retail

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Walmart's Problem: More Stores, Fewer Employees

Products, staff, customers disappearing from the aisles

(Newser) - Walmart's shelves are looking empty these days, and it's not because the product isn't available: The company simply doesn't have enough employees to restock them, store workers tell Bloomberg . The big blue retail behemoth has added 455 US stores over the past five years, but its...

Coming to a Mall Near You: Google?

It's considering retail stores, but no word on where, or when

(Newser) - First Microsoft jumped on the retail-store bandwagon; now Apple stores could face another rival. Google is considering opening its own retail stores, sources tell the Wall Street Journal , but we may not see them for quite a while. An insider says the company may not move on the plan this...

US Retail Sales Jumped 1.1% in September

iPhone 5 plays big role

(Newser) - Americans stepped up their retail spending in September, reflecting stronger sales of autos, electronics, and building supplies. Retail sales rose 1.1% last month, the Commerce Department said today. That followed a 1.2% increase in August, which was revised slightly higher. Both were the largest gains since October 2010....

AT&T Builds Huge Apple-Esque Store

Chicago store will be 10,000 square feet, show off more than phones

(Newser) - AT&T is revamping its retail strategy in grand style, with a new 10,000-square-foot flagship store on Chicago's "Magnificent Mile" that will show off not just phones and tablets, but fitness applications and even "smartcar" features, Bloomberg reports. Apple comparisons are inevitable, but "we are...

In Price War With Walmart, Target Pulls Ahead

Cuts in food prices give Target biggest lead ever

(Newser) - Watch for falling prices, Walmart—they might hit you. Target had lower prices than its arch-rival this month for the first time since October, research from Bloomberg has concluded. Indeed, Target won out by the largest margin yet seen in the two years Bloomberg has been tracking the numbers. The...

Why June's Falling Retail Sales Matter

Because drop marks the first 3-month decline since 2008

(Newser) - Americans cut their spending at retail businesses for a third straight month, as a weak job market has made consumers more cautious. The Commerce Department says retail sales fell 0.5% in June from May. That followed declines of 0.2% and 0.5% in the previous two months. It...

Neiman Marcus Joins Forces With ... Target

Rodarte, Derek Lam among designers participating

(Newser) - Move over Oscar and Felix: There's a new odd couple in town. Neiman Marcus and Target yesterday announced that they're teaming up this holiday season, with plans to offer 50-plus limited-edition items from big name designers like Diane von Furstenberg and Marc Jacobs, reports the Wall Street Journal ...

10 Ways Wal-Mart Changed Our Lives

Charles Fishman's book 'The Wal-Mart Effect' inspires Time's list

(Newser) - Wal-Mart has transformed America's retail landscape with its shocking scope and unrivaled profits. On the plus side, the mega-retailer employs over 2.1 million workers—more than the population of 15 states and Columbia—and banked $443 billion in the last fiscal year. But it has also depressed wages...

Best Buy Cans 650 Geek Squad Employees

Company says it's 'evolving in-home support'

(Newser) - Best Buy is axing 650 members of its Geek Squad, the group of repair specialists that travels to people's homes to fix their electronics. The retailer isn't doing away with its repair service entirely, though; those getting the boot will be Geeks who serviced appliances and televisions. "...

The High Cost of Cheap Clothes



 The High Cost 
 of Cheap Clothes 
OPINION
Jun 13, 2012 1:05 PM CDT

The High Cost of Cheap Clothes

Elizabeth Kline, author of Overdressed, explains the perils of cheap chic

(Newser) - Fast fashion is the new fast food. That's the argument Elizabeth Kline makes in her new book, Overdressed: The Shockingly High Cost of Cheap Fashion, and Mary Elizabeth Williams of Salon agrees. The average American buys 64 articles of clothing a year—more than there are weeks in the...

Your New Grocery Store: Dollar General?

