If you can stretch your memory all the way back to the spring of 2011, before data breaches seemed commonplace, perhaps you will recall when Michaels warned customers that PIN pad information at some of its stores might have been exposed. Now, a California man has admitted his role in a conspiracy to swipe 94,000 credit and debit card numbers from customers at around 80 Michaels stores. [More]
shopping
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]
Kroger Slashing Prices On Milk, Eggs To Keep Up In Heated Grocery War
By 6.15.17
With foreign newcomers like Lidl and Aldi landing on our shores, and online services like Amazon creeping onto an already crowded grocery battlefield, traditional grocers are willing to do whatever they can to keep customers coming back. At Kroger, that means slashing prices on popular staples like milk and eggs, in an effort to signal to customers that their stores have the best deals on the everyday items they need. [More]
Updated Amazon Dash Wand Includes Alexa, Is Basically Free For Prime Members
By 6.15.17
Since Amazon first debuted the Dash Wand in 2014, the tool has gone from a stick that could add grocery items to your shopping list to a $49 stick that lets Prime members order anything Amazon sells. In the latest update, Amazon is basically making the wand free (for Prime subscribers), integrating its Alexa digital assistant, and giving users the power to buy their items directly instead of having to check out on Amazon’s site. [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]
Amazon Changed Its Prime Logo And People Don’t Know How To Feel
By 6.12.17 — Updated: 6.13.17
Whether it’s a big change or a barely recognizable tweak, when a company changes its logo, people are going to notice — and odds are, some of those folks are going to hate it. Case in point: Amazon has redesigned its Prime logo ever so slightly, and many people are unsure how to feel about the change. [More]
Did You Ever Notice There Is No Music At Most Target Stores? That May Change
By 6.8.17
You might be swaying to the music the next time you’re pushing a cart through Target, as the retailer plans to pump music through the sound system at some stores. [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]
Big Box Stores Blamed For Giant, Terrifying Spider
By 6.2.17 — Updated: 6.3.17
A woman was recently terrified by a very large, very scary spider she found in her toddler’s bedroom learned that it didn’t walk in there on its own — it probably hitched a ride with a big box store. [More]
Here’s The Official List Of Payless Stores That Are Closing Next
By 6.1.17
While Payless ShoeSource is waiting to hear back from the court and its landlords about more than 400 stores that it may close without a break on rent, the discount shoe chain has released a list of 112 stores that definitely are closing next. [More]
One IKEA Offers Instructions On How To Turn Those Blue Bags Into Pet Raincoats & Picnic Blankets
By 5.26.17
While you might be an expert at reusing that blue plastic shopping bag from IKEA by filling it with junk and hiding it in your closet/under your bed, there’s a lot more you can do with it — like turning it into a doggy raincoat or a handy picnic blanket. [More]
Amazon Finally Opens Its Grocery Pickup Stores To Public
By 5.26.17
Amazon Prime customers in Seattle will now have another option for groceries: Two AmazonFresh pickup sites are open to the general public after an employees-only testing phase. [More]
Pranksters Who Spent Two Days In Walmart Were Sick Of It After 35 Minutes
By 5.25.17
If the idea of spending 48 straight hours in a Walmart store sounds like 47.5 hours too many, you’re not alone. Even the two guys who pulled off that dubious accomplishment recently say they were sick of the place not long after walking in. [More]
J. Crew CEO Says It Was A “Big Mistake” To Bank On Elitist Image
By 5.24.17
As J. Crew struggles to compete in today’s tough retail world and avoid going bankrupt like so many other brands, the company’s CEO is admitting that he wasn’t quite prepared for how its high-priced image would fail to lure customers amid competition from fast fashion retailers with cheaper clothing.. [More]
Ralph Lauren Gambles On New CEO With Background In Beauty (And Laundry) Products
By 5.17.17 — Updated: 5.25.17
After the last CEO of Ralph Lauren (the clothing company) butted heads with Ralph Lauren (the man) and made a quick exit in February, the company has announced it’s taking a slightly different tack by hiring a new top executive without prior experience in the apparel business. [More]
Amazon Won’t Say Why Next-Day Shipping Option Sometimes Vanishes
By 5.2.17
When you’re looking at an item page on Amazon, you may see a note that says, “Want it by tomorrow? Order it within 45 minutes,” and realize that yes, you do need that printer cartridge the next day. What’s confusing for some shoppers, though, is that sometimes same-day or next-day delivery is available on the item page, then disappears when they go to check out. [More]
Mallgoers Would Rather Deal With Pigeon Poop Than Noisy Bird Call Recordings
By 4.28.17
Although music to shop by isn’t going to please everyone, shoppers at one New York mall would rather risk getting hit by bird droppings than listen to the sounds coming out of the complex’s speakers. [More]
Teen Has Sold $1M Worth Of Custom Socks Even Before Graduating High School
By 4.25.17
In the wise words of the late musician Aaliyah, when it comes to launching a successful apparel business, “age ain’t nothin’ but a number.” Just ask the teenager who has already sold $1 million worth of his custom-designed socks — before he’s even finished high school or moved out of his parents’ home. [More]
