You want Star Wars merchandise this holiday season? Walmart has Star Wars stuff, which is the entire reason the retailer is kicking off its holiday layaway program a full two weeks early for the second year in a row. [More]
retailers
Abercrombie & Fitch Not Focused On Sexy Abs Now, Just Wants You To Be Your “Best Self”
By 8.30.16
We’ve come a long way from the days of glistening abs stretching across every Abercrombie & Fitch billboard and shopping bag, and “cool” executives who’d rather not deal with any uncool customers: as the company continues its campaign toward wholesomeness, the new focus is on making shoppers feel good about themselves. [More]
Video Claims To Show Price Discrepancies Of Up To 78% At L.A. Zara Store
By 8.30.16
Last week, a Zara customer filed a lawsuit against the company accusing it of misleading customers by posting some prices in euros and others in U.S. dollars, and of making up its own exchange rates to charge more for those items with price tags in dollars. The plaintiff’s lawyers now say they have even more proof of this pricing switcheroo. [More]
Lawsuit: Zara Misleads Customers By Listing Prices In Euros, Making Its Own Exchange Rate
By 8.23.16
While it’s not entirely unheard of to see prices listed in euros stateside, a new federal class action lawsuit claims that retailer Zara’s practice of doing so — and allegedly making up its own exchange rate — has tricked shoppers into paying more than they should. [More]
What Should Walmart Do Now That It’s Landed Jet.com?
By 8.23.16
It’s no secret why Walmart bought Jet.com for $3 billion: the company’s e-commerce know-howo and experienced could be the key to the brick-and-mortar retailer’s plans of catching up with Amazon, finally, after all these years. But now that the honeymoon is over, it’s time to look at how, exactly, this marriage will work. [More]
Foot Locker CEO Claims Malls Are “Far From Dead”
By 8.19.16
Maybe it’s just because Foot Locker had sales growth to report because people are snapping up higher priced- basketball and running shoes, but the company’s CEO seems to be in a very positive mood about the state of malls in the U.S., which is surprising at a time when other mall-based retailers are struggling. [More]
Gap Can’t Seem To Stop Being Normal, And That’s Its Big Problem
By 8.19.16
A few years ago, Gap realized that telling its customers to “Dress Normal” wasn’t such a great idea: customers were turned off, and sales plummeted. That air of normalcy is still plaguing the company. [More]
Report: There Are 1.2M Fewer Retail Workers Than There Would Be Without The Internet
By 8.18.16
What would the retail landscape look like if we didn’t have the Internet and online shopping? No one can say, for sure (unless you know someone who can travel to parallel universes*), but one analyst says there’d be about 1.2 million more people with jobs in retail. [More]
Victoria’s Secret Focusing On Shilling Sports Bras In Effort To Keep Up With Rivals
By 8.16.16
Whereas it used to feel like you couldn’t turn around at Victoria’s Secret without facing a wall of pushup bras, the company is now focused on a different kind of pushup — the sort you do while exercising and wearing a sports bra. [More]
Retailers Trying To Lure College Customers Now So They’ll Become Lifelong Shoppers
By 8.12.16
Often when a shopper is loyal to a brand, product, or company, it’s simply because they have a long history with it. That’s why retailers are trying to hook college-age students now — even before full-time jobs bring them a disposable income — in the hopes that they’ll become lifelong shoppers. [More]
Independent Artist Claims Zara Is Ripping Off Designs From Her Online Store
By 7.21.16
We’ve seen it before, many times, and we’ll no doubt see it in the future: another independent artist is pointing the finger at a major retailer this week for allegedly ripping off designs from her online store to make its own products. [More]
Bankrupt Aeropostale Preparing To Sell Off Its Assets At Auction Next Month
By 7.18.16
After taking a few weeks to weigh its options, Aeropostale says it won’t be able to manage a reorganization under bankruptcy, and instead is getting ready to auction off all its assets in the coming weeks. It’s also taking fire at the lender it claims pushed it into bankruptcy in the first place. [More]
Would You Buy A New Summer Outfit While Purchasing Eggs At The Local Supermarket?
By 6.21.16
While Target and Walmart have convinced millions of shoppers to buy groceries at the same store where you buy your furniture, towels, TVs, and just about anything else, traditional supermarket chains have not made much of a push to sell clothing to customers popping in to stock up on eggs, milk, and bread. But one Hy-Vee store in Minnesota is hoping to open shoppers’ eyes to a brave new world by including a clothing boutique alongside all the groceries.
[More]
No Strike For Macy’s In NY After Company Reaches Deal With Workers’ Union
By 6.16.16
Macy’s hasn’t had to face a workers’ strike since 1972, and it looks like that streak won’t be broken, now that the company and the union representing thousands of workers in the New York City area have reached a tentative deal. [More]
Bed Bath & Beyond Buying Home Furnishing Retailer One Kings Lane
By 6.15.16
Bed Bath & Beyond is apparently looking to grow, well, beyond its big box status, as it went shopping for a furniture and decor company and wound up scooping up home retailer One Kings Lane. [More]
Aeropostale Finally Files For Bankruptcy As Predicted, Will Close 113 U.S. Stores
By 5.4.16
Aeropostale Bankruptcy Watch is officially over, because, well, the teen apparel chain went ahead and did what everyone has been predicting for the last few weeks and filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. [More]
Nine Retailers Recall Store-Branded Children’s Cold Medicine Over Overdose Risks
By 1.11.16
Nine retailers, including CVS and Rite Aid, have recalled two flavors of store-branded children’s liquid cold medicine over a potential overdose risk. [More]
