Macy’s is expanding its off-price stores Macy’s Backstage and Bloomingdale’s The Outