Some shoppers have felt the need to stealthily scan items in stores with their smartphones. They'd rather not be accused of "showrooming," the practice in which one scopes out merchandise in a brick-and-mortar store, only to purchase it online—at Amazon, likely—for less money. This week, though, Target began actively encouraging mobile phone scans nationwide.
Target started selling Amazon‘s line of Kindle e-readers two years ago. Head over to Target.com now, though, and you’ll discover a wide assortment of e-readers, but not a single Amazon Kindle for sale. Kindles are being taken off the shelves at Target’s nearly 1,800 stores as well, as the retailers’ battles over “showrooming” and brand [...]
The past few years of economic turmoil have been a boon to dollar stores, which have proven to be a strong draw for shoppers seeking cheap gifts, clothes, and household goods. Man and woman cannot live on inexpensive tchotchkes and laundry detergent alone, though. For a dollar store to be a truly one-stop shopping experience, [...]
Walmart became the world’s largest retailer by attracting consumers who were most interested in low prices, not a highfalutin, top-notch shopping experience. So it’s unsurprising that Walmart has received poor ratings in studies covering customer service and broad range of shopping categories. But at least Walmart’s got the cheapest prices and packs in the most [...]
Still don’t know what to do with all those gift cards you got for the holidays? United Airlines will now take them off your hands in exchange for frequent flyer miles.
When the economy hit the skids a few years ago, we responded with tactics that have gotten us through previous recessions: We stopped eating out and traveling as much, curbed our discretionary spending and chose generic items for basics like groceries. But then something strange happened: We began to prefer many of those store brands. [...]
Less than 1% of J.C. Penney’s revenues come from items bought at full price. By contrast, nearly three-quarters of merchandise sold by the department store chain is discounted by at least 50% off. What this tells shoppers is that J.C. Penney’s original prices are pretty much meaningless. They’re floated out there to see if any [...]
For obvious reasons, physical retailers want to put an end to “showrooming.” Now, one retail giant (Target) is showing how it’s going to fight back.
The traditional reasons for letting an employee go include not getting to work on time, not doing the work assigned and unprofessional behavior. Now add this one: working during lunch.
Each holiday season, an especially hot, must-have gift emerges, often triggering behavior by desperate consumers that seems wacky and ugly at the time — and even more so in retrospect. (Example: Some guy made $6,000 selling Zhu Zhu pets on eBay last year.) This year, the behavior surrounding one hot item seems especially extreme — [...]
What with exchanges and shoppers eager to redeem gift cards, the day after Christmas is always a busy one for retailers. For a variety of reasons, including that December 26 falls on a Monday this year, retailers anticipate a banner day for sales.
