Target knows you’ve probably got a bunch of old clothes you don’t wear but which are otherwise fine. It also wants you to spend money at Target buying new clothes (and groceries, and anything else). So now it’s willing to trade you some gift cards for your dust-gathering outfits. [More]
sales
Credit Card Processors Aren’t Buying Netflix’s EMV Shift Excuse
By 10.16.15
When Netflix announced its quarterly results this week, they had an explanation for why their new subscriber number fell short of their projections. The shift to smart-chip (or EMV) payment cards means that the service lost some subscribers while customers received new card numbers and forgot to change them over. That’s a good story, but people in the banking business have some issues with it. [More]
Amazon To Prohibit The Sale Of Apple TV, Google Chromecast
By 10.1.15
Amazon appears to be taking a page out of Apple’s playbook by removing competitors’ products from its virtual shelves. The e-commerce giant said today that would prohibit the sale of video-streaming devices from rivals Google and Apple that aren’t compatible with its own Prime video service. [More]
Whole Foods Cutting 1,500 Jobs In Order To Offer Customers Lower Prices
By 9.28.15
Your next shopping trip to Whole Foods may come with a bit less interaction with employees, as the health food chain said Monday that it would be eliminating approximately 1,500 jobs in order to offer lower prices for its goods. [More]
GameStop Ditches Digital Downloads In Console Bundles
By 9.18.15
With consumers abandoning their stacks of CDs, DVDs and video games in favor of digital downloads that can easily be viewer or played for any number of devices, GameStop’s latest attempt to keep its bread-and-butter — the sale of trade-ins — goes against the no-disc trend: only selling game console bundles that include physical discs. [More]
RJ Reynolds Ordered To Stop Selling 4 Cigarette Brands
By 9.15.15
The nation’s top cigarette manufacturer must stop selling four products after federal regulators determined RJ Reynolds failed to show the brands did not pose increased health risks compared to items already on the market. [More]
Could Barnes & Noble Stores Be Shrinking? Company Looking At New Formats
By 9.9.15
After years of struggling to maintain sales, Barnes & Noble may be looking to revamp its image, starting with smaller stores. [More]
New Policy Means AutoNation Won’t Sell Vehicles With Open Safety Recalls
By 9.8.15
Although there is no specific federal law prohibiting used car dealers to sell recalled vehicles, nearly a year ago AutoNation – one of the nation’s largest pre-owned vehicle dealers – suspended the sale of cars with potentially deadly Takata airbag defects. Now, the company plans to take things a bit further, announcing it will no longer sell any vehicle that has an open safety recall. [More]
CarMax Plays “Used Car Recall Roulette” By Selling Potentially Dangerous Vehicles
By 8.25.15
During the height of recallopalooza 2014, a coalition of consumer advocacy groups raised concerns about CarMax, alleging that the nation’s largest used vehicle seller was misleading customers with claims of “Quality Certified” cars and “125+ point” inspections while not revealing that some cars had been recalled for safety issues that had not yet been repaired. More than a year later, a new report shows that CarMax is continuing this practice, which one legislator has dubbed “used car recall roulette.” [More]
Apple Once Again Removes The Competition, Yanks Nest Thermostats From Retail & Online Stores
By 7.24.15
As is Apple’s usual M.O. when it comes to launching products similar to those made by other companies but already being sold in its retail stores, the tech giant is cleaning house and removing the competition. In this case, it’s ditching Google’s Nest thermostat to make room for a device using its own technology. [More]
Amazon’s Prime Day Gets Mixed Reviews, But Company Says Sales Were Up
By 7.16.15
While Amazon’s Prime Day didn’t get off to such a great start with customers reporting they weren’t able to get the “lightning deals” in their carts, it looks like the hype surrounding the Prime member-exclusive deal-day paid off: people were talking and spending money. [More]
Amazon’s Prime Day Not Off To A Thrilling Start
By 7.15.15
Amazon’s Prime Day was supposed to be a celebration of the company’s 20th birthday as well as a shopping frenzy festival to rival Black Friday. After more than a week of hype, customers are finding the deals underwhelming. When one reader did find something he actually wanted, he was unable to get the limited-duration “Lightning deal” into his cart. [More]
Walmart Crashes Amazon’s Deal-Filled Birthday Party, Announces Its Own Mega Online Sale
By 7.13.15
UPDATE: Just hours after Walmart pointedly announced it would offer its own mega-sale in response to Amazon’s Prime-member only deal day happening on Wednesday, the online retailer released its own barbed statement, reminding consumers they could avoid missing all the deals by simply signing up for a free 30-day trial of Amazon Prime. [More]
Kohl’s To Pay Nearly $1M To Settle Allegations It Overcharged Customers In California
By 6.29.15
Kohl’s Corporation must shell out nearly $1 million to settle lawsuits with four California counties over allegations the company charged customers more than the price advertised on shelves and signs. [More]
Tesla Won’t Be Selling Cars Directly In Texas For At Least Another Two Years
By 6.1.15
Tesla won’t be conquering the Lone Star state anytime soon, as bills in front of the Texas legislature that would allow direct-to-consumer sales by the electric car maker likely won’t see the light of day until 2017, when the next regular legislative session begins. [More]
Report: Avon Looking At New Business Strategies, Including A Possible Sale
By 4.14.15
Once upon a time, Avon was the household name when it came to direct-sale beauty and personal care items. But those days are gone and the company has struggled in recent years to remain relevant and profitable. It appears those issues may be taking a toll on the once prominent company, as a new report claims the company is looking into alternatives for business. [More]
Home Depot’s ‘Spring Black Friday’ Stupidity Is Back
By 4.10.15
Retailers really love the concept of “Black Friday.” They love it so much that they’re trying to expand it in all directions. Instead of the day after Thanksgiving and the kickoff to the Christmas shopping season, Black Friday is now a year-round event that is an inclusive alternative to “Christmas in July.” Now it’s a spring event, too. [More]
Walmart’s “Women-Owned” Campaign Officially Launches In Stores & Online
By 3.12.15
Last June Walmart said it would work to bring awareness to women-led companies by sticking “women-owned” labels on a range of products in its stores. While the retailer initially planned to start the campaign last fall, it finally appears to be getting around to it this month. [More]
