Hacker News with Generative AI: Retail

Joann Fabrics went from a cult-favorite retail darling to a bankrupt disaster (msn.com)
Last month, Joann Fabric and Crafts, a fixture of American shopping for generations, announced it would close all of its more than 800 stores in the U.S. and lay off 19,000 workers, including more than 15,000 part-time store associates. The company is in the midst of its second bankruptcy in less than a year.
Retail, Bankruptcy, Business, Economics
9 points by mooreds 3 days ago | 3 comments
Are Levi's from Amazon different from Levi's from Levi's? (nymag.com)
E-commerce, Fashion, Retail, Consumerism
161 points by randycupertino 6 days ago | 151 comments
Shopkeeper (robinsloan.com)
Retail, Web Design, Personal Projects
46 points by herbertl 18 days ago | 2 comments
Tesco trials giant trolley scales in Gateshead (bbc.co.uk)
Giant trolley scales are being trialled at a Tesco store in Gateshead sparking a mixed reaction from shoppers.
Retail, Technology, Consumerism, United Kingdom
19 points by asimpleusecase 26 days ago | 51 comments
Is REI turning into a corporate retailer? (seattletimes.com)
The union representing hundreds of REI workers has a simple ask for the Issaquah-based co-op’s members: Vote no on board candidates.
Retail, Unions, Companies, Consumerism
9 points by petethomas 26 days ago | 7 comments
Walgreens agrees to be acquired by private equity firm for almost $10B (suntimes.com)
The Sun-Times is free but the journalism is not. Reader support powers the news. Here's how you can help.
Private Equity, Retail, Finance
7 points by healsdata 27 days ago | 0 comments
Walgreens Will Go Private in $10B Deal with Sycamore (bloomberg.com)
Walgreens Boots Alliance Inc. agreed to be purchased by Sycamore Partners for $10 billion, turning one of the oldest, most recognizable US drugstore chains into a private company.
Retail, Finance
7 points by LopRabbit 27 days ago | 2 comments
Best Buy and Target CEOs say prices are about to go up because of tariffs (theverge.com)
Target and Best Buy say Trump’s tariffs on Mexico, Canada, and China could raise prices in their stores as soon as this week.
Retail, Economics, Tariffs, Trade
169 points by aaronbrethorst 29 days ago | 244 comments
Danish grocery chain to distinguish European from US goods (dw.com)
Saying it is promoting European products rather than boycotting US ones, a Danish supermarket chain has a special label for goods from Europe. The move comes as many seek to protest Trump's aim to control Greenland.
Europe, Retail, Trade, Denmark, Politics
30 points by croes 33 days ago | 6 comments
Fabric and craft retailer Joann to go out of business, close all of its stores (apnews.com)
Fabric and crafts retailer Joann Inc., which has been a destination for generations of quilters, knitters and lovers of crafts projects for more than 80 years, is going out of business and shuttering all its stores.
Retail, Business, Crafts, Textiles
36 points by mooreds 36 days ago | 105 comments
Food Costco insider explains why they stock expensive luxury items (sfgate.com)
In a new interview, a Costco insider has shed light on some of the warehouse brand’s most unusual items — and revealed if anyone is actually buying them.
Costco, Retail, Business, Consumer Goods
8 points by Stratoscope 38 days ago | 0 comments
How the Internet Made In-Store Shopping Miserable (wsj.com)
E-commerce didn’t kill bricks-and-mortar stores, but it made them worse. Much worse.
E-commerce, Retail, Consumer Behavior, Shopping, Online Shopping
8 points by bookofjoe 38 days ago | 2 comments
Amazon Surpasses Walmart in Revenue (cnbc.com)
Amazon, Walmart, Revenue, Retail, Business
12 points by mfiguiere 41 days ago | 1 comments
Japan Perfected 7-Eleven. Why can't the US get it right? (bloomberg.com)
Owner Seven & i has tried for years to upgrade the chain’s reputation in the US. Now, a rival Canadian retailer is betting $47 billion that it can do a better job.
Japan, Convenience Stores, Retail, Business, Acquisitions
12 points by nohuck13 44 days ago | 2 comments
Domino's Pizza to close 172 outlets in Japan (japantimes.co.jp)
Domino's Pizza Enterprises, headquartered in Australia, said Friday that it will close 205 unprofitable outlets worldwide, including 172 in Japan.
Domino's Pizza, Japan, Business, Retail, Restaurants
22 points by mikhael 52 days ago | 10 comments
What Can We Learn from Barnes and Noble's Surprising Turnaround? (2022) (honest-broker.com)
I’ve written too many negative stories about digital media platforms in recent months. I’ve started to worry. Am I turning into Dr. Doom and Mr. Gloom?
