Free Republic

One of the many holes in the “social contract” theory of government is that the power of the state is so often harnessed by interest groups to protect themselves against competition. Nobody ever agreed to that, but it happens all the time, inflicting losses on the consuming public. A recent instance of this is the aggressive lobbying campaign being waged by the American Optometric Association (AOA) against innovations that now make it possible for Americans to get accurate eye exams and lens prescriptions over the Internet. By using such innovations, millions of Americans who need vision correction could save substantial...

It seems the Trump family is making an effort to appear more approachable. After first lady Melania Trump caused a stir when she stepped out in a $51,500 coat during the G-7 summit last month, various members of the Trump family have been seen out in more approachable, everyday brands. Now it seems Dolce & Gabbana is out, while Target and J.Crew are in. Ivanka Trump, President Donald Trump's eldest daughter and one of his advisers, was photographed earlier this month leaving her house in the Kalorama neighborhood of Washington, DC, in a dress that was easily identified as a...

Outdoor shopping centres are drawing in customers who long ago wrote off the traditional mall experience through a modern mix of food, fashion and practicality. ATLANTA, United States — Pull into the parking lot of the Westside Provisions District, the mixed-use development in Atlanta’s gentrified Westside neighborhood, and you might have to hand your keys over to a valet to help you find a spot — especially on a Saturday afternoon. That’s because, unlike the downtrodden, two-penny outdoor shopping centres and abandoned enclosed malls weighing down the suburbs of the US, Westside Provisions is giving people a reason to swing...

Gymboree has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. The children's clothing retailer announced the move Monday morning, only a few weeks after it partnered with a turnaround firm, AlixPartners, to assist with its operations and then missed a June 1 debt payment.

Some of the reasons Japan loves vending machines have nothing to do with an aging society of love of robots. Video series Vox Borders recently came to Tokyo, taking a look at aspects of everyday life in Japan. Something that caught host Johnny Harris’ eye, as with many new arrivals to the capital, is the incredible number of vending machines to be found in Japan. The purpose of vending machines is pretty self-explanatory (to sell things), but Harris wondered why Japan has so many, and seeks to answer that question in the straightforwardly titled video “Why Japan has so many...

At the rate his team is going, Fresno Mayor Lee Brand might have to raise his job-creation goals. The first-year mayor has said at several public events recently that he wants to bring 10,000 permanent, new jobs to the city. Those jobs, in turn, would produce a ripple effect leading to the creation of 10,000 more jobs in the local economy. What would Fresno and surrounding cities look like with 20,000 people who are now unemployed going to work? Significantly better. General funds would rise. There would be more revenue for public safety, road maintenance and parks. Families would prosper,...

Consider this before you assume you can have a long or lucrative career in the retail industry: Up to half of all current jobs in the retail sector are likely to vanish because of e-commerce, automation of jobs and the closing of brick-and-mortar stores. Millions of retail jobs — as we now know them — are going the way of gas station attendants. Just as ATMs replaced many bank tellers, automated check-out stations are supplanting retail clerks. And have you watched in-store “shoppers” who do Amazon price checks while they’re standing in the aisles? Have you noticed how many of...

Between 20% and 25% of the nation’s shopping malls will close in the next five years, according to a new report from Credit Suisse that predicts e-commerce will continue to pull shoppers away from bricks-and-mortar retailers. For many, the Wall Street firm’s finding may come as no surprise. Long-standing retailers are dying off as shoppers’ habits shift online. Credit Suisse expects apparel sales to represent 35% of all e-commerce by 2030, up from 17% today. Traditional mall anchors, such as Macy’s, J.C. Penney and Sears, have announced numerous store closings in recent months. Clothiers including American Apparel, Bebe and BCBG...

Call it retail-tainment. Just don't call American Dream Miami a mall. Developers are proposing a massive 6 million-square-foot (557,000 square-meter) project on the edge of the Everglades in bustling South Florida that would dwarf any other shopping mecca in North America, including Minnesota's Mall of America. Miami-Dade County officials could vote this fall to approve it, despite some criticism that it will worsen the region's already choking traffic problem and might produce mostly low-paying jobs. In general, malls across the U.S. have been in a slow decline as shoppers flock to the internet....

