The Change Mariner: Category: Industry

December 31, 2004

Internet Sites Allow Gift Card Exchanges

Yahoo! News: The gift card -- often viewed as the little, plastic solution for keeping friends and family out of the return lines -- doesn't always serve as the ideal present. Responding to consumers who don't want to buy themselves...

Posted by Jennifer King at 8:55 AM | See the full story | TrackBack

May 13, 2004

Study Shows Big Drop in Book Sales

Yahoo! News: Not even Harry Potter could prevent a big drop in book sales in 2003. With a struggling economy and competition for time from other media, 23 million fewer books were sold last year than in 2002, according to...

Posted by Timothy Fredel at 2:00 PM | See the full story | TrackBack

May 10, 2004

'Jesus Is My Homeboy' Becomes Fashion Statement

Rugged Elegance: Driven by the success of "The Passion of the Christ" at the box office, "Jesus Chic" has become the new Hollywood fashion trend. Celebrities such as Madonna, Pamela Anderson and Ashton Kutcher have been recently spotted wearing "Jesus...

Posted by Timothy Fredel at 12:09 AM | See the full story | TrackBack

April 6, 2004

Froogle Visitors Soar

Mercury News: Traffic to Froogle soared after Google added a link to the comparison-shopping site on its home page last week. A report by Hitwise.com said a 319 percent increase in visits to Froogle pushed it into the top 10...

Posted by Bob King at 5:33 PM | See the full story | TrackBack

April 4, 2004

Finding Happiness by Trading Up

Boston.com: Consumers get emotional payoff from splurging Public-relations executive Kristin Dormeyer works hard for her extra cash, but some people might say she doesn't spend it wisely. She buys face cream that costs $50 for two ounces and splurges on...

Posted by Jennifer King at 5:34 PM | See the full story | TrackBack

March 8, 2004

The Growing Influence of Hispanics in U.S.

Business Week: It amounts to no less than a shift in the nation's center of gravity. Hispanics made up half of all new workers in the past decade, a trend that will lift them from roughly 12% of the workforce...

Posted by Bob King at 11:55 AM | See the full story | TrackBack

March 2, 2004

California Says "Stuff-it" to Wal-Mart

USA Today: Wal-Mart's relentless rollout of new stores has foundered in California like a beached whale. Two years ago, the world's biggest company announced aggressive plans to build 40 of its trademark "supercenters" in this lucrative market of 35 million...

Posted by Norm M. Wada at 11:21 PM | See the full story | TrackBack

February 27, 2004

Baby Business Booms

Reuters: As toy retailers struggle with weak sales and aggressive price cuts, the baby segment -- which includes not just toys but strollers, car seats and cribs -- appears to be booming. Wal-Mart Stores Inc., the world's largest retailer, is...

Posted by Timothy Fredel at 8:38 PM | See the full story | TrackBack

February 14, 2004

eBay Now A Fashion Hot Spot

San Jose Mercury News: The online auction house once thought of as the fastest way to dump garage sale castoffs is now the place to buy and sell Jimmy Choo shoes, Salvatore Ferragamo alligator handbags and Etro coats. And this...

Posted by Bob King at 10:01 AM | See the full story | TrackBack

January 23, 2004

Austria-based Swarovski To Change How Its Sells In America

Projo.com: Austria-based Swarovski, known for its crystal accessories and gifts, is drastically changing how it sells in America. The company is significantly reducing U.S. production of its crystal jewelry and will stop selling it through major department stores. Over the...

Posted by Jennifer King at 2:59 AM | See the full story | TrackBack

January 22, 2004

Holiday Season Turns Blue for RedEnvelope

Contra Costa Times: ...RedEnvelope gravely underestimated demand. It has always promoted itself as a purveyor of last-minute gifts and has won customers with its unusual items and its signature red boxes and white bows. During the heart of the shopping...

Posted by Jennifer King at 5:21 AM | See the full story | TrackBack

January 14, 2004

Consumed: The Duet Washer and Dryer

New York Times: Consumers think of themselves as logical creatures, but of course that is not always true. Emotional and irrational factors come into play when we buy things to impress our friends or to make us feel better about...

Posted by Timothy Fredel at 11:42 PM | See the full story | TrackBack

December 14, 2003

Companies Test 'Contactless' Credit Cards

Yahoo! News: The familiar process of buying something with a credit card -- handing the plastic to the clerk or swiping it yourself, then waiting for approval and signing the receipt -- could be headed the way of the mechanical...

Posted by Timothy Fredel at 11:00 PM | See the full story | TrackBack

This Year, Opposites Attract Holiday Shoppers

Boston.com: When merchants tally up their Christmas sales this year, the items that have flown from their shelves may fall into two classes: luxury goods for which consumers are willing to pay a premium, and value goods sold in volume...

Posted by Timothy Fredel at 1:29 AM | See the full story | TrackBack

December 6, 2003

Discount Nation: Is Wal-Mart Good for America?

New York Times: The annual celebration of the American consumer economy -- the holiday shopping season -- is just underway, and Wal-Mart, the juggernaut of retailing, already seems to have claimed its first victim. The corporate owner of F.A.O. Schwarz...

Posted by Timothy Fredel at 10:14 PM | See the full story | TrackBack

Wal-Mart to Flex Muscles in Music Downloads?

ECommerceTimes: Wal-Mart Stores Inc. reportedly is looking at beginning to sell digital music downloads by year's end, raising the prospect of new price competition in the online music market. That could significantly reduce the allure of unauthorized free music downloads....

Posted by Norm M. Wada at 1:14 PM | See the full story | TrackBack

December 4, 2003

Wal-Mart To Refuse MasterCard Signature Debit Cards

SunSentinal: Wal-Mart Stores Inc. will stop accepting signature debit cards issued by MasterCard, starting in February, the first major retailer to take such action since a lawsuit settlement freed merchants to pick which credit and debit card services they use....

Posted by Norm M. Wada at 11:14 PM | See the full story | TrackBack

December 3, 2003

The Search for the Perfect Gift Grows at Small Online Stores

New York Times: Online sales were the bright spot for retailing over the Thanksgiving weekend. Visa said its online sales, including travel, increased 47 percent in the week ended Sunday, compared with the week last year. Traditional retailers had only...

Posted by Bob King at 9:29 AM | See the full story | TrackBack

November 24, 2003

Wal-Mart: Are We Shopping Our Way to the Unemployment Line?

Fast Company: ... One way to think of Wal-Mart is as a vast pipeline that gives non-U.S. companies direct access to the American market. "One of the things that limits or slows the growth of imports is the cost of...

Posted by Norm M. Wada at 7:57 PM | See the full story | TrackBack

November 16, 2003

Changing Shopping Patterns at The Malls

San Francisco Chronicle: Some of the biggest fans [of malls] are visiting less. In 1996, 14- to 17-year-olds visited malls 54 times on average, for 90 minutes per visit. In 2002, they visited malls 52 times, at 84 minutes per...

Posted by Timothy Fredel at 7:09 PM | See the full story | TrackBack

November 11, 2003

Wal-Mart Faces Class-Action Suit

New York Times: Lawyers filed a class-action suit against Wal-Mart yesterday in New Jersey, saying it violated federal racketeering laws by conspiring with cleaning contractors to cheat immigrant janitors out of wages. The suit, in Federal District Court in Newark,...

Posted by Norm M. Wada at 12:03 AM | See the full story | TrackBack

November 7, 2003

Battles brew over big-box retail stores

Silicon Valley BizInk: A battle between big-box stores -- typically retail stores exceeding 90,000 square feet -- and local municipalities is spreading throughout the Bay Area. In cities such as Oakland and Gilroy, and in Contra Costa County, the fight...

Posted by Norm M. Wada at 6:03 PM | See the full story | TrackBack

November 4, 2003

A consumer's quest to keep shoppers' data private

CS Monitor: ... Cockerham calls the scheme the Ultimate Shopper. Visitors to www.cockeyed.com/pranks/safeway/ultimate_shopper.html can order free stickers with copies of his discount card bar code. Slap a sticker on your own card and, presto! you're a Rob Cockerham clone in...

Posted by Norm M. Wada at 5:10 PM | See the full story | TrackBack

October 26, 2003

Is Wal-Mart Too Powerful?

Business Week In business, there is big, and there is Wal-Mart. With $245 billion in revenues in 2002, Wal-Mart Stores Inc. is the world's largest company. It is three times the size of the No. 2 retailer, France's Carrefour. Every...

Posted by Norm M. Wada at 9:48 PM | See the full story | TrackBack

The Change Mariner Industry - Retail