Russia still on radar of global retailers-PwC

... so far most have chosen the organic route. For a detailed look at foreign forays and failures in Russian retail, see factbox [ID:nGEE5B11NL] 3 PERCENT GROWTH NEXT YEAR Russian retailers have had a tough year as disposable incomes shrank and unemployment spiked, but virtually all major players escaped sales declines although the rates of growth have dramatically slowed. Clark said the ...

It's Hoover time!

Today, in a burst of productivity, I visited many fine retailers and ended up buying a vacuum cleaner. I've been meaning to do this since I found the other vacuum had, somewhere in the move, lost its entire set of attachments and, oh yeah, didn't work very well anyways. It is a cheap new vacuum, but it has a canister instead of a bag--a plus!--and some interesting attachment and filtering ...

Your daily Linkspam

...going to get me to follow you back, this time. jIH vIHHa' neH Daq tlhap Hab Daq fictional Hol, 'op jaj. #klingon (translate: bit.ly/4rEvNy ) How “Christmas-Friendly” Are Retailers? www.cynical-c.com/?p=15496 RT @kaysteiger Most awesome online auction item ever: @sarah_haskins records your outgoing voicemail message bit.ly/8FNKww The WAM! auction is open; contributors include Neko Case...

Stay classy, comic store guy

... I've been in has had that "secret club" mentality, and often a secret club with "BOYZ ONLY" written on the door. And it's hardly an original thought, but it's noteworthy that, while comics retailers are quick to blame a number of things for declining sales in comics over the last couple of decades, the one thing they don't actually change is their own stores. I think it's quite telling that, ...

An Important Note Concerning My Amazon Wish List

... tendency for certain items to be targets of predatory sales practices. My list had two such items, both of them Apple accessories. Since Amazon was late in receiving their shipment, a few online retailers bought as many as they could, marked up the prices and became the featured seller by no other virtue than being the ONLY seller with stock. The markups were hardly insignificant and because of ...

I Hadz a Visitor!

... Gift-Buying. Cosplay is something of a low priority now, understandably.) Hope you're all having a good holiday season so far! EDIT: (Warning! Vast whiplash shift in tone ahead.) To all online retailers who ONLY offer shipping via UPS and don't allow for any cheaper shipping options no matter how much your customers beg for them: You deserve to BURN in the lowest level of Hell with Nazis, ...

Wait so they're including gay sex in video games now?

...'ll never win! You'll never take him! He's mine!" The child is slain, and a female demon with horns and a tail emerges from his corpse. The game is now available at many retailers' locations and websites, including Wal-Mart's online store, Target stores, Best Buy, Amazon and eBay. Homosexual blogs are praising the game producers for including the sex scene. "Gay geeks rejoice, all your gaming ...

... its many strong brands. He said that while consumers may not know the Jarden brand, they know brands like Crock-Pot, Oster, and Sunbeam. On the flip side, Jarden has become a household name among retailers, said Franklin, "and that's all that matters." Asked why Jarden's products are in such demand this holiday season, Franklin said that his company's products are all about the home, value and ...

I am Wrong on the Internet, Again

..., avoiding distribution by buying direct or through sources such as Amazon, e-publishing, the proliferation of online review sites, etc. And yet along with these comes the problems of consolidation, mega-retailers, and the lopsided placed upon fewer and fewer blockbusters to provide the profit for the eighty percent or so of titles that lose money. I have seen, in just the last few years, an ...

Flat?!

... from the prior week. A rather gloomy consumer mood and consumer spending -- trailing last year's financial crisis-depressed comparables by 25% -- may not be unexpected, but are surely a disappointing way to start the Christmas sales season for the nation's retailers. When I said that by 2010 kids would be happy to get an orange for Christmas again, I was joking ! Or I thought I was.