Free Republic

WASHINGTON — Spirit Christmas is kicking off its holiday season early, with the first of dozens of stores opening over the weekend. Spirit Halloween, known for seasonally popping up in hundreds of locations around the country and offering a wide variety of costume pieces and decorations for folks to prepare for the October holiday, is expanding its spinoff Christmas-themed stores. The company will open 30 Christmas-themed stores across the Northeastern U.S. this year. Spirit Halloween first teased the return of its Christmas-themed pop-up stores in August. The company recently shared on social media a tour inside its newly opened Mays...

There’s more than one reason for the high prices hurting average Americans. But one of them is seldom discussed: the massive retail theft now plaguing our country. How serious is it?The total annual 2022 losses (e.g., including security and insurance) associated with criminality amounted to approximately $112.1 billion. Theft alone was 65 percent of this “shrinkage,” totaling a $72.9 billion loss. Of course, good citizens are supporting these criminals, too.In fact, theft cost the average family more than $400 in 2022.This isn’t distributed equally, though. Families in high-crime areas — i.e., people generally poorer to begin with — bear a...

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- A man and two women from the Houston area have been arrested after the Texas Department of Public Safety says they stole $300,000 from Target stores in multiple states. The thefts took place from February 2024 to September 2025, according to court documents. Bernard Lane, the man prosecutors refer to as the ringleader of the group, has been charged 70 times in Harris County for things like evading arrest, assault, and DWI. By 2024, he'd been convicted three dozen times. And yet that same year, when he was arrested for allegedly choking and threatening to kill...

Long Beach became the first U.S. city to mandate staffing ratios at self-checkout lanes, requiring one employee per three stations. Major grocery chains, including Vons and Albertsons, closed self-checkout to comply with the new theft-prevention ordinance. Unions say the law protects workers; retailers warn it will increase costs and lines for shoppers already frustrated by rampant theft. Tired of rampant shoplifting scaring away citizens and shoppers, Long Beach is trying to force stores to add staff and reduce dependence on self-checkout. The beachfront city, with a population of around half a million, last month started requiring major food and pharmacy...

The Dylan Mulvaney effect claims another victim. After Anheuser-Busch decided to partner with self-proclaimed transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney — a man pretending to be a woman — for an ad campaign featuring him drinking Bud Light in 2023, Fox Business reported sales were down 29.9 percent for the week ending in January 2024 when compared to the previous year. That was 2023. Companies have had time to learn that customers did not want to see delusional men play dress up in a marketing effort, but here we are. Kathmandu Holdings, known as KMD Brands, has reported an $82.9 million loss...

READ MORE: Future of mall favorite's 1.4k shops in the air as buyer swoops in Shops in San Francisco's most iconic mall can't catch a break. The San Francisco Centre, once a shining beacon of economic strength featuring a multi-level golden spiral staircase and ornate Corinthian columns, has been snowballing into oblivion. Shops have been closing for years. Owners have stopped paying their rent. Auctions for the building's sale have been continually postponed. And now, 93 percent of the mall's 1.56 million square feet of retail is vacant. At its peak, more than 200 stores attracted deal-seeking shoppers, but today,...

OpenAI continues the push toward an artificial intelligence future. After the launch of GPT-5, the company announced a new initiative Thursday to certify people in AI use, partnering with retail powerhouse Walmart to make it happen.In a release, OpenAI CEO of Applications Fidji Simo wrote, "Studies show that AI-savvy workers are more valuable, more productive and are paid more than workers without AI skills. That’s why, earlier this year, we launched the OpenAI Academy, a free online learning platform that has helped connect more than 2 million people with the resources, workshops and communities they need to master AI tools."Now...

If progressivism prevails, we may have to go without benefits of civilization that have been taken for granted for centuries. Stores are an example. From the moonbattery-addled Seattle area: Kroger announced its plans to permanently close two more grocery stores, one in Kent and one in Everett… The stores belong to Kroger’s Fred Meyer subsidiary. Kroger noted that the closures could affect approximately 360 workers from both stores. A Fred Meyer spokesperson explains why the closures were necessary: “Unfortunately, due to a steady rise in theft and a challenging regulatory environment that adds significant costs, we can no longer make...

After eleven years as Target's CEO, Brian Cornell is stepping down, though he will stay onboard as an executive chairman. This move was "widely expected." Target went woke, felt the pushback from half of the country, hit the brakes on the woke stuff, then felt the pushback from the other half of the country, and now this dude is done. Target's "tuck-friendly" women's swimwear and LGBT kids' clothes have now cost the company over $12 billion Target executives are probably getting together every 48 hours to get updates on the company's market cap, and every time there's probably some sad,...

Shop security guards have complained of a 'massive' rise in antisocial behaviour by teenage tearaways harassing staff and customers for social media views. Supermarkets have started turning off their WiFi to stop mobs gathering at in-store cafes to use the Internet while passing time filming themselves 'trying to get a rise' out of employees. They also face the scourge of influencers carrying out 'pranks' with the aim of going viral on TikTok, as well as other platforms such as YouTube and Instagram.

