by Nissa Hanna
WHAT’S HAPPENING
When a couple goes their separate ways, each has the daunting or cathartic task of replacing the items possessed by the other. In January 2010, U.K. department store Debenhams launched a divorce gift registry to help friends and family pitch in for those purchases (Guardian.co.uk 1.18.10).
The retailer has a large audience for [...]
by Nissa Hanna
WHAT’S HAPPENING
As if shopping for a new TV isn’t hard enough, there’s also the major hurdle of at-home set-up. Target and Wal-Mart have launched new services to help their shoppers with this post-purchase phase of buying electronics.
In mid-January 2010, Target rolled out a national TV and videogame console set-up service (BizJournals.com 1.18.10). In-store [...]
by Nissa Hanna
WHAT’S HAPPENING
Beta site KangoGift is now providing the hookup for what might be called presentexting. The service lets gift givers send text-message (SMS) vouchers for real presents.
KangoGift (located in Cambridge, MA) is currently only partnering with businesses in Harvard Square; though they hope to eventually roll out to other areas.
The gift [...]
by Lisa Pierce
This Christmas, I was a grandma on a mission, determined to get the best price on those gifts that would make my little goobers squeal with delight. After some intense Internet shopping (thank you, CouponCabin.com) and a couple trips to the stores (including an early stint on Black Friday, something I vowed never [...]
by Katie Elfering
WHAT’S HAPPENING
In a world of mass merchandisers, what’s a small boutique to do? Send shoppers on a scavenger hunt, according to Subports, a new enterprise that helps small sellers create big shopping experiences via text messages.
A shopper signs up for Subports online and searches for “subcodes,” words that indicate products for purchase. Subcodes [...]
by Abelardo de la Peña Jr.
WHAT’S HAPPENING
Gift exchanging gets a thrifty twist at a Mexican American family’s annual Noche Buena (Christmas Eve) get together. A high-spirited game of Lotería, where gift cards are the prizes and participation is voluntary, keeps spirits soaring amidst the eating and gossiping (Iconoculture observation 12.24.08).
As the family of eight began [...]
by Cree McCree
WHAT’S HAPPENING
Home Depot may be struggling, but it owns a lot of land — up to 15 acres per store, including vast parking lots. Now it hopes to cash in on all that sprawling vacant asphalt by selling off lots to other retailers (Atlanta Journal-Constitution 11.10.09).
To lure potential tenants during a real estate slump, [...]
by Nissa Hanna
I’m not sure how it happened, but gifts for myself found their way into my shopping bags this holiday season. I checked my list twice and, nope, personal presents were nowhere to be found; but somehow I walked away with a few things that would bypass the tree and go straight to my [...]
by Nissa Hanna
WHAT’S HAPPENING
A recent survey conducted in Britain by iForce found that shipping options are complicating online shopping.
The Delivery Options survey looked at 70 top e-retailers and learned that less than 10% let shoppers choose to receive their packages in either the morning or evening (InternetRetailing.net 12.1.09).
Shipping cost clarity is another key issue for [...]
by Hans Eisenbeis
The last place you’ll find me on the day after Thanksgiving is the mall. I understand why retailers want to jump-start holiday spending with deep discounts and boughs of holly, but I’m not that into competitive shopping. So you’d think I’d be happy with “Christmas Creep,” the slowly expanding holiday season that provokes [...]
by Nissa Hanna
WHAT’S HAPPENING
At Rite Aid, shopping has healthy benefits. The retailer is testing a rewards program that compensates consumers with free health screenings in addition to traditional discounts (BuffaloNews.com 11.3.09).
The “Wellness+” program lets shoppers earn points for their purchases to redeem for glucose or cholesterol readings. The screenings take place in local labs that [...]
by Nissa Hanna
When the recession butted its ugly head into the closet, consumers developed a more finicky relationship with fashion, sending purchases into a freefall. But there’s one style staple that’s starting to bounce back: shoes.
According to the New York Times, footwear has been “selling well” the past few months (11.5.09). That news is no [...]
by Sean Captain
WHAT’S HAPPENING
A New Yorker purporting to be the “world’s fastest nudist” flashed across computer screens in about a dozen YouTube videos. The story was picked up by blogs Gothamist, Gawker, and the Huffington Post as well as CNN’s Anderson Cooper. The media had egg on their faces when it turned out that the [...]
by Nissa Hanna
WHAT’S HAPPENING
While self-gifting is all fine and good, it usually lacks one key element of gift giving: surprise. A new service, Surprise Gift For Me, is offering to be a personal wish list shopper so self-gifters can be pleasantly taken aback by their own presents.
Here’s how it works: The giver/receiver lists three to [...]
by Kristen Acimovic
WHAT’S HAPPENING
Not every shopping center is a shadow of its former self. Ethnic malls — targeted retail communities that cater to specific ethnicities and cultural communities — are bucking economic trends and thriving despite the downturn.
Bustling bazaars like Seattle’s Great Wall Mall, which delivers an authentic Pan-Asian experience, and Fort Worth’s La Gran [...]
