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I don’t often take advantage of Black Friday deals, but I needed a set of tires, so I steeled myself for battle, and entered the hunt. The one thing most shops don’t advertise online is the country of origin (I wonder why), so I handled that part by phone. I called the shop, identified the deal I was looking for, and asked them to check the country of manufacture (as far as I’m concerned, USA would be nice, but I don’t want tires made in China). He put me on hold while he looked at the tire, and returned with...

Just when it seemed like Target had gotten rid of all the controversy it was embroiled in, this year, the retail chain was hit with yet another one. A viral TikTok video posted by @djdowneygirl exposed the franchise for misguiding customers with sale prices. The TikToker did this by removing the sale price placard of a few products to reveal the original pricing below, which turned out to be the same.Netizens were outraged by the alleged scam perpetrated by the retail chain but many were even more disappointed at people for easily falling for such prices.

The California Highway Patrol is increasing its operations to help curb organized retail crime under a new order from the state’s governor, Gavin Newsom. “When criminals run out of stores with stolen goods, they need to be arrested and escorted directly into jail cells,” Newsom wrote in a statement announcing the effort. “Leveraging hundreds of millions of dollars in law enforcement investments, the California Highway Patrol — working with allied agencies — is increasing enforcement efforts and conducting and supporting covert and confidential takedowns to stop these criminals in their tracks during the holiday season, and year-round.

Retailers across New York state say there’s no end in sight to the rising epidemic of organized shoplifting rings — and warn it could lead to more store closures, increased costs for consumers and threats of violence against store employees. Store owners said they lost $4.4 billion last year as a result of retail theft — which they say adds to the urgency for Gov. Kathy Hochul to crack down. However, Hochul vetoed a bipartisan bill last week — to the chagrin of store owners — that would have created a task force to combat organized theft. ... The Retail...

How charming…. Target just hired someone named Erik Thompson, also known as the Gay Cruella on Instagram (duh), who is Target’s new LGBTQIA+ (say that 10 times fast!) multicultural merchandising strategy and Pride businesses leader! Yes, really. It’s no secret that the retail store Target has not endeared itself to Christians anytime lately. In fact, Target’s main focus in recent years has been about pushing ‘LGBTQ’ propaganda by prioritizing products that support that specific agenda. They’ve done this in spite of the mostly negative responses they’ve received for their trouble. Back in June, Target even backtracked on pushing their “pride”...

A newly-opened boutique store in Seattle has suffered two 'crash-and-grab' burglaries within four days as the worrying trend spreads across the state. Rush Hour, which specializes in buying, selling, and trading sneakers, streetwear, and vintage items, was smashed into just before 5am on November 17 using a stolen Chevrolet Silverado. The thieves then ran inside to steal their merchandise but the owners of the store were optimistic this would not deter them and hoped to recoup some their losses on Black Friday. But they were again targeted by thieves on November 20 who used a stolen Kia Sedona to crash...

Mega retail chain Target is under fire for 'sexualizing' Christmas with a LGBTQ+holiday decoration line that features 'Pride Santa' and a 'Pride Christmas Nutcracker' Figurine. The 'Fabriche Pride Santa' features St. Nicholas holding the rainbow Pride Flag, the symbol of the LGBTQ community, bearing the slogan 'Love is Love' on his white shirt with rainbow suspenders. A wooden Nutcracker figurine - dressed in a blue and white jacket with rainbow lapels, a rainbow hat and holding a 'progress flag' - is also part of the 2023 holiday collection. The items are available for sale on the company's website despite the...

As we enter the Christmas season in earnest, with decorating, gift shopping, and other seasonal activities keeping us busy, we cannot help but notice the unprecedented level of inflation everywhere we go. There are several reasons for these three years of price hikes, of course. It’s not all caused entirely by a single issue. But there is one major cause that outshines the rest: the cost of diesel fuel. What, you don’t buy diesel, yourself? You don’t have to. In many ways, the American economy itself runs on diesel fuel. Transportation costs – inbound and outbound, raw materials and finished...

Target has promoted Erik Thompson to Senior LGBTQIA+ Strategist and Pride Lead, according to a @LibsofTikTok post on X and Thompson’s LinkedIn profile.In his new role overseeing Target’s lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex, queer/questioning, intersex, and asexual marketing, Thompson says he plans to “flip the script and rewrite the narrative of CPG [consumer packaged goods] retail industries to better serve all segments and thoughtfully & authentically cater to *ALL guests, ALL humans & ALL hearts* who enter our stores and across the nation.”

Target’s sales slumped last quarter and the retail giant is predicting a slow holiday shopping season. Target’s sales tumbled 4.9% — the second quarter in a row sales have dropped. And the company forecast a weak holiday, as customers continue to forgo discretionary purchases like furniture, electronics and some clothing. Target expects sales to decline by mid-single digits this holiday season. Shoppers have become more cautious in the face of inflation, higher interest rates and the resumption of student loan repayments. Consumers aren’t spending on home improvement projects the way they were during the pandemic, Home Depot said Tuesday. Retail...

