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Amazon may turn dying JC Penney and Sears stores into warehouses
Amazon is reportedly in talks to convert department stores in malls to fulfillment centers for its online shopping business.
Sears hopes to sell its home improvement business to Service.com
Bankrupt retailer Sears announced that it's seeking permission to sell its home improvement division to a key rival partly responsible for its downfall. Pending trustee approval, it will sell the business to Service.com, an Airbnb-like service that helps home owners find contractors, for $60 million. Sears Home Services is considered to be one of the retailer's more valuable assets, so the asking price shows how far the company -- which employed 302,000 people just a decade ago -- has fallen.
Sears, the Amazon of its day, files for bankruptcy
Sears, which invented the strategy of selling anything to anyone with a mailing address long before Amazon did, has been mortally wounded by its spiritual successor. After nearly a decade of struggle, the US retailer announced that it has filed for bankruptcy. It entered voluntary Chapter 11 proceedings and plans to close as many as 150 stores in an effort to slash debt and at least make it through the holidays. Since 2013, Sears has shuttered over 1,000 stores and lost around $5.8 billion.
Sears and Delta customers may have had payment data exposed
It's been a tough week for exposing customer data, from the personal info of 150 million Under Armour users to financial data for 5 million Saks, Lord & Taylor customers. Even Panera left personal information for millions of users unprotected on its site. Add another couple companies to the list: Today, both Sears Holding Corp and Delta Air Lines admitted that some of their customer payment information may have been exposed. But only because the software service provider that was hosting both corporations' user data suffered a breach themselves.
Sears will sell appliances on Amazon as its retail stores dwindle
Sears announced today that its Kenmore branded products will now be sold on Amazon, meaning it's now joining forces with the company that contributed to its downfall. It's no secret that Sears has been struggling -- the company has lost around $10 billion in the last few years and has closed over 200 Sears and Kmart stores this fiscal year. In 2016, Sears said it would explore other outlets for its brands, including Kenmore, and today's announcement appears to be a result of that venture.
eBay will match prices from Amazon and Walmart on certain items
eBay announced a new Price Match Guarantee today, ensuring many of its items will cost the same or less than those offered by other major retail competitors. It's the company's latest move in the ongoing business battle with giants like Amazon and Walmart.
Anova acquisition could mean a sous vide chicken in every pot
You might see even more smart cooking gadgets at your favorite retail outlet soon thanks to industry giant Electrolux's purchase of popular sous vide maker Anova.The $250 million acquisition allows the smaller company to continue as a brand with Electrolux's resources and reach.
Amazon's Echo smart speaker is coming to retail stores
You no longer have to buy online to give the Amazon Echo a shot. Amazon will soon sell the smart, voice-guided speaker in more than 3,000 retail stores, including Brookstone, Fry's, Home Depot, PC Richard & Son, RadioShack, Sears and Staples (which previously sold it on the web). The rollout is taking place over the next few weeks, and a few big stores are conspicuously absent in the mix -- Best Buy, anyone? Still, this beats worrying about holiday shipping headaches.
Amazon, eBay and others to stop selling Confederate flags (update)
Many prominent online retailers have vowed to remove all items bearing the Confederate flag from their websites following a mass shooting last week at a historic black church in Charleston, South Carolina. So far, eBay, Wal Mart, Sears and Kmart have announced plans to stop selling Confederate flag merchandise online and in their brick-and-mortar stores. CNBC reports that Amazon and Etsy will also remove Confederate flag items from their online marketplaces, though the companies have yet to officially announce any plans. In addition to these online retailers, prominent US flag maker Valley Forge Flag today promised to stop producing and selling Confederate flags, Reuters reports.
Sears to convert old Auto Centers into... Data Centers?
You can buy pretty much anything from Sears, but we doubt it's your first-choice destination for server capacity. That's likely to change if Ubiquity Critical Environments, the company's IT infrastructure arm, gets its way. The outfit is considering turning old Sears Auto Centers into server farms that'll offer services to mission-critical IT projects for enterprise customers. Guess it's high time we learned how to do our own oil changes.
Seiki brings a $1,500 55-inch 4K set to Sears stores
It's not quite an impulse buy, but it's getting close. And hey, who's to say we wouldn't swing by the electronics section after picking up a couple of power tools? Just in time for the holidays, Seiki's rolling out a 55-inch 4K set for the nice price of $1,499 -- a followup to the $700 39-incher we saw back in June. And look, the company's even tossing in a USB port and an HDMI 1.4 cable in for good measure. Can't beat that. Interested parties will have pop into a Sears or visit the store's site to take Seiki up on its offer.
Seiki launches 39-inch 4K TV for $699, expects 65-inch model by fall
You thought Seiki's 50-inch 4K TV was affordable? You haven't seen anything yet. The company is releasing a 39-inch 4K set before the end of June for $699, with pre-orders at Sears starting on the 27th. The screen probably won't compete with top-tier rivals, but it's hard to disagree with the price -- we're really looking at a regular 1080p, 120Hz TV that happens to handle 4K, even if few can see the extra detail at this size. And don't worry if you think Seiki should be going larger. The company plans to ship a 65-inch 4K set by the fall, which should cover those who equate large resolutions with large screens.
Wii U selling out fast online, here's where you can still get it (for now)
Nintendo's Wii U is off to a holiday-sales head-start, with pre-orders of the Deluxe and Basic bundles selling out at many online retailers. The Deluxe bundle includes a black, 32GB Wii U for $350, while the Basic system has a white, 8GB Wii U for $300.Below we have a list of stores where both versions of the Wii U are sold out and where they are still available. Though for how long they remain available, we can't predict.Best Buy, Toys R Us, and Target are sold out of both versions online. Sears and Kmart, which belong to the same parent company, are both sold out of the Deluxe version and don't appear to offer the Basic.GameStop is sold out of the 32GB, black Deluxe bundle, but the 8GB, white Basic bundle is still available for pre-order.Wal Mart is holding strong with both versions (Deluxe and Basic) still available on their own or as part of the Wal Mart Solution Bundle, which adds a Wii Remote Plus and a choice of a Wii U game to either system. The Solution Bundle is $400 for the Basic set or $450 for the Deluxe.
Best Buy, Walmart, Target, more join forces for MCX mobile payment, deals provider
Mobile payments make strange bedfellows, so it's perhaps not all that surprising that a group of high profile retailers have teamed up to bring the world the Merchant Customer Exchange (MCX). The list includes such biggies as Best Buy, Walmart, Target, Sears, Lowe's and Shell, among others. The venture is set to offer up a mobile-commerce app that will provide payments and deals on "virtually any smartphone." Details are still pretty scarce, though the MCX's official site promises more info on the offering soon, including further details on deals and additional company names. In the meantime, there's a press release after the break.
Atari Pong review (1976)
Multiplayer gaming today has become an inherently and bewilderingly antisocial affair. You grab a controller, take up as much space as possible on your couch at home, then connect to some random game hosted by some random server filled with some random people with whom you do your damnedest to fill with some collection of lead thrown from some assortment of futuristic weaponry. Along the way, you'll be taunted, insulted and, if you're playing a Halo game, quite possibly physically shamed.Back in 1976, of course, things were a bit different. Pong was the height of at-home multiplayer gaming. Two dials, one button and one switch is all you had, and with your opponent sitting in extremely close proximity to you, chances are most of the heckling would be the good-natured variety. It is a vastly simplified experience versus what we have today, but in some ways a vastly superior one. Click on through to see why.
Craftsman aims to pimp your lawnmower with digital dash, traction control and more
At this week's North American International Auto Show, Craftsman unveiled its 2012 CTX tractor line to the car-loving masses, and let's just get this out there -- this is not your father's lawnmower. Propelled by a 30-horsepower Briggs & Stratton motor, this grass-assassin can hit forward speeds of 8MPH and, for those Jason Statham-style chase scenes, 3MPH in reverse. The tractor is equipped with automatic traction control, an electronic fuel management system that removes the need for a carburetor, electronic cutting height adjustment and a 54-inch mowing plain with "quick deck removal." Couple that with cruise control, digital instruments, a cup holder and 12-volt power adapter (have to have some suds and songs while you mow, right?) and you have yourself quite the package. The CTX will be available this February at Sears stores nationwide and will be priced between $3000 and $6500.
Sears Black Friday deals: Wii $135, Xbox and Kinect $210, PS3 bundle $200
Sears has a number of video game deals going down for Black Friday and Cyber Monday next week, headlined by a black Wii system including New Super Mario Bros. and a soundtrack CD for just $134.99. The store will also have an Xbox 360 4GB system with a Kinect included for just $209.99, and the PlayStation 3 will get bundled with Ratchet and Clank: All for One and LittleBigPlanet 2 for $199.99. In the software section, they've got Gears of War 3, Forza Motorsport 4, Killzone 3, Battlefield 3, and the latest versions of FIFA, Madden, and NCAA Football for $39.99, while both seasons of Kinect Sports, Dance Central and its sequel, Rage and Gran Turismo 5 are all listed at $29.99. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 will be there for $19.99, and other games may show up for various deals. Finally, Sears is also offering the Kinect sensor on its own for $99.99, or a PS3 DualShock3 Wireless controller for $34.99. And if all of that deal hunting gets you tired out, you can always relax in front of this Warm Oak Fireplace made out of real oak (only $89.99!).
The big, bad Black Friday game deals post: 2011 Edition
It's nearly the moment you've been preparing for all year, savvy shopper. And right here? Here is the page from which you finalize your Black Friday master plan. You'll show those retailers, alright ... or is it the other way around? Here we go again, y'all -- one week 'til Black Friday 2011. In that vein, we've once more compiled our annual testament to post-Turkey retail madness, replete with savings from vendors large and small, brick-and-mortar as well as online. Up above, you can head directly into any of "The Big Six" sections by clicking the individual logos. Down below, some highlights to help guide that process: Best Buy: Consoles on the cheap and the special edition Zelda 3DS [more details] GameStop: Like Best Buy, but you can totally trade in stuff [more details] Kmart: Discounted HD remakes, HD newmakes, and non-HD wagglers [more details] Sears: Mario for the holidays (at home and on-the-go) [more details] Target: Cheapest Mario 3DS bundle, discounted Kinect, in-store Pizza Hut [more details] Walmart: Blue Wiis, the Bats, and so, so many bullets [more details]
Sears to give iPads, iPods to employees in 450 stores
Sears will soon outfit its employees in 450 stores with iPads and iPod touch devices. Sears sales associates will use the devices to help customers find product information, check inventory, and make purchases without having to be tethered to a cash register. Sears will also offer free Wi-Fi to customers so they can use their own smartphone devices in the store. Sears is following in the footsteps of other retailers like Nordstrom, Home Depot and Urban Outfitters which have announced plans to roll out iOS devices in their stores. Lowes has also announced it'll give out 42,000 iPhones to its employees which will be used to ring up purchases and pull down product information. Even small retailers are shelling out cash to adopt this technology. Clothing retailer Pacific Sun has plans to roll out 300 iPads now and 600 more by next year. The clothing retailer predicts each device will let its employees handle five additional transactions each day, an uptick in sales that'll quickly pay for the devices.
Sears selling a series of 'iWork' toolkits and tool sets
Sears is selling several tool sets and toolkits with the "IWORK" branding. While the product listings may try to deviate slightly from the Apple naming convention by using an initial capital "I," the branding on the individual tools is clearly written as "iWork," an exact copy of Apple's office suite. Ironically, Sears also lists the authentic Apple iWork '09 on its website and sells it through a third-party reseller. A search for the term "iWork" places Apple's product half way down the page in the #12 spot. The top 11 are occupied by Sears' latest line of tools. These tools are recent additions to the Sears catalog, so they do not pre-date the Apple office suite, which made its debut in 2005. Apple has also held the trademark for IWORK since 2008, but it was for software-only, not hardware like these tools. It seems like Sears is just cashing in on the naming convention and possibly luring some Apple fans as a result. [It's worth mentioning that Apple has been on the other side of this "who cares if there's another product with the same name?" divide before, with a rather high-profile product introduction: the company branded the iPhone even though Cisco already had some claim to that name. Except with iPhone both were phones. –Ed.] Update: As Sears and Kmart merged in 2005, these are also available at Kmart. [Via Obamapacman and Sears]
