increase that base rate up to $15 per hour by 2020. [More]
Toymakers Won’t Let Toys ‘R’ Us Die Because That Would Be Bad For Their Business
By 9.20.17
Although the news of the Toys ‘R’ Us bankruptcy may have thrown some shoppers into a pre-holidays panic at first, the company will be keeping its stores open and its shelves stocked with toys. Not only because it wants to cash in during its biggest season, but because its suppliers need it to stick around. [More]
Target Slashing Prices On Thousands Of Items As Amazon Heats Up Grocery Wars
By 9.8.17
As Amazon heats up the grocery store wars with new discounts at Whole Foods — which has been bringing in more shoppers since the companies became one — Target is fighting back by promising to cut prices on thousands of items. [More]
Here’s How Some Brands Are Fighting Back Against Amazon
By 8.7.17
From groceries and household supplies to electronics and clothing, Amazon has steadily been expanding its product categories in an effort to appeal to as many customers as it can. But some brands don’t want the e-commerce giant horning in on their business, so they’re fighting back. [More]
Abercrombie & Fitch Removing “For Sale” Sign From Its Bared, Chiseled Chest
By 7.10.17
Two months after Abercrombie & Fitch slapped a “for sale” sign on its tanned, muscled self, the retailer has decided not to sell itself after all. [More]
Will Any Other Big Companies Make A Bid For Whole Foods?
By 6.22.17
Although Amazon announced last week that it would be buying Whole Foods for $13.7 billion, it’s far from a done deal. And in the time it takes to complete such a large merger, there could be a few other players who decide to belly up to the table and make a bid for the grocery chain. [More]
Hummus, Trail Mixes Recalled For Potential Listeria Contamination
By 6.22.17
What do granola, protein bars, hummus, and trail mix have in common? Other than being healthy and delicious snacks, they’re also items that have been recalled due to a massive recall of dried fruits and nuts that are potentially linked to the same processing plant. [More]
Amazon Merger “Not A Tinder Relationship” Says Gaga Whole Foods CEO John Mackey
By 6.20.17
What a difference $13.7 billion makes. Last week, Whole Foods CEO John Mackey had some choice words for investors who were urging him to sell the company, calling them “greedy bastards.” But after Amazon has announced it’s buying the grocery chain for a tidy sum, Mackey is whistling quite a different tune. [More]
What Will Whole Foods Be Like After Amazon Takes Over?
By 6.19.17
Now that Jeff Bezos has ordered himself a few billion dollars’ worth of groceries with the purchase of Whole Foods, everyone is wondering what Amazon will do with the 465 stores it will soon own. [More]
Clothing Retailer Buckle Had A 6-Month Malware Infection
By 6.19.17
Buckle is a denim-centric clothing store that sells “medium to better–priced” clothes for men and women. It may not be a household name, but there’s probably a store near you, with around 450 locations in 44 states. The chain admitted over the weekend that its payment systems were infected with malware from Oct. 2016 to April 2017, potentially compromising customers’ payment card data. [More]
Is A “Reinvented” J. Crew Catalog Enough To Keep Company Afloat?
By 6.13.17
Amid sinking sales figures, executive turmoil, and a seismic consumer shift away from traditional retail, J. Crew is staking part of its turnaround plan on… rethinking its print catalog? [More]
Surprise Charges: Feds Advise Retailers To Make “No Interest” Store Credit Offers More Transparent
By 6.8.17
Three years ago, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau warned consumers that some credit card companies weren’t clearly disclosing the risks of promotions, including deferred-interest offers that promise not to charge interest on purchases as long as the balance is paid off by a certain date. However, if that doesn’t happen customers can find their bill nearly doubled thanks to retroactive interest charges. Now the agency is setting its sights on retailers, urging them consider more transparent promotions for store-branded credit cards. [More]
Amid Bleak Retail Landscape, Nordstrom Family May Take Company Private
By 6.8.17 — Updated: 6.12.17
Apparently, Nordstrom’s bold move to sell $425 pre-muddied jeans was somehow not enough to end the current retail industry doldrums. Now members of the Nordstrom family say they may take the company back from shareholders and go private. [More]
IKEA Will Try Selling Its Products Through Third-Party Websites Next Year
By 6.8.17 — Updated: 6.9.17
In an effort to expand its online efforts beyond the confines of its own websites, IKEA is planning to test selling its furniture and other home goods through third-party sites starting next year for the first time. [More]
J. Crew CEO Mickey Drexler Fires Himself, Will Remain Board Chairman
By 6.6.17
Two months after J. Crew sent its creative director packing, the struggling retailer has announced yet another shakeup in its efforts to turn things around: After 14 years on the job, Mickey Drexler will be stepping down from his position as CEO while remaining chairman of J. Crew’s board. [More]
