The average grocery store in the U.S. measures under 50,000 square feet. Home Depots average about 100,000 square feet, and …
Home Depot
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.
No Sale? Retailers Try to Avoid Deep Discounting Without Losing Shoppers
At some point in recent years, 50% off became the new normal, with shoppers growing increasingly accustomed to dramatic markdowns—and correspondingly unimpressed with a measly 10% off. Stores jacked up list prices so that the …
Apple, L.L. Bean—and Especially, Amazon—Score Big in Online Shopping Satisfaction
When ‘Black Friday’ Sales Don’t Happen on Black Friday—or Any Friday
Considering that Black Friday is a totally made-up event meant to stir up retail sales during the peak winter holiday shopping season, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that stores are loosey-goosey with what “Black Friday” means, …
Shopping Spree: 10 Companies Doing Surprisingly Good Business
There are certain retailers and service providers that everyone knows are doing well in terms of sales. When Apple posts impressive sales figures, no one is surprised. Given the still shaky state of the economy, it’s also …
How the Warm Winter Is Mother Nature’s Mini Stimulus Program
Housing Recovery at Last? Evidence Mounts
While experts continue to warn that housing has not yet hit bottom, a slew of indicators suggest otherwise. The latest is a stellar quarterly earnings report from Home Depot, which is benefitting from hopeful owners sprucing up …
Mild Winter Could Mean Best-Ever Deals on Winter Coats and Cold-Weather Gear
There aren’t many people who are complaining that this winter has been too warm, too storm-free, and altogether too comfortable. But there is one group griping the weather just isn’t cold or snowy enough: retailers that sell …
Retail Shoppers: 3 Minutes to Check-out, Or I’m Out of Here!
Long lines are bad for business. An especially long line at a store’s checkout area can scare off some customers from making a purchase, or just leave the shopper aggravated—and less likely to come back. Also, the longer the …
Beat the Next Blackout: Tips for Buying a Backup Generator
Thanks to Mother Nature and power grid glitches, American households in Connecticut, San Diego, and many parts in between have been without power for extended periods of time in recent weeks. Now, in the wake of cell phones that …
Absurd or Brilliant? How to Save Money, and Even Make a Little, As You Shop
Whenever a store has a sale, it points out how much the shopper would “save” by purchasing the discounted merchandise. This is ridiculous, of course. If the item is something you wouldn’t have otherwise purchased, you’re …
