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Big Box Stores

The Era of Giant Chain Stores Is Over -- And They've Ruined America

James Howard Kunstler | Posted 04.21.2013 | Small Business
James Howard Kunstler

The unintended consequence of the giant chain stores' victories was the total destruction of local economic networks, that is, Main Streets and downtowns, in effect destroying many of their own livelihoods. We can get that all back, but it won't be a bargain.

LOOK: Best Buy Makes Epic Mistake

The Huffington Post | Posted 01.22.2013 | Business

If you ever see a Best Buy coupon that is too good to be true, it very well might be. The electronics retailer recently promoted a very simple int...

"Too Big" Is Hollowing the Middle Class, Killing the American Dream

Rob Kall | Posted 03.11.2013 | Business
Rob Kall

He's looking for a job with a big company that operates chain stores, or a property management company (who do you think bought up all those foreclosed homes?)

Best Buy CEO's Huge Pay Packaged REVEALED

AP | Posted 08.25.2012 | Business

NEW YORK -- Best Buy is paying up for a turnaround. Incoming CEO Hubert Joly will take home more than $15 million next year and stands to earn $16.5 ...

Which One's Cheaper?

The Huffington Post | Khadeeja Safdar | Posted 08.24.2012 | Home

Target is now cheaper than Walmart. According to study conducted by Bloomberg, Target's prices were cheaper than Walmart's by 0.46 percentage point...

A Win For LA Walmart Opponents

The Huffington Post | Kathleen Miles | Posted 08.22.2012 | Los Angeles

It's been a back-and-forth battle over the Walmart proposed for downtown Los Angeles' Chinatown. Even though Walmart obtained the building permits ...

My Friendly Neighborhood (Mega) Bookstore

Andrew Cotto | Posted 10.20.2012 | Books
Andrew Cotto

I haven't totally changed my belief about supporting independent businesses, I'm just more open to the idea of what "local" really means.

Rock-Bottom Prices Luring Shoppers

AP | ANNE D'INNOCENZIO | Posted 10.16.2012 | Business

NEW YORK — Wal-Mart Stores Inc. reported a 5.7 percent increase in second-quarter net income and raised its outlook for the full year as the wor...

Here's How Chains Are Fighting The End Of Retail

Slate | Matthew Yglesias | Posted 07.26.2012 | Business

After decades of population decline, America's cities have started to see growth again over the past twenty years. Over the past five years, the u...

Target Aims To Lure City Shoppers

Reuters | Posted 09.17.2012 | Business

* First CityTarget stores open July 25 * Smaller trucks, back rooms designed for urban stores * Wifi, Apple displays amo...

Some Food In China's Walmarts May Have A Chemical Problem

AP | Posted 08.14.2012 | Business

BEIJING (AP) — Wal-Mart Stores Inc. says it has removed two food products from shelves in China after regulators found they contained banned chemica...

Walmart's New Ad-vantage Over Best Buy

The Huffington Post | Ron Dicker | Posted 05.30.2012 | Business

Walmart turned Best Buy's retreat into an advertising diss. Walmart has taken out full-page newspaper ads telling shoppers not to worry about the anno...

Are Big-Box Stores Crumbling?

Time | CHRISTOPHER MATTHEWS | Posted 05.26.2012 | Business

Best Buy released its first-quarter 2012 earnings this week, and though the numbers beat Wall Street expectations, net income took a tumble — fallin...

Dispatch From a High-Temperature Republic

Peter Mandel | Posted 03.28.2012 | Politics
Peter Mandel

Prices may be low, but the Republic's economy is slow and there are hundreds of thousands who can't keep up. "Jobs exist," insist local experts. "But our workforce isn't trained." In fact, many high school graduates here have a hard time reading and doing basic math.

Ikea Solar Panels Shadow Other Big Box Retailers

Posted 01.22.2012 | Green

From EarthTechling's Susan DeFreitas: Big-box stores may contribute to the evils of urban sprawl, but -- with all that rooftop real estate -- they ...

Dave Jamieson

Warehouse Woes: Workers Say They're Losing Jobs For Speaking Up

HuffingtonPost.com | Dave Jamieson | Posted 01.18.2012 | Business

Nearly a hundred warehouse workers in California who spoke up about alleged wage violations and unsafe working conditions fear they now may lose their...

Retail Reinvented, Again

John Backus | Posted 03.10.2012 | Small Business
John Backus

We are in the middle of another battle between brick and mortar and e-commerce. Best Buy is dying. But it is not alone. Welcome to the new world of retailing, the death of retail 2.0. So who will pick up the pieces?

The French Connection Between Old Books and Current Events

Dave Astor | Posted 02.07.2012 | Books
Dave Astor

Nineteenth-century French novels have a lot to say about our 21st-century world. And I'm not just talking about Jules Verne books that predicted some of today's technological advances.

The Faithful Shopper: Present Perfect

Faith Hope Consolo | Posted 01.31.2012 | New York
Faith Hope Consolo

Whenever possible I look to smaller, one-of-a-kind shops for the little treasures that loved ones will cherish forever. And New York City is the capital of the unique boutique!

Walmart's Gain Indicate U.S. Economy May Be Headed For Rebound

AP | ANNE D'INNOCENZIO | Posted 01.15.2012 | Business

NEW YORK — Wal-Mart got an early Christmas gift: Its strategy of offering the lowest prices and shoppers' favorite goods is starting to bear fru...

Walmart Benefiting From Americans' Frustration With Big Banks

Posted 01.08.2012 | Business

It's not just local non-profit credit unions that are benefiting from anger directed at big banks -- the world's largest retailer is also getting a bo...

TV Retailers Plan To Be 'Aggressive' With Promotions On Black Friday

Posted 01.06.2012 | Business

NEW YORK (Reuters) - It may not be a blood bath, but it will definitely be a dogfight. The television aisles of top U.S. retailers are poised f...

D.C. Hip-Hop Artist Says 'Keep D.C. Walmart Free!' (VIDEO)

Posted 01.02.2012 | DC

WASHINGTON -- D.C.-based hip-hop artist Head-Roc does not want Walmart on Georgia Avenue or anywhere else in the District of Columbia. With Empower D...

Target Comes Under Fire Around the World

Michelle Chen | Posted 10.15.2011 | Business
Michelle Chen

The retail giant Target is under fire from all sides, for union-busting at home and labor violations overseas. The reports that have come out in the past several weeks highlight a continuum of cruelty in the global supply chain.

California Cities Lowering Standards To Raise Revenue

latimes.com | Alana Semuels, Los Angeles Times | Posted 05.25.2011 | Los Angeles

Like many municipalities across the state and nation, Turlock, Calif., is struggling to plug a sizable budget hole. So city officials are looking to c...