Target CEO Brian Cornell suggested that the backlash the retail giant faced back in May over its LGBTQ Pride displays was the first time some team members claimed it was "not safe" at work. Cornell appeared Thursday on CNBC where he discussed declining sales, particularly following protests and critiques of its Pride Month merchandise. While on the topic, he insisted that employees felt more unsafe during the controversy than they did during natural disasters and violent Black Lives Matter protests. "This is my 10th holiday season at Target. You and I have been talking almost every quarter during those 10...

Retailers say theft is exploding, and some data from retailers along with numerous videos of violent store robberies and looting seem to support the claim.But some retail analysts and researchers, bolstered by local crime statistics, say stores may be over-stating the extent and impact of theft. Why? It’s a useful deflection, camouflaging weak demand, mismanagement and other issues denting business right now. And it forces lawmakers to respond.Across the country, the “actual increase in rates of theft” at stores does not “correspond to the increase in company commentary and actions” on theft, according to a new report by retail analysts...

(KTXL) — Retail crime has been on the rise in the U.S., forcing some major retailers to even close locations in response. A new report shows some U.S. cities have been especially hard-hit by organized retail crime. The National Retail Federation (NRF) — the world’s largest retail trade association, according to its website — recently released its 2023 Retail Security Survey. The report contains insights from 177 retail brands, which accounted for $1.6 trillion of annual retail sales in 2022 and represent more than 97,000 retail locations across the U.S. Overall, retailers that participated in the survey reported that inventory...

Rite Aid said it will close 150 of its 2,100 US locations after filing for bankruptcy.. CVS is set to close the doors on 900 of its stores by the end of 2024.. Walgreens will shutter 150 stores by summer 2024 - leaving millions in 'pharmacy deserts' . The nation's largest drugstore chains, Rite Aid, CVS and Walgreens, will shutter more than 1,500 stores, leaving millions of Americans without access to healthcare in 'pharmacy deserts.' Rite Aid said it will close 150 of its 2,100 US locations after they filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy earlier this month. The pharmacy chain...

We will attempt to look at an entire job class today, so there are going to be some unavoidable generalizations. Even so, certain truths do apply across the board, whether we like admitting to them or not. Some of us love the self checkout line at the grocery store. We don’t slow down the other people in line; we can pack our own bags the way we want to, and as long as we can get the discount programs to work and the pricing is right, it can be a nice change to brighten our day. But most of us...

Once-bustling American malls are going bust as shoppers flock to online retailers instead of sprawling, brick-and-mortar locations. Ten years from now, there will be approximately 150 malls left in the US, Nick Egelanian, president of retail consulting firm SiteWorks, told The Wall Street Journal. That's down from around 2,500 locations in the 1980s and 700 today, Egelanian said.

Nope, nothing to see here, folks, everything's fine, there's no crime wave or anything like that, and this is the best economy in the history of economies. Stories like this are just made up by conspiracy theorists Republicans to make Joe Biden look bad. LOOK AT THOSE SHELVES! Seriously though, my liberal friends actually think this is fine and perfectly normal. I don't know what they're on, but it worries me. Meanwhile, not only do we have empty shelves at this CVS in DC because thieves keep showing up when the delivery truck arrives, but we've got street vendors nearby...

The first nine months of 2023 have seen big-name retailers including David’s Bridal, Bed Bath & Beyond and Party City file for bankruptcy. And more could be on the way. An illustration of people walking by closing sale signs. Already in 2023, David’s Bridal, Party City and Bed Bath & Beyond filed for bankruptcy. Yujin Kim/Retail DiveMoody’s Investors Service in July said defaults in retail and apparel would continue to rise, jumping from 6% to 8.6% in the following 12 months as weakening consumer spending and high product, labor and freight costs weigh on businesses. And in a Sept. 20...

A shocking new video shows dozens of masked looters smashing their way into an Apple Store in Philadelphia and running away with iPhones and tablets as the city dealt with widespread crime the past week. Philadelphia Police Department released a new surveillance camera footage, showing brazen thugs rioting through the Apple store on Walnut Street in the center of the city. Masked thieves forcefully infiltrated the store, swiftly seizing iPhones, laptops, tablets, and anything within reach on display stands—finishing their plunder in less than a minute. Most suspects appeared to be teenagers including one audaciously strolling out, lugging a massive...

Wild video of a group of looters smashing their way into a store in Northeast Philadelphia during the stealing rampage Tuesday night has been released by Philadelphia police, while businesses are still on edge and taking precautions so they don’t get hit again. Guys with hammer and crowbar broke the glass doors of P.C. Richard on Cottman Avenue and the looters flood in like the old Black Friday shoppers. Notice there is a steel cage they had to cut through first to get to the glass doors. The first guy going out within 12 seconds has a tv. He skids...