Monday Tipsheet: NY AG Hits Retailers | Target Canada Gone | Amazon Austin Quick
New York Retailers Scrutinized for Schedules and Staffing by Hiroko Tabuchi at NY Times. “The office of the New York attorney general, Eric Schneiderman, is investigating 13 large retailers over whether increasingly unpredictable and on-call work schedules adopted by some employers in the retail sector violate New York labor laws…Mr. Schneiderman’s office said in the letters, sent Friday to Gap, Abercrombie & Fitch, Target, J. Crew, Sears, TJX and seven other retailers.” Read more
…Read Letter from Attorney General to GAP via WSJ (Subscription) Read here
…Target Defends via WSJ: “Target said it posts worker schedules 10 days before the start of a work week, which employees can check remotely. A spokeswoman said its scheduling methods don’t include “on-call” shifts where employees would be required to call in to see if they are working a given day.” Read more (Subscription)
Target Canada: And then there were none at Toronto Star. “As of Sunday afternoon, the Minneapolis-based company’s Canadian Twitter and website appeared to be inactive.” Read more
…Last-minute shoppers thwarted as GTA’s last Target closes early by Sadiya Ansari at Toronto Star. “We are closed permanently now,” a male employee standing outside told a woman approaching the store in Brampton’s Trinity Commons shopping centre on Sunday afternoon.” Read more
***A Message from CLUG: The World’s Smallest Bike Rack is Now Available. The CLUG Bike Clip is targeted at the urban cyclist and the casual enthusiast who are short on storage space for their bikes. CLUG is a patent pending, high quality product that made the list of 2014 Best Stuff by GQ Magazine in their December 2014 issue. CLUG is now ready for retail with its 100% recyclable, high volume packaging. See the video. See the sell sheet. Contact info@shiftmarketinggroup.net to request a product sample.
Walton family to trim stake in Wal-Mart by Kim Souza at The City Wire. “Shares owned by Walton Family Enterprises will be methodically divested overtime into a new entity — Walton Family Holdings Trust — which intends to fund charitable initiatives and also keeping the family’s direct ownership of Wal-Mart Stores at no more than 50%.” Read more
Washington Post: Price-checking Amazon: Their deals on clothes aren’t always the best by Sarah Halzack. “It’s also striking to note how wide the prices can range on a single item on Amazon, such as the Oso Fleece Hooded Jacket, which could set you back anywhere from $84 to $250…It’s likely that the cheapest ones are colors that have proven unpopular or are last year’s version of the jacket.” Read more / See the price comparisons
Austin: TV Station Tests Amazon’s Same Day Delivery – Arrives in 30 Minutes by Kevin Schwaller at KXAN NBC. “A few of the most popular items delivered through Prime Now in Texas since we launched in Dallas are Campbell’s Soup, bottled water and organic iced tea,” said Dave Clark, Amazon’s senior vice president of worldwide operations.” Read more / See the video
Apple Watch: Luxury US$17K gold model sells out in China in under an hour a Financial Post. “Before the Paris Apple store opened, about 100 people were queuing outside. Staff cheered and applauded the first customers, most of them men aged under 30.” Read more
…Apple Watch buyers pre-ordered an average of 1.3 watches and spent $503.83 per watch at Forbes.”Looking at e-receipts from 9,080 online shoppers, Slice estimated that 957,000 people pre-preordered an Apple Watch in the United States on Friday. Apple Watch buyers pre-ordered an average of 1.3 watches and spent $503.83 per watch.” Read more
***
Eye-on-Retail Tipsheet is created early every weekday morning and read by retail merchants and executives worldwide. We love data, earnings reports, executive presentations and stories off the beaten path that get at what’s happening in the world of retail. Contact us at info@shiftmarketinggroup.net.