retail businesses

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Victoria'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...

Coke, Costco Bury the Hatchet
 Coke, Costco Bury the Hatchet 
cola wars
Dec 10, 2009 1:51 PM CST

Coke, Costco Bury the Hatchet

Bulk retailer, beverage titan reconcile pricing dispute

(Newser) - Coca-Cola and Costco have ironed out a pricing dispute that kept the warehouse chain from restocking its shelves with the soda titan's products for over a month. Coke devotees should be seeing their favorite beverages at the stores soon, Costco CFO Richard Galanti said. "Our sign on shelves—'Until...

Best Buy Noses Into Online Movie Market

Streaming service will come pre-loaded on gadgets

(Newser) - Best Buy has partnered with online provider CinemaNow to develop a movie downloading service that will come preloaded on the bulk of its Internet-capable electronics. The move follows a 13% slump in DVD sales for the year that has had the company casting about for a new revenue stream. It...

Women Drive Recovery, But Dissed By Retail

Biz approach to females: take 'a male product and paint it pink'

(Newser) - Women who shop til they drop are stimulating the economy more than any Ben Bernanke, but the planet's greatest spending bloc feels dissed by retailers and service providers. Women control $20 trillion in annual consumer spending in the world—a figure likely to climb to $28 trillion by 2014. Despite...

Eddie Bauer Goes Bankrupt
 Eddie Bauer Goes Bankrupt 
UPDATED
Jun 17, 2009 1:36 PM CDT

Eddie Bauer Goes Bankrupt

Formal announcement expected today

(Newser) - Eddie Bauer filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy today, the Wall Street Journal reports. The clothing retailer lost $44.5 million in the first quarter and has $187.9 million in long-term debt. Shares plummeted on rumors of the bankruptcy after it failed to convert part of that debt into equity...

With Fewer Retail Jobs, More Cheating on Hiring Test

Unicru exam, used by Best Buy and others, unpopular with many job-seekers

(Newser) - Cheat on the personality test many retailers make job applicants take as part of the hiring process and you’ve got one foot in the door—and a lot of company, reports the Wall Street Journal. The computer-administered tests are feeding a growing culture of savvy applicants who share answers,...

Best Buy Offers Used iPhones for $50 Less

Retailer tries to undercut the competition with refurbished handsets

(Newser) - With an eye to newly frugal consumers, Best Buy is offering refurbished iPhone 3Gs for about $50 less than new handsets, Reuters reports. The retailer offers previously owned 8- and 16-gigabyte iPhones (returned in 30 days or less) for $149 and $249, respectively. Best Buy may be trying to undercut...

Cybercops Bust Retailers Whose Deals Are Too Good

(Newser) - Manufacturers have gone on the offensive to stop discounters from selling their products for less than the minimum advertised price they set, reports the Wall Street Journal. But companies like eBay and Costco are pushing for laws to ban the minimum prices. Some retailers, like Circuit City, use workarounds to...

Wary Consumers Spell Trouble for Retailers

71% miss projections, worst showing since September of 2000

(Newser) - With the holiday season looming, retailers' only hope may be a genuine Christmas miracle. In reports on last month's business, 71% of retailers missed sales and profits estimates, making it the worst September since data collection began in 2000, MarketWatch reports. Experts widely attributed the dismal numbers to the struggling...

Worried Retailers Call All-Out, and Earlier, Holiday Blitz

Analysts see sales beginning before Thanksgiving in sour economy

(Newser) - Holiday displays already are popping up—and they’re likely to increase in number and urgency as retailers try to spruce up what’s likely to be the worst Christmas shopping season in years, reports Advertising Age. With 5 fewer days than last year because of a late Thanksgiving, retailers...

Steve & Barry's Heads to Chapter 11

Deep-discount fashion retailer can't find rescue funding

(Newser) - Dress-down discount clothing retailer Steve & Barry’s, which launched its first store nearly a quarter-century ago, could file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection as early as today after a fruitless search for rescue financing, reports the Wall Street Journal. The trendy retailer could close all of its 275 outlets,...

Dismal Day Ends Dismal Week
 Dismal Day Ends Dismal Week 
MARKETS
May 23, 2008 3:34 PM CDT

Dismal Day Ends Dismal Week

Housing, oil continue to pummel equities

(Newser) - Stocks fell today, rounding out a gloomy week as the familiar themes of housing malaise and energy costs manifested in widespread big losses, MarketWatch reports. The Dow fell 145.99 to close at 12,479.63, the Nasdaq lost 19.91, settling at 2,444.67, and the S&P...

Will Tax Rebates Boost Economy? Test Starts Today

The government has begun sending out the first cash

(Newser) - The first tax rebates designed to kick-start the economy should begin arriving in bank accounts today. The Treasury Department has begun sending electronic rebates to nearly 8 million people by the end of this week, and some 130 million checks will go out via snail mail in May. President Bush...

13 Stories