Retail trade is one of the biggest job sectors in America, and the vast majority of those workers still clock in at brick-and-mortar stores. But the big growth is coming from e-commerce, which happens to pay a lot better, too. This is a promising development for retail workers who worry about thousands of store closings and the march of automation. E-commerce also offers a potential antidote to years of low productivity growth and income stagnation. “If this new pattern continues, it will raise real wages across the economy and rejuvenate the middle class,” said a report by economist Michael Mandel...

Walking the aisles of your local supermarket may feel like a pretty mundane task. But 100 years ago, it was downright revolutionary. On September 6, 1916, hundreds of curious shoppers came out for the opening of a new grocery store at 79 Jefferson Avenue in Memphis, Tennessee. A festive atmosphere greeted them, complete with a beauty contest and a brass band. Smartly dressed employees handed out flowers to the ladies and balloons to children. The store—located on a busy commercial stretch just three blocks east of the river—was the perfect excuse for some afternoon shopping, and maybe a stroll along...

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With more than half of 2017 still ahead, the retail industry is seeing a record-setting pace for bankruptcy filings and store closings — and more are expected in the not too distant future, despite what most consider a healthy consumer. This tipping point for retail is the result of a number of compounding reasons, but the inability to pay looming, massive debt bills is dealing the final death blow to many. More online shopping Yes, more shopping is shifting online in general, and to Amazon specifically, as in-store shopping traffic and sales trends fall for many retailers and shopping...

Target’s declining sales and tumbling stock price, which dropped from a high of $82.76 in April of 2016 to a low of about $54.78 in April of this year, has spurred its board of directors to slash CEO Brian Cornell’s salary by nearly a third to $11.3 million. “Cornell’s compensation was based on the performance of two financial metrics: incentive EBIT (earnings before income and taxes), which makes up 75 percent of Cornell’s stock component, and the rest on adjusted sales,” Reuters reported. “Target said it missed its 2016 incentive EBIT goal of $5.74 billion by $623 million and fell...

With unemployment low and economic growth expected to bounce back from a slow first quarter, consumers are not in bad shape. But it has been an especially terrible year so far for retailers. Nine U.S. chains have filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. Store closures are accelerating, and almost 90,000 retail workers have lost their jobs since October. Experts say the industry's troubles are just beginning. "The disruption is just unfolding," says Mark Cohen, a former CEO of Sears Canada who now directs retail studies at Columbia Business School. "I think the number of store closings will continue at an...

Yesterday was a trying day. The kids woke up early and it was early release. The laptop wasn’t working and I really didn’t want to do anything. And then, midway through my afternoon, the local wives’ page started hopping. You see, clothing store Forever 21 has some new products for sale. . . the military wives just couldn’t believe their eyes. You’re not going to believe it–and you’re probably not going to run to the store, either. Here’s a peek...

Kevin Johnson, who succeeded Howard Schultz as CEO this month, on Thursday presided over an earnings call where the company cut its full-year profit target on the heels of disappointing second-quarter sales and stalling growth from its main business in the United States. Shares in the company fell 4.9 percent to $58.30 after Starbucks also announced that it was reviewing its Teavana business after that chain's mall stores dragged down overall sales.

Ever feel like your job in Hollywood or your large trust fund has left you out of touch with the working class in America? Well, now there’s a new way to reconnect with the hoi polloi: Buy a pair of $425 jeans that promise to show “you’re not afraid to get down and dirty.” Luxury fashion retailer Nordstrom was previously best known for dropping Ivanka Trump’s brand back in February—unofficially out of political spite, officially because of declining sales. The company is now desperate to ruin its own brand further by selling a pair of working class-inspired pants, so that...

A $425 pair of men's heavily-distressed, straight-leg blue denim jeans sold at Nordstrom, which according to the retailer's website, has "seen some hard-working action with a crackled, caked-on muddy coating that shows you're not afraid to get down and dirty." ... Finally - a pair of jeans that look like they have been worn by someone with a dirty job…made for people who don't.

This morning, for your consideration, I offer further proof that our country’s war on work continues to rage in all corners of polite society. Behold the latest assault from Nordstrom’s. The “Barracuda Straight Leg Jeans.” Finally - a pair of jeans that look like they have been worn by someone with a dirty job…made for people who don't. And you can have your very own pair for just $425.00. Here’s the official description, from their website. “These heavily distressed medium-blue denim jeans embody rugged, Americana workwear that's seen some hard-working action with a crackled, caked-on muddy coating that shows you're...