Alec MacGillis shares in the Times how online shopping and Amazon in particular are wrecking havoc on retail.
Highlights:
Nationwide, 9,800 stores shuttered in 2019, among them 220 Sears stores.
Analysts predict that brick-and-mortar store closures could reach 25,000 by year’s end.
J.C. Penney, Neiman Marcus and J. Crew filed for bankruptcy, Macy’s furloughed nearly all of its 125,000 workers for months, and countless independent businesses have closed for good.
In this week's New Yorker magazine, Charles Duhigg explores how venture capitalists may be harming our businesses. The article shares that instead of the best company winning, the charismatic charlatan with the most venture capital backing may be winning. In WeWork's case, the company almost won by reaching its IPO. Yet, even bottomless buckets of money couldn't save the company from the economics of office sharing--and its wildcard CEO Adam Neumann.
We have a few businesses in our retail ...
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Thanksgiving weekend at Cheeks! In Squirrel Hill: 30% off Fall/Holiday and 70% off clearance of Joseph Ribkoff apparel, with special savings in a Spring Collection Preview. Both stores: 20% off everything else in stock. Also offering specials at Glassworks. Happy Thanksgiving!
We are following state guidelines by sanitizing, social distancing, and wearing masks, so you must also. For a private shopping appointment, please email us or call...
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November 19, 2020
November 19, 2020
Friday, November 20
Wear your funky socks and get 20% off
all the socks you purchase!
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This week, Amazon launched its online pharmacy targeting the 3.8 billion prescriptions filled in the U.S. each year. Shares of major pharmacy chains dropped about 10% on the news. Amazon honed this weapon in its Seattle lab and is eagerly unleashing it on retail chains and mom-and-pop pharmacies.
Something struck me while reading this news: Does Amazon remind you of Covid-19? The similarities:
Amazons kills many businesses in industries it touches. Pharmacies are now worried
The Pine Needle Christmas Open House will be November 5,6,7 and 9th. The store will be closed November 2-4 so the elves can work their Christmas Magic. Save 20% off all in-store merchandise. Please safely shop with us and wear a mask.
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This week only, now through November 1st: all sweaters, coats, & jackets are 20% off at the Cheeks Forbes Avenue location in Squirrel Hill.
Stop in to see the selection. Check in on our website, in the store, or on social media for weekly specials.
We are following state guidelines by sanitizing, social distancing, and wearing masks, so you must also. For a private shopping appointment, please email us or call 412-915-1803.
Buy your Partner's Card now and get 20% off on all products including Mackenzie-Childs. The Partner's Card sale will be from October 30th to November 8th.
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Two congresspeople are sponsoring a bill to help indie business fight abusive ADA lawsuits, shares Anne Flynn Wear, a writer for Furniture Today.
I know businesses that have been targeted by lawyers seeking to cash in on the ADA law. The defendants, even after they 'fix' their website, often have to settle for thousands of dollars.
The ADA was not written with websites in mind (the law was created in 1990--well before the Internet), and the law doesn't allow businesses a grace period to ...
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While waiting for breakfast, I noticed this ‘Boycott Amazon’ sticker. I think that getting customers to stop something—or start something—is a tough practice. There are fields of science (psychology) and marketing (branding) dedicated to this. Is it easier to get someone to start or stop (boycott) something?
I think that offering a solution (start something) is easier.
I recommend that stores encourage customers to choose them over Amazon because the ...
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Coronavirus has resulted in a national shutdown, with many companies shifting to having at least some employees permanently working from home. People ended up spending most of their days at home during the week and, having nowhere to go due to the shutdown, on the weekends. Having a more intimate relationship with their domiciles, appears to have encouraged people to have an increased interest in decorating the place where they're now spending most of their time.
That is the question my family posed to me last night during our more-frequent FaceTime conversations.
With the passing Labor Day weekend, students entering their in-person or online school year, and the ending of a strange summer season during a global pandemic, people are looking forward to a time that can bring spirit and happiness to the darkness: the holidays.
But how holly and jolly will this holiday season be in terms of shopping? After all, the holidays are notorious ...
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Today's NY Times shares that many businesses are decreasing their office space footprint as they let employees work from home.
We are entering a new and unusual time post-COVID. More and more people will be working from home, further encouraging companies to decrease their amount of office space. I think this is a good thing for the most part, as it will open up jobs for people who don't necessarily live near a company's office. It also allows people to work from the comfort of their own home...
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Excerpt:
Amazon.com has removed 20,000 product reviews after a Financial Times (FT) investigation suggested that some of the site's top U.K. reviewers may have profited from leaving positive ratings, reports Business Insider. The paper's analysis showed nine of Amazon's top 10 U.K. reviewers dished out five-star reviews to products from little-known Chinese brands. The FT found the same products in Facebook groups and forums that offer free products or money in exchange for ratings....
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
ARTE ITALICA AND CROWN LINEN DESIGNS ARE ONE COMPANY!
“A Beautiful Life”
Kirkland, WA – August 12, 2020 - Arte Italica, a leading provider of Italian handmade tabletop and home accessories for nearly a quarter-century is pleased to announce its merger with Crown Linen Designs. Crown Linen Designs, a lifestyle brand of European linen apparel, tabletop, and home accessories was founded by Victoria Fanning in 2014 and has become one of the industry&...
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RETAILERS AND BRANDS GRAVITATE TO BRIDGE AMIDST PANDEMIC
For Immediate Release
Businesses Rush to Bridge During Pandemic
July 27, 2020
New York, NY – Bridge, an online e-commerce community, saw significant increases in membership during the COVID-19 pandemic. Retail membership increased by 17% and nine brands joined the platform, including Lenox, Kate Spade, Dansk, and Richard Ginori.
Since the spring, eighty stores have joined Bridge’s e-commerce service, bringing the ...
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VIETRI AND BRIDGE PARTNER TO HELP INDEPENDENT STORES
Retailers Can Receive $150 For Joining Bridge Network
July 15, 2020
NEW YORK, NY – VIETRI, known as the premium importer of luxury tabletop goods from Italy, has launched a new program to help its independent specialty retailers online and in-store. VIETRI has agreed to offer its authorized retailers a credit of $150 towards future purchases by opening a free account with the e-commerce community ...
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We value your support and need it now more than ever!
With this in mind, we're sharing this exclusive American Express Card Member offer with you. You can get $5 back in the form of a statement credit after you spend $10 or more at an eligible small business.
Enroll by 7/19/20 and you can get rewarded up to 10x (up to $50) if you spend by 9/13/20.*