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#61
Department Stores / Re: Big Lots
Last post by Retail Regents - July 21, 2024, 05:22:03 PMI wanted to make sure the list I saw on the r/BigLots was correct. Looks like the only Upstate store on the list (the other two in NY are on Long Island).
#62
Department Stores / Re: Big Lots
Last post by BillyGr - July 21, 2024, 10:37:19 AMQuote from: Retail Regents on July 20, 2024, 11:35:32 PMRumor has it the Queensbury, NY location is among those scheduled to close. I wonder how many of these stores are fairly new locations such as this one.
Not a rumor - go to their store locator and you'll see a banner at the top saying 20% off for that store location.
As far as I could tell, that was the only one in the region, maybe since they already closed quite a few over the past few years?
#63
Department Stores / Re: Big Lots
Last post by Retail Regents - July 20, 2024, 11:35:32 PMRumor has it the Queensbury, NY location is among those scheduled to close. I wonder how many of these stores are fairly new locations such as this one.
#64
Defunct Department Stores / Re: Mars
Last post by Retail_247 - July 18, 2024, 05:24:06 PMHere's a commercial for Mars:
#65
Stores / Re: Bethel Park Ames
Last post by TheFugitive - July 16, 2024, 11:44:18 AMI was just thinking about this store the other day as I had to stop by that Lowes for something.
I was the Operations Manager at a Hills location down by Kennywood. It was a real combat store in a very tough neighborhood. The girl who held my job at this Bethel Park location (which was the total opposite of mine when it came to working conditions) was a young woman named Kim. What I remember about her was that she was 26, blonde, from Ohio, and her 3 favorite hobbies were macrame, needlepoint, and......deer hunting!
Very interesting! I wonder if she still does all three?
I was the Operations Manager at a Hills location down by Kennywood. It was a real combat store in a very tough neighborhood. The girl who held my job at this Bethel Park location (which was the total opposite of mine when it came to working conditions) was a young woman named Kim. What I remember about her was that she was 26, blonde, from Ohio, and her 3 favorite hobbies were macrame, needlepoint, and......deer hunting!
Very interesting! I wonder if she still does all three?
#66
Miscellaneous Retail Stuff / Dollar General reaches $12 mil...
Last post by TheFugitive - July 12, 2024, 01:01:58 PMDollar General has reached a $12 million settlement with the US Department of Labor over safety violations which occurred at it's 19,000 stores.
https://www.cnbc.com/2024/07/11/dollar-general-labor-department-settle-over-safety-violations.html
Most of the violations involved clutter blocking aisles, stockrooms and fire exits. This is similar to violations that were noted at Family Dollar/Dollar Tree last year.
DG has agreed to be subject to random audits and inspections as part of the settlement. The deal reduces the actual amount of fines paid down from $21 million.
When you have a huge chain, lots of freight, chintzy payroll and an inability to supervise everyone at all times in all places this sort of thing is bound to happen IMO.
https://www.cnbc.com/2024/07/11/dollar-general-labor-department-settle-over-safety-violations.html
Most of the violations involved clutter blocking aisles, stockrooms and fire exits. This is similar to violations that were noted at Family Dollar/Dollar Tree last year.
DG has agreed to be subject to random audits and inspections as part of the settlement. The deal reduces the actual amount of fines paid down from $21 million.
When you have a huge chain, lots of freight, chintzy payroll and an inability to supervise everyone at all times in all places this sort of thing is bound to happen IMO.
#67
Department Stores / Re: Big Lots
Last post by TheFugitive - July 11, 2024, 11:14:15 AMToday's headline: Big Lots announces plans to close approximately 40 of their nearly 1400 stores.
Tomorrow's headline: In a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission Big Lots says that they have "substantial doubts" that they will be able to continue as a functioning business.
https://patch.com/pennsylvania/pittsburgh/big-lots-closing-dozens-stores-pa-could-lose-locations
Tomorrow's headline: In a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission Big Lots says that they have "substantial doubts" that they will be able to continue as a functioning business.
https://patch.com/pennsylvania/pittsburgh/big-lots-closing-dozens-stores-pa-could-lose-locations
#68
Television / Re: Videos of Russian supermar...
Last post by TheFugitive - July 08, 2024, 08:52:46 AMQuote from: Retail Regents on July 05, 2024, 10:36:42 PMI would not be too terribly surprised if they considered, or even imported foreign-made "gray market" name brand merchandise! If a government can take such desperate measures in order to keep stores stocked, so can any business big or small.
You're probably too young to remember this but back in the day (late 70's/early 80's) this was a major bone of contention between major manufacturers and deep discounters, particularly in the catalog showroom space (Service Merchandise, BEST Products, David Weis, Brendles, etc.)
Those catalog chains would reimport gray market cameras and electronics from third countries where they were available for less. This circumvented the official distribution chains for those manufacturers and they objected. There were long legal battles where people like Minolta, Pentax and Panasonic fought in court to prevent those items from being reimported. And they did have some success (I recall at David Weis in the mid-80's we had to stop selling Panasonic and Technics products due to court action).
The main argument against buying gray market goods as I recall was that those manufacturers would not stand behind their warranties in the US. And there were issues with reimporting stuff like audio and video equipment from parts of the world that ran on different broadcast standards.
Years ago I was in a local dollar store where I did see Crest toothpaste that had been imported from Korea with the Korean labels covered over by one in English.
#69
Miscellaneous Retail Stuff / Bargain Grocery preps for Augu...
Last post by Retail Regents - July 06, 2024, 08:38:07 PMFrankfort-based Compassion Coalition, which already operates a store in Utica has opted to refurbish a brick building on Rt. 4 near the Collar City Bridge. Store is set to open in August.
https://www.timesunion.com/business/article/nonprofit-touts-upcoming-grocery-store-troy-s-19503372.php
https://www.timesunion.com/business/article/nonprofit-touts-upcoming-grocery-store-troy-s-19503372.php
#70
Television / Re: Videos of Russian supermar...
Last post by Retail Regents - July 05, 2024, 10:36:42 PMQuote from: TheFugitive on July 05, 2024, 03:12:48 PMThe video's host panned the soft drink aisle and showed several Russian brands of cola that have come to dominate the market there due to sanctions. However, there were cans of Coca Cola on the shelf as well (at the equivalent of a dollar per can, substantially higher than the local brands). He pulled one from the shelf and turned it around. Much of the back of the can had been covered over with a label that gave nutritional info in Russian. However the original mark of the bottler was still visible, and it turns out that this Coca Cola had been imported from a local franchise bottler in ANGOLA (West Africa)!
The way in which stores from one country to the next have come to look the same, and the degree to which familiar products circulate around the globe (despite concerted efforts to stop them) is truly amazing. I wonder if when Pepsi shut off our deliveries at Ames when we couldn't pay the bills did Peter Hollis and the boys look into importing gray market Pepsi from Africa?
I would not be too terribly surprised if they considered, or even imported foreign-made "gray market" name brand merchandise! If a government can take such desperate measures in order to keep stores stocked, so can any business big or small.