Business, Retail, Media, Bookselling
9 points by pseudolus 54 days ago | 1 comments
New CVS App Lets Customers Unlock Cabinets to Pick Up Products (nytimes.com)
Customers at some CVS stores will no longer have to push a button and wait for a clerk to unlock one of those glass cabinets to get the products they want to buy. A new app will allow them to open the cabinets themselves, the company said on Tuesday.
Retail, Technology, Convenience, User Experience
5 points by bookofjoe 61 days ago | 14 comments
Starbucks plans to cut 30% of its menu (npr.org)
Starbucks plans to cut about 30% of food and drink options from its menu by late 2025, as part of the chain's plan to change its vibe and stem the loss of customers across U.S. stores.
Business, Food Industry, Starbucks, Retail, Menu Changes
5 points by geox 64 days ago | 0 comments
RadioShack Not Only Still Exists, It Sells Suspiciously Cheap SD Cards (petapixel.com)
RadioShack, once a ubiquitous American electronics store, filed for bankruptcy and shuttered all of its brick and mortar US locations way back in 2017.
RadioShack, Retail, Technology, Business
12 points by dxs 65 days ago | 5 comments
Walmart Bought Vizio (theverge.com)
After announcing plans to acquire Vizio in February, Walmart officially owns the company after the $2.3 billion transaction closed on Tuesday.
Acquisitions, Retail, Consumer Electronics
15 points by LorenDB 68 days ago | 1 comments
Amazon UK to stop selling Bloomsbury's books (thebookseller.com)
Amazon UK has said that it will cease selling Bloomsbury’s print and e-books from midnight on 23rd January, saying negotiations between the giant retailer and the publisher had broken down.
Amazon, Publishing, Books, Retail
49 points by nickcotter 69 days ago | 49 comments
NPR shopped for 96 items at Walmart to track how prices are changing (npr.org)
LIBERTY COUNTY, Ga. — Ask almost any shopper outside this sprawling Walmart southeast of Savannah, and they'll tell you about rising prices.
Consumer Prices, Retail, Economics, Inflation
6 points by gscott 72 days ago | 0 comments
Walgreens replaced fridge doors with smart screens. It's now a $200M fiasco (bloomberg.com)
The refrigerated section at the flagship Walgreens on Chicago’s Magnificent Mile was glowing with frozen food and bottled drinks, but not for long. Where the fridge cases were previously lined with simple glass doors, there were door-size computer screens instead. These “smart doors” obscured shoppers’ view of the fridges’ actual contents, replacing them with virtual rows of the Gatorades, Bagel Bites and other goods it promised were inside.
Retail, Technology, Business, Failure
89 points by zinekeller 76 days ago | 103 comments
Walgreens says locking up products to prevent shoplifting hurts sales (cbsnews.com)
Locking up store merchandise can deter shoplifters and paying customers alike, according to Walgreens.
Retail, Shoplifting, Business, Consumer Behavior
27 points by croes 77 days ago | 35 comments
Rossmann Group's consumer protection database Wiki (rossmanngroup.com)
WHERE TO START - WHAT WE NEED FROM YOU!
Consumer Protection, Databases, Germany, Retail, Wiki
33 points by artomweb 77 days ago | 0 comments
DVD shop owner vows to be ‘last man standing’ (bbc.com)
Perched on the end of a row of terraces in a small town is one of the last DVD rental shops in the UK.
Retail, Business, Entertainment, United Kingdom
57 points by yladiz 87 days ago | 55 comments
QR-style codes could replace barcodes 'within two years' (theguardian.com)
It is the zebra-striped tag that has become ubiquitous over the last 50 years, but the barcode’s days could be numbered. The global organisation overseeing their use has said a more powerful alternative will be readable by retailers everywhere within two years.
Technology, Retail, Barcode, QR Code
20 points by veltas 93 days ago | 56 comments
Rite Aid's 'Zombie' stores take over America (qz.com)
Rite Aid is becoming a haunting sight across America.
Retail, Business, Economy, United States
36 points by DocFeind 93 days ago | 70 comments
We Bought a (Map Store) – Andrew Middleton [video] (youtube.com)
Maps, Business, Video, Retail
10 points by raybb 97 days ago | 0 comments
Nordstrom family to take company private (bloomberg.com)
The Nordstrom family is joining forces with a Mexican retailer to take its namesake department store private in an all-cash transaction valued at about $6.25 billion, including debt.
Business, Retail, Private Equity
116 points by ivewonyoung 100 days ago | 99 comments