Archive for the ‘Retailing’ category

0

“Free delivery” from Debenhams

May 14, 2010

Although it’s almost over. Debenham’s “Summer Spectacular” caught our eye for several reasons. The first, clearly, is the title. By what stretch of a retailer’s imagination can May possibly be called summer, particularly given that the past few days have been the coldest in May for many years?
It isn’t that, however, that got our goat. [...]

0

The unkindest cut of all

February 25, 2010

Professor John Bridgeman, the former Director-General of the Office of Fair Trading, has laid into supermarkets – particularly Asda and Tesco – for giving a misleading impression that they are cutting prices across the board, when the reality is very different.
In a full week just before Christmas, Asda cut nearly the price of almost 800 [...]

0

When is a pint not a pint?

December 30, 2009

90% of “pints” of beer are giving short measure, according to Trading Standards Officers
Trading Standards Officers conducting a survey of licensed premises in Birmingham found that almost nine in ten pints weren’t pints at all. In the worst case, 11.8% of the beer was missing, effectively overcharging drinkers 40 pence per pint.
Ordering 88 pints in [...]

0

An offer you can refuse

December 14, 2009

The American clothing chain Old Navy, owned by Gap, currently has a sale on. Among those items with which it is trying to tempt shoppers are some girls’ T-shirts. We wonder how many they’ll sell, given that the price of many in the sale is 10 dollars, whereas they normally sell for $9.50.
Click on the [...]

0

Singing mouse recalled – because it seems to be singing “Paedophile”

December 8, 2009

A singing toy mouse with a Santa hat being sold as a cheap stocking filler in markets and small shops has been recalled after parents complained that when you squeeze its stomach, the Chinese-voiced rendition of “Jingle Bells, jingle bells” sounds rather too much like “Paedophile, paedophile”.
Sceptical? Listen for yourself by clicking on the picture [...]

0

The ozone friendly sock

November 9, 2009

Our immense thanks to Zebu collector Chris who not only spotted but bought a pair of these “ozone friendly” socks in Deptford market.

We’d say the blurb was priceless, but we imagine Chris managed to barter them down to a little less than that.

0

Shock! Horror! MP does something useful.

October 29, 2009

It’s been so long since we heard an MP do anything other than complain that everyone is being beastly to them that it took a while to realise that David Taylor, Labour MP for North West Leicestershire, did something useful today.
He called on the Government to clamp down on furniture retailers and their “limited” sales [...]