Less than two weeks apart, Costco and Sam’s Club both talked about letting customers check themselves out without a cashier. The weird thing is these two rival warehouse clubs have come to opposite conclusions about the technology: Sam’s Club is doubling down on it while Costco is eliminating it.
Retail
Kid Rock’s $20 Concert Ticket Plan: Good for Fans, Bad for Scalpers
At first glance, Kid Rock’s “$20 Best Night Ever” tour seems ripe for exploitation by scalpers. It’s not hard to imagine entrepreneurs scooping up loads of tickets for $20 apiece, and then selling them for triple or quadruple face value—at which point, they’d still be cheaper than the average concert ticket.
State vs. State: Hot Summer for States Stealing Businesses, Workers, Tax Revenues
So much for the United States. In skirmishes around the country, states are battling it out with their neighbors—and sometimes, states in other time zones—over sales tax revenues, marijuana taxes, weapons manufacturing businesses, and the pool of local labor.
Here are a few of the ongoing state-vs.-state showdowns:
The Dakotas …
Dropping Its Founder and Spokesman, Men’s Wearhouse Goes After Millennials
Last week, Men’s Wearhouse fired George Zimmer, the company’s 64-year-old founder and spokesman. In many respects, the avuncular Zimmer looks the epitome of the American businessman: impeccably dressed in his suit and tie in the company’s well-known and oft-quoted ads. But while a number of the store’s shoppers expressed outrage …
5 Ways Companies Win by Giving Stuff Away
Consumers love freebies. But the companies handing out complimentary donuts, comic books, ice cream, pancakes, and Slurpees love giveaways even more. On the surface, freebies look like obvious money losers. But when handled wisely, giveaways are all but guaranteed to boost sales.
Last week, Procter & Gamble hosted an enormous giveaway …
No, the Lululemon CEO Didn’t Get Fired for See-Through Yoga Pants
Earlier this year, yoga-wear company Lululemon had to initiate a massive recall of its popular luon yoga pants, which failed to fulfill one of the main duties of pants: opacity. The see-through-pants debacle cost the …
One Way Tebow Will Definitely Help the Patriots
A third-string quarterback with zero Pro Bowl appearances and highly criticized throwing mechanics—who was recently dumped by his team from last year, and who many football analysts predicted wouldn’t be in the NFL this year—will have one of the league’s hottest-selling jerseys.
Why Dads Get Short Shrift on Father’s Day — and Dads Are O.K. With It
When it comes to their respective days of honor, why do dads get funny ties and moms get diamond-heart necklaces? Why do we spend 40% more on Mother’s Day than Father’s Day? Some seemingly ungrateful children (and a few dads) …
Amazon’s New Grocery Service: For $299, You Never Have to Leave the House Again
Would you pay $299 annually if it meant never having to go to the supermarket? Amazon.com is testing a service with that idea in mind. And that’s on top of Amazon’s other services that already eliminate the need to go to the mall.
Jos. A. Bank and JC Penney: When Retailers Try to ‘Retrain the Customer’
The Rise of the Swanky No-Name Brand
The generic “store brand” label has been losing its stigma for years. Now, Target is attempting to further dispel the notion that an in-house brand equates to low quality with the launch of an organic, upscale food line.
The Straight Poop on Dollar Shave Club’s Wet Wipes For Guys
The Dollar Shave Club guys are back, and this time they’re knocking on the back door. “I’m talking about poop,” CEO Michael Dubin announces in another self-consciously edgy (not to say “cheeky”) YouTube video shilling his company’s newest product: wet wipes for grown men.
In the blogosphere, the question of whether or not adults …