Chain hopes offering groceries will draw in more customers

(Newser) - When you think dollar stores, you probably think of Tiki statues, fragile toys, and cheap kitchen implements. But Dollar General is trying to change all that, the Wall Street Journal reports, by taking a real shot at the grocery market. Over the next year, the discount chain intends to open...

Amazon Rewards Customers for Walking Out of Stores

...After checking an item with their Price Check app

(Newser) - In a scheme clearly devised to give brick-and-mortar retailers nightmares, Amazon is running a one-day promotion on Dec. 10 in which customers can score up to $15 in discounts for literally walking out of stores. Here's how it works: Download the Amazon Price Check app for your iPhone or...

Ron Johnson: Why Apple Stores Work
 Why Apple 
 Stores Work 
opinion
Nov 22, 2011 4:13 PM CST

Why Apple Stores Work

Former boss of stores says it's all about customer relationships

(Newser) - Apple Stores’ success is about much more than Apple products; after all, you can get Macs, iPhones, and iPads elsewhere for less money. What draws customers is the fact that an Apple store is “more than a store to people,” writes Apple's former VP of retail, Ron...

Gap Closing Scores of Stores
 Gap Closing Scores of Stores 
Oct 14, 2011 8:50 AM CDT

Gap Closing Scores of Stores

Pre-recession boom left surplus of shops

(Newser) - Gap, once the king of clothing chains, rapidly expanded before the recession; afterward, it found itself with more stores than shoppers. Now it plans to close 189 of its North American locations—more than a fifth of the total—by 2013, leaving some 700 remaining, the Wall Street Journal reports....

Best Online Shoppers: Tablet Users
Best Online Shoppers:
Tablet Users
Sep 28, 2011 9:03 AM CDT

Best Online Shoppers: Tablet Users

... and store websites may change to accommodate them

(Newser) - Marketing in the modern age: It seems tablet users make the best online shoppers, reports the Wall Street Journal . Industry stats put the coveted "conversion rate" at 4% or 5% for tablet users vs. 3% for PC users. What's more, perhaps because tablet users tend to be wealthier,...

Victoria&#39;s Secret Quietly Destroys All Returns

 Victoria's Secret 
 Quietly Destroys 
 All Returns 
in case you missed it
May 1, 2011 7:45 AM CDT

Victoria's Secret Quietly Destroys All Returns

Even if they've never been worn

(Newser) - Marie Wolf got quite a shock when she returned an unworn $70 pair of sweatpants to Victoria’s Secret a few weeks ago. A clerk happily refunded her money—then took out some scissors and sliced the pants to shreds, explaining that it was store policy. Wolf was outraged, she...

Walmart: Gas Prices Hurting Our Shoppers

CEO says customers 'running out of money'

(Newser) - Walmart shoppers are running out of cash, pinched by high gas prices and unemployment, the company’s CEO said this week. “We’re seeing core consumers under a lot of pressure,” Mike Duke said at a retail industry gathering, according to CNN . “There’s no doubt that...

Wal-Mart to Make Its Food Healthier

It teams with Michelle Obama, who declares 'victory for our children'

(Newser) - Wal-Mart is embarking on a plan that could have a big impact on American nutrition: It will modify its house brand to make the food healthier, and lower costs for items such as fruits and veggies, and products made with whole grain. The initiative is the result of collaboration with...

Blizzard Delays $1B in Retail Spending

Stores should see a bounce when the streets are cleared

(Newser) - The blizzard that swept through the Northeast delayed $1 billion in retail spending, according to research firm ShopperTrak. Despite that hit, it won't derail a holiday shopping season expected to be the best since 2007. About $10 billion in retail sales usually occurs Dec. 26-27, ShopperTrak says, and bad weather...

Shoppers Pack Stores for Christmas Eve

'Fantastic Friday' caps best retail season since 2007

(Newser) - A late holiday shopping spree led shoppers to stores in droves, giving a fantastic finish to what is already the best holiday season for retail since 2007, the AP reports. Sales are expected to reach $451.5 billion overall this year, a 3.3% higher gross than last year. "...

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