I don’t even know what to say about this:
Ronald A. Dotson, 39, was arrested Oct. 9 after police say he smashed a window at a cleaning-supply company in suburban Ferndale to get at a female mannequin dressed in a black and white French maids uniform. A judge ordered him Thursday to undergo a psychiatric examination at the request of his defense attorney, Edward Cohn. Doctors will determine whether Dotson is competent to stand trial on a charge of attempted breaking and entering.
…
Dotson was last arrested in Ferndale in July 2000 and later convicted for breaking and entering at a womens clothing shop to get at a mannequin in a pink dress with bobbed hair. He confessed to officers that he broke the window to pursue the mannequin for a sexual fetish.
More from the Detroit Free Press.
I hope this guy gets the help he needs and stays away from my mannequins!
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I like this post over at Flooring The Consumer called Retail Experience and the Human Element. The author goes to three stores in New York City (Apple 5th Avenue, Hershey Store Times Square, and Urban Outfitters 3rd & 59th) and examines the human element at them. This is an interesting look at a side of the retail experience that may sometimes get overlooked in the grand scheme of design.
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Gap has brought in an Aussie to head up Old Navy. I’m trying to think of a way to work “down under” into a joke involving Old Navy, but it’s just not coming to me. Perhaps this new blood will be the spark that they need to get that arm of the business turned around.
Finn over at Lightheavyweight takes a look at American Eagle’s new brand, aerie, from a design perspective (see: A+ for Aerie). He’s got a good look at the design and how it is building the brand effectively.
Target’s put out a list of their 2007 store openings. Apparently, the store in South Brunswick, NJ, is opening in both March and July.
Finally, the Associated Press had an article over the weekend detailing the transitions that the music store business has undergone in spite of piracy and rising sales of digital music (see: Music hasn’t ended for record stores). Most independent music retailers have not been able to compete with the big boxes (Best Buy, Target, and Wal-Mart) for new releases, and this article details how the industry has changed in that time.
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This week, a jury in Pennsylvania awarded $78 million to plantiffs in a class-action lawsuit against Wal-Mart. The jury found, after deliberating for two hours, that Wal-Mart was at fault for making employees miss breaks, cut breaks short, and work without pay. Coverage via Bloomberg and The Writing on the Wal.
This is the second multi-million dollar settlement against Wal-Mart for unfair labor practices in the past year. Last December, a California jury awarded a $172 settlement against Wal-Mart, citing Wal-Mart with failure to provide meal breaks for 200,000 employees (see: Wal-Mart Struck with $172M Lunch Tab).
Wal-Mart, in their defense, has posted a statement on their website, Wal-Mart Facts, about the most recent case (see: Statement on Hummel case). They say that these cases, and others in various stages of litigiation across the country, revolve around allegations from several years ago. They’ve upgraded their systems and technology in-store to avoid having this happen again. That’s great, but that still doesn’t make things right for what may have happened within the past few years, prior to installing new systems.
The thing to consider is how a case like this can send echoes throughout the entire retail industry. Wal-Mart is the largest retailer, and one of the largest companies in the world. Any time Wal-Mart has a large lawsuit or verdict in the press, be it about keeping employees off the clock, locking in employees overnight, or discriminating against minorities, I’m sure most other retailers are checking and rechecking their policies to ensure they aren’t open to face similar litigation.
Every one of these lawsuits against Wal-Mart is a wake up call to the rest of retail.
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Couple of notes for this week:
As Nintendo gets ready to launch their new console, Wii, in November, Engadget has a first look at some of the retail information for the unit, including CompUSA’s cost v. price information and photos of the new endcap displays in production for Target (see: Wii retail details: markup and endcaps).
Retailwire (subscription required) carried a story and discussion about Lord and Taylor last week (see: New Owner Buys, Looks to Build Lord & Taylor). With the sale of Lord & Taylor fully complete now, NRDC Equity Partners has started announcing some of their plans for the chain. They’ve announced that they will be downsizing the Fifth Avenue flagship store and closing their Water Tower Place store in Chicago. However, they say they are commited to growing the brand and looking for opportunity to expand, including looking into more freestanding, lifestyle center options.
Finally, one more video game note: I love reading blogs with an interesting perspective on retail, and A Day In The Life Of Video Games is no different. This is a blog written by employees of a video game store, sharing their experiences with customers and customer service. Very funny insight into this segment of retail.
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This is the At Sea Edition of Retail Notes. Today I am coming to you from a cruise ship in the middle of the Atlantic - right now approximately 100 miles from the island of Bermuda. A world away from work and the worries of every day life, but with the power of modern technology, I stay connected.
With that, one quick note about the ship. Although I am on one of the smaller ships in the Royal Carribean line, I am really amazed at how entirely self sufficient the ship is. In addition to the mounds of food that they must have stored in a back room, they have so much crap that they are hawking. Generally, it is either low quality crap or really overpriced crap. I’m amazed at how much stuff I see people buying, but when you’re at sea, who doesn’t need a new bolero or Royal Carribean golf shirt?
Appears that we will now have the first look at the JC Penney/Sephora marriage as JCP has opened their first Sephora location in their store (see: Penney unveils first Sephora). This is just the first of many and I’d expect shoppers to react pretty positively, iniatially, to this new partnership.
I finally got down to the Pier at Caesar’s in Atlantic City last week and will post photos next week. From a retail perspective, it is really beautiful. Harrah’s is pumping a lot of money into all of their developments in Atlantic City, with expansion and rennovation going on all over the place. Although not directly retail related, it is pretty impressive that there is a rumored buyout of Harrah’s in the works (see: Harrah’s Shares Rise; WSJ Says Company May Be Bought).
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