So I’ve seen a vending machine in my local mall that dispenses items from Best Buy, and also one that has fragrances inside, but I had no idea the lengths that people are going to in order to sell things without a human being there. I am now hard at work at a machine Read More…
Black Friday Is Dying, and That’s a Good Thing
As I told you last week, more stores are closing on Thanksgiving and thanks to online purchasing going up there looks like there will be less activity on Black Friday this year as well. This is a great article from twocents.lifehacker.com about the pending death of Black Friday. If you’re planning on bundling up and Read More…
90’s Stores That Are Dead And Gone
I have to admit that I enjoyed shopping in quite a few of these. I loved Structure clothes and in fact still have a shirt that’s hanging on for dear life. And everybody, I mean everybody, had to shop in Tower Records or you just weren’t cool. Some of these Read More…
These Are the Eight Annoying Customers You’ll Have at Every Retail Job
It’s REALLY hard to choose which of these is the MOST annoying. After watching a customer spend 20 minutes in the deodorant aisle yesterday, I’m going with “The Decision Maker.” I believe life is way too short to spend time trying decide between Gillette Sport Herbal Scent and Dry Idea Cactus Flower, but that’s Read More…
31 Weird Things People Bought at the Grocery Store
Here’s a great list from Buzzfeed of the craziest things people bought at the grocery store while they were drunk. It’s quite apparent that alcohol and shopping don’t mix. And as for #27, I’d say you don’t have to be drunk to regret that decision. We asked members of the BuzzFeed Community to Read More…
These 24 Chains are Refusing to Open on Thanksgiving Day
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…
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…