Wal-Mart’s new money-back guarantee, like most retailer promises, look terrific on first glance. But the reality is that these guarantees are mainly empty marketing tactics, the commercial equivalent of a date pulling out his wallet with no intention of paying.
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Does Kmart’s Hilarious New Ad Acknowledge That Kmart Stores Are Hopeless?
In just over a week, Kmart’s 30-second “Ship My Pants” spot — go ahead, say it quickly — has received close to 13 million views online. The viral hit should give the struggling retailer some much-needed buzz. It might also call …
10 Big Retail Trends from the 2012 Holiday Shopping Season
What did the 2012 holidays teach us about the current state of shoppers—and, of course, the places where they shop?
Procrastinating Holiday Shopper Helper: Last Call for Free Shipping Guaranteed to Arrive Christmas Eve
In a repeat of a trend from last year, many retailers have rolled out special last-minute shipping deals for procrastinating consumers who finally want to get their shopping done—only without going to the store, and without paying for shipping.
For Online Shoppers, It’s the Most Wonderful Frustrating Time of the Year
Take a look at the e-commerce sales totals from Black Friday and Cyber Monday, and it’s clear: Consumers are embracing online shopping like never before.
Sold Out Already? Holiday Season’s Early Hot Sellers
Game consoles and tablets have been flying off the shelves. So have guns.
A Credit Card Promises to Do the Price-Matching Legwork for You
In today’s nonstop-discount marketplace, virtually every shopper has purchased an item at what seems to be a fair price — only to kick oneself a week later when it pops up in a much cheaper sale.
Holiday Shoppers Can Look Forward to an Extra Bloated Black Friday
To get in on the Black Friday shopping deals in 2012, it’ll be necessary to skip dessert and miss the end of the football game on Thanksgiving night. Heck, you can start shopping the “Black Friday” bargains long before the …
PayPal Ups Ante in Holiday Season Price-Matching Wars
The battle for holiday shopper dollars continues with the launch of the most impressive-sounding price-matching policy offered yet. As it turns out, the policy isn’t being offered by a retailer, but the payment processor PayPal.
So You Want More Free Shipping? You Got It
If there’s one thing e-retailers hate, it’s shopping cart abandonment. Shoppers fill up their virtual carts and then fail to follow through on the purchase quite frequently. While there are many reasons why this happens, one of …
By Matching Online Prices, Are Best Buy and Target Doing Exactly What Amazon Wants?
When Target and Best Buy recently announced that they would be taking the fight to Amazon during the holiday shopping season by matching prices with major online sellers, many shoppers reacted with the thought: Well it’s about …
All Eyes on Intel as Tech Earnings Kick Off Amid Investor Gloom
It’s that time of year again on Wall Street.