It looks like the trend of Black Friday moving earlier and earlier and ruining the Thanksgiving holiday for everyone is starting to reverse itself. I think it’s mostly due to the shift to online purchasing, which allows the big chains to snag the dollars on Thursday without having to open their stores. This saves them Read More…
Author: RetailGuy
I have worked in retail for over 40 years. I've seen the good, the bad, the ugly, and the completely unbelievable.
20 Classic Retail Fails
These are from guff.com and are all pretty good. I don’t know about you, but I have to find a banana with a bone in it. And as for #7, I’ll bet good money that there is an actual porno with that title somewhere. Orange You Glad? You know that old saying: When life Read More…
Surviving Y2K In Retail
Do you remember the craziness leading up to the year 2000? I do. I was a store manager and actually had to go to my store at midnight on New Years Eve to make sure, um, that all of the computers didn’t blow up or something. I have never felt more foolish in my Read More…
Sunday Soapbox–McDonald’s Kiosks
I very rarely go to McDonald’s any more, but ended up there the other day and they have installed a self-service kiosk to order from. There was a long line to order and an employee called me over to the kiosk and asked if I’d like to use it to order. Being the tech-savvy guy Read More…
CVS To Close More 24-Hour Pharmacies
I have learned that CVS is closing more of their 24-hour pharmacies, in fact all of the remaining ones in South Orange County. The front stores will remain open so they can still post “Open 24 hours” but if someone needs a prescription filled or a pharmacist’s advice for their sick child at 2 am Read More…
CVS Is Still Raking In The $$$$
Another profitable quarter in the books for the CVS Machine, as usual the front-end sales are down (almost 1% factoring out the tobacco sales from last year) and the pharmacy and PBM more than made up for the loss on the front end. $38.6 billion in revenue but their stores are still understaffed, messy Read More…
21 Of The Most Awesome Things To Ever Happen In A Target
Okay most of these are pretty awesome. I thought I had built some creative displays in my career but I must bow down to the creator of #13. 1. When it owned this guy. reddit.com 2. This sale that’s just to die for. imgur.com 3. This creative book stocking. reddit.com 4. When it Read More…
21 Secrets Apple Store Employees Will Never Tell You
I guess drug stores aren’t the only places where customers can be a challenge. Seems like it would be a lot more fun working in an Apple Store though. The customer in #20, however, frequents both establishments as I’ve seen her before… 1. It’s obvious when you have been lying about what happened Read More…
25 Fun Size Facts About Candy
Happy Halloween! Fortunately this year I don’t have to work today and deal with the hordes of last-minute customers, the procrastinators who wait until 5 pm on the 31st and then complain “What, you don’t have any more Snickers?” Probably the same people who complained “Halloween ALREADY?” when we set it in late September. Read More…
A Cheap High From The Drugstore
So here’s a fun one. CVS sells a homeopathic constipation relief medicine with is essentially 40 proof alcohol. The only ingredients listed are ethanol 20% and purified water, which makes it more potent than alcohol or beer. A blogger purchased 6 bottles ($36, about the same as a bar tab) and got Read More…