#retail

Better buckle up.

https://youtu.be/1cp09eLVE20

I couldn’t believe that I have been shopping at this store in northern Virginia for over 20 years. And anytime I had a return I would go to the customer service desk, especially if I was in a hurry or on a lunch break from work. The new people they hired are so inapt.. They don’t know how to do returns or they refuse to do returns and all they do is laugh and giggle behind the desk. They made me go all the way up to the third floor to return a dress and a lipstick that I bought ONLINE. I will only shop going forward at Bloomingdales. That store has really gone downhill with a caliber of people and employees that they hire very disappointing

I think I’m about to be fired, so I’d like to avoid having that hang over my head by leaving on my own. I hate this because I love my job, but there’s not much I can do about it, I pi---d off the wrong person. Anyhow, everywhere I look, benefits aren’t even close to being as good as here. Is there anybody who’s worked somewhere else and knows if it’s a similar setup?

the dog and pony show visits are back
starting soon for Holiday2025

prep store for walk with extra hours, only to get hours slashed a week later.

hire! hire! hire! with NO HOURS!

Of course Mondelez isn’t leaving dsd! Can you imagine how bad their numbers would look if all at once, all customer business teams could no longer force in 100 cases of Oreo for an end cap display that will never exist! Even when the store already has 100 cases of Oreo in back stock from the last display that never happened!
They are committed to DSD, they are stuck! Stock numbers would plummet so fast and they already aren’t looking good.

Hi, I'm at Walgreens. What support center jobs/departments were hit with the layoffs the first year of Sycamore Partners buying Staples? Appreciate the insight of where I could be in the chopping block.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1p1EApNvooA&list=TLPQMDIxMDIwMjUL_TeNWO39JA&index=4

I joined about a year ago, and I’ve been unhappy ever since. My immediate boss is rude and inconsiderate, the workload is barely manageable, and there’s no work-life balance to speak of. I’ve never felt this exhausted in any of my previous jobs, and those weren’t in retail. I only took this position because there wasn’t much choice at the time, but I honestly don’t know how long I can last.

The additions to the C-suite are part of Philadelphia-based Five Below's self-described "reset."

https://www.bizjournals.com/philadelphia/news/2025/10/01/five-below-executive-changes-recovery.html

Office Depot SOLD Will Go Private in $1 Billion Deal with Atlas Holdings.
https://tonernews.com/forums/topic/office-depot-sold-will-go-private-in-1-billion-deal-with-atlas-holdings/

Can someone list "First 50" Initiative stores that have been revamped? Is there any in Massachusetts or New England region?

I have visited Nashua and Manchester NH locations and I hope these locations are not on the list. They need help, and corporate needs to step up to meet the needs of the store associates.

I’m interested to see how Belk will manage this situation. It was expected that problems would emerge due to reduced hours and a lack of adequate personnel to cover store operations, especially during closing hours. I applaud the associates who made the effort to report the incident while it was happening. However, I can't help but wonder if they might face consequences for their decision to involve law enforcement, given that employees are typically advised to refrain from intervening in suspicious activities. This policy seems to stem from the company’s fear of lawsuits associated with criminal incidents. It’s concerning that many might feel the company prioritizes its legal concerns over the safety and well-being of its employees. https://wyff4.com/article/armed-robbery-4-arrested-upstate-belk-easley/68819933

Just saw online how our technology is way behind others .who will gladly take up our sales we could make. Or be assisted with to get extra walk ins our slow stores.
I expect the worst of Saks Global and they have delivered accordingly

I have a ML who never physically works, shows up in the store for 1-2 hrs twice a month and is always complaining about how much work they have. But they are asking everyone else in the store to do the work for them on top of the tasks they are physically doing in store. Does that make sense? Wasting labor dollars for someone to do emails and come in just to show face?! When will corp realize we don’t need so many useless people

All of the marketing articles being posted on this site seem to be an obvious attempt to shift focus from some pretty egregious complaints.

Rather transparent.

As a former follett employee I’d like to let anyone else still working there know…. There are much better less stressful jobs. “Oh but uhhhh the vp is d-mb and we didn’t get temps for fall rush and they cut our hours” yeah no duh dummy you work for a stupid company. Unless Follett is the only employer in your area (which is unlikely) just start applying elsewhere. I work for a great employer now with better benefits, hours, pay, work environment. Your life is bigger than dead end college retail.

I feel so genuinely bad for my old market leader, she ran the Cal State East Bay Pioneer store from her college years into her 40s. And talking to her was like talking to a brick wall of follett information. Zero soul, just regurgitated slop about endless retail. My point here is don’t let that happen to you too. Life is more than shelving books and getting screamed at by pi---d off customers who’s AirPods are 4 months late due to a drop shipping issue.

Sycamore just purchased Walgreens, any insights on what the company was like under their leadership?

I just recently left Macys however I still have Macy's money can I still use this to make some purchases. I have the regular Macy's American express which I had before I starting working for the company. Just curious.

Just learned my co worker who was hired recently for cosmetics was told by our cosmetics manager to do anything to get credit apps and to NOT use the term “credit card” with customers and to say it’s a “rewards card.” Is this promoted at other stores?

Sounds like that mandatory meeting has paid off in huge profits.

How many managers do they need? when there's an issue, 3 or 4 of them come to you and say the same thing, maybe they should just do it. We are busy with little staff. Maybe the managers should be evaluated by the assotiates like in the movie Office Space. To many cheifs not enough indians.

Walgreens was just purchased by Sycamore. I just read a news article that says Target is also being looked at by private equity firms as well! Are all retail stores pretty much doomed at this point. Wow.

Factors influencing the buyout speculation:

Potential for an attractive acquisition price: Target's stock has been trading near a six-year low, which could make it an attractive and affordable target for a private equity firm.

Change in CEO: The recent announcement that CEO Brian Cornell would be replaced by company insider Michael Fiddelke is thought to have added to the speculation.

Mixed financial results: Despite reporting "better-than-feared" second-quarter earnings, the company's recent results failed to produce a sufficient recovery in its share price.

Previous buyout rumors: News outlets reported on buyout speculation back in late 2024, following disappointing earnings results.

Mini-tender offer: In September 2025, Target received an unsolicited mini-tender offer from TRC Capital Corp., though this offer was for a small portion of the company and not a full buyout.

The worst ran division in the company, they say Columbia is bad? I guess it has a sister store now. Montgomery in Bethesda , Columbia 2.0 except no accountability

Anyone else notice that OneX su-ks on Sunday when the whole company is trying to do markdowns and fulfillment? Jeez Louise it's annoying!!!! And we've been getting weird errors on it saying it can't retrieve the info or whatever. Macy's tech is useless for these issues. They'll just ask me if I rebooted, used a new battery, or tried to reenroll it.
Ugh! Ok, off my soapbox now

Sears has now triumphantly returned to its ancestral home of Hoffman Estates.

5407 Trillium Blvd, Suite B120,
Hoffman Estates, IL 60192

Walgreens did a pilot store in which there were not ad tags. Instead, you received 20% off everything in the store if you paid like $5 a month for "Walgreens Plus."

It was basically the in-store version of a subscription.

It was never rolled out though after the pilot study.

This will mean that APLA will be broken up and CS will shift roles to VP/GM global Nike direct as SG will depart for a new role elsewhere.

https://www.cnn.com/2025/09/25/business/furniture-truck-tariffs-trump

Ridiculous and terrible.

Is anyone able to enter availability for the weeks of thanksgiving and Christmas? I keep checking daily and for those two specific weeks, theres an “error”. All other weeks are fine.

i heard belk is now stopping no-receipt returns and exchanges? is this true? it was a big problem at some South Carolina stores.

With the hiring of Reed Krakoff and John Demsey this week, and Zac Posen last year, the retailer’s top ranks are a who’s who of fashion and beauty industry talent. But boosting sales and breaking into new categories such as accessories and beauty would be a tough assignment for anyone.

Two years into his tenure at Gap Inc., chief executive Richard Di-kson is still finding ways to shake things up.

The American retailer, which also owns Old Navy, Banana Republic and Athleta, announced this week it would make a major push into beauty and accessories.

Di-kson tapped two industry legends to steer those efforts. Reed Krakoff, who as creative director of Coach in the 1990s and 2000s was instrumental in that brand’s heyday, will help develop handbags, jewellery and leather goods across Gap’s brands. On the beauty side, Gap has recruited John Demsey, who ran a huge portfolio of brands, including MAC Cosmetics, at The Estée Lauder Companies, for three decades. Both will operate as consultants, with Nordstrom veteran Deb Redmond and former Kate Spade chief merchandising officer Michele Parsons overseeing the rollout of beauty and accessories, respectively. As general managers, Redmond and Parsons will report to Eric Chan, Gap Inc.’s chief business and strategy officer.

It’s certainly an impressive roster that Gap has assembled. But the task at hand will be difficult. Gap is undertaking these new projects when it’s just begun to rehabilitate its image.

To be sure, Di-kson and Zac Posen, Gap Inc.’s creative director, have made strides in reinserting Gap into the cultural conversation in the last year, with viral ads like its recent campaign with Katseye and major red carpet moments. Most recently, 15-year-old Owen Cooper wore a custom Gap Studio suit designed by Posen when he became the youngest male actor to win an Emmy.

Translating these cultural moments into sales has been slow going. In the second quarter, net sales of $3.73 billion were virtually unchanged from a year earlier, and a bit below analysts’ consensus forecast. The company’s stock trades at more than double its pre-Di-kson price, but has barely budged in the last year. That indicates investors have faith in his project, but are still waiting for him to deliver.

The risk in introducing new categories — especially ones as competitive as beauty, handbags and jewellery — is that they could prove distracting both internally and to customers, especially shoppers who are new to the brand or hadn’t shopped it in years.

Other apparel retailers like Zara, H&M and Forever 21 have entered beauty with lacklustre results. Zara has had success with its fragrances by duping popular scents, but Gap is unlikely to try that strategy. It could instead tap into nostalgia for its ‘90s-era scents, including Dream and Grass.

Beyond fragrance, Gap will need to convince customers that they should buy their perfumes from the same retailer selling them t-shirts and jeans. That will require heavy investments in marketing and product development. A lifestyle play — soap, candles and the like — could also work.

Old Navy, which will introduce branded products and a third-party assortment has a different opportunity as a value player, and will likely compete with Ulta Beauty, Target and Walmart for the mass-market customers. That’s not as far-fetched as it might initially sound: there are over 1,200 Old Navy stores, not far from Ulta’s 1,450 locations. Customers have also been eager to find a destination that fills the void that CVS and Walgreens have left behind in beauty.

Still, beauty remains a tough environment for new entrants. Sephora and Ulta Beauty are perfecting their globalised approach. Newness continues to drive the industry, which could work in Gap Inc.’s favour, but will mean a constant grind to find new brands and products to encourage repeat purchases.

Handbags feel like safer territory. Gap can bank on the success of its recent handbag line at Old Navy, which garnered glowing coverage and, presumably through Posen’s Hollywood connections, was seen on the shoulders of various actresses including Jenna Ortega on her “Wednesday” press tour.

Handbags and accessories are logically and emotionally closer to apparel than beauty. Gap already carries an assortment of shoes, bags, hats, belts, socks and other small accessories. Its jelly flip-flops and flats went viral for being dupes to The Row earlier this summer. Whereas Old Navy has an opportunity in the affordable trend-driven space — alongside Target, Amazon and Shein — Gap can expand into potentially higher-end or statement pieces as a natural extension of Gap Studio, the elevated line designed by Posen that launched in April.

Ultimately, the goal may not even be to turn Gap or Old Navy into a major beauty or handbag powerhouse, but to position the brands as cross-category lifestyle destinations. Success on that front isn’t measured in blockbuster sales; it’s about creating a perception of Gap as a place to shop for more than just a T-shirt and a pair of chinos.

RIP

https://newsfeed.wtjx.org/podcast/wtjx-newsfeed/2025-09-18/kmart-pharmacy-in-tutu-park-mall-on-st-thomas-closes-customers-and-staff-transition-to-walgreens

These two buildings, 10 minutes apart. Fashion Square in one of the largest luxury malls in the country, Biltmore in an outdoor shopping center just a short drive across Camelback. The new owners of Biltmore Fashion Park have major plans for the center (think Saks redevelopment…..), lofts on top of the mall and a boutique hotel in front of Cheesecake Factory. Kierland Commons lifestyle center is the plan. Where does Macys fit into this? Time and $ will tell.

Sam's Club will now be open 8am to 8pm every single day, including Sundays, permanently, going forward.

The only day we will close early (6pm) is Christmas Eve.

Ship to home cheating numbers by purposely sending out incorrect merchandise by “subbing.” This not only feels morally wrong to do, but also illegal somehow..? Are any other stores experiencing this? Managers tell us to “sub” out merchandise if we don’t have the right one in store, i.e. send a medium instead of small, but some even more extreme.

Blood bath

if i evr won the lottery, i wouldn’t retire quietly. i’d open a cellphone store right in the middle of the richest neighborhood i could find.

but it wouldn’t be a normal store. our only goal would be to make sure every single customer left annoyed. prices wouldn’t matter, products wouldn’t matter, the only thing that mattered was that no one walked out satisfied.

every single worker in the store would hold the title of “manager.” that’s it, no other roles. on their name tags, we’d list their salaries in huge print. people would walk in, see someone making millions a year, and still realize they weren’t going to get any help at all.

and for customer service? our number wouldn’t go to a call center, it would connect straight to the irs. so if you wanted to complain, you’d have a very different kind of problem waiting for you.

Then as customers stormed out the door with frustration written all over their faces, we’d smile, wave, and say in the sweetest tone: “and you have a nice day.”

Cybersecurity being ran by the most incompetent non cyber people ever. Staples really forgot they’re supposed to protect the network, not promote their friends.