Kroger shoppers, take note: Your beloved neighborhood grocery store may not be there much longer. One of America's largest grocery chains just announced it plans to close around 60 stores across the U.S. over the next 18 months, citing "modest financial benefits" in its latest earnings report. Kroger, which currently operates nearly 1,239 grocery stores in 16 states under two dozen different brand names, has been in hot water over the past six months after attempting a $25 billion merger with rival Albertsons. Government regulators denied the deal over antitrust concerns, and now, Albertsons is suing Kroger—and vice versa—in a...

New York CNN — At Home, a popular home goods retailer with 260 stores across 40 US states, has filed for bankruptcy, citing the backdrop of tariff increases and a slowdown in consumer spending. The Dallas-based company announced Monday that it had entered an agreement with its lenders that “will eliminate substantially all” of its roughly $2 billion in debt and provide $200 million in fresh funding to keep At Home operating while it navigates the Chapter 11 process. Brad Weston, At Home’s CEO who joined the company last year, said in a statement that the company is “operating against...

A coordinated campaign used bogus social media accounts to amplify backlash against Target after the company scaled back its Diversity, Equity and Inclusion initiatives, according to a blockbuster report. An analysis by Israeli tech firm Cyabra found that nearly a third of the social media accounts driving outrage over the retail giant’s policy change were fake. The Minneapolis-based retailert announced it would roll back its controversial initiatives — which had drawn scorn from conservatives for touting items such as tuck-friendly bathing suits — after President Trump returned to the White House on Jan. 20. Cyabra reviewed thousands of posts on...

Has any American company run away from a public commitment faster than Target?In an Aug. 19, 2020, conference call, Target Chief Executive Brian Cornell forthrightly put his company in the forefront of the quest for racial and ethnic justice. George Floyd had been murdered by Police Officer Derek Chauvin, abetted by several other officers in Minneapolis, Target’s home city, only about three months earlier. Calls for recognition of the racism exposed by the killing were still reverberating nationwide.“Our team is passionately demanding equity and justice for our Black colleagues and guests,” Cornell said. “We are united in that passion and...

Sales at Target fell more than expected in the first quarter as the retailer faced boycotts for ditching its DEI efforts and felt the impact of President Trump's tariffs. Target cut its forecast for the rest of the year warning that sales would slip further as its customers pulled back on spending amid an uncertain economic environment. Earlier this year the company conceded to the Trump administrations attacks on diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives by scaling back its own efforts. However, the retreat created a fierce customer backlash leading to store boycotts that further damaged sales. Sales for the...

The century-old retailer is set to shutter additional locations by May 25, marking another blow to traditional shopping malls. As JCPenney battles changing consumer habits, many wonder if this iconic chain can survive the challenges still on the horizon. For over a hundred years, JCPenney has served as a go-to destination for clothes, home décor, and memorable holiday gifts. Founded in 1902, it became a staple in malls across the United States. However, the past decade saw shifting shopper preferences and tough economic conditions, and the pandemic further accelerated the move to online retail.

As pharmacy deserts crop up across western Washington, a large chain is biting the dust. Rite Aid CEO Matthew Schroeder briefed employees Monday that all stores would either close or be sold as the company files for bankruptcy,.. The media outlet stated funding from investors fell short, and the company faced a series of economic issues, including tariffs, more expensive supply costs, pricier landlords, and what Schroeder called a “dramatic downturn in the economy.” According to the court filing, as posted on Kroll, to support Rite Aid during bankruptcy, the company secured commitments from lenders to access nearly $2 billion...

A department store has sacked its CEO after an investigation into alleged conflicts of interest. Kohl's announced that Ashley Buchanan, who has been CEO for six months, was relieved of his duties after the company claims it found evidence he favored certain vendors. The department chain said Buchanan didn't disclose this relationship in accordance with its company policies. Buchanon's release comes after an independent firm concluded the ex-CEO 'violated company policies by directing the company to engage in vendor transactions.' The company said the sacking is not attributed to the company's performance, though, the brand is facing some serious headwinds....

President Donald Trump will meet with major retailers on Monday after the National Retail Federation (NRF) announced it does not back the president’s reciprocal tariff policies. A White House official told Reuters that the president will meet Monday afternoon to discuss his tariff policies; the meeting will includes representatives from Walmart, Home Deport, Lowe’s, and Target. Walmart confirmed that its CEO, Doug McMillon, would attend the meeting. More than half of Walmart’s imports are from China, while Home Deport and Lowe’s also import from the country. A March report found that Target relies on China for 30 percent of its...

KEY POINTS * Target CEO Brian Cornell will meet with civil rights leader the Rev. Al Sharpton to discuss the company’s decision to roll back DEI programs. * The discussion comes as the big box retailer faces calls for a boycott and a slump in foot traffic that began soon after it announced plans to walk away from some DEI initiatives. * Sharpton has not called for a boycott of Target, but said he’ll consider it if the company doesn’t reaffirm its commitment to Black businesses, employees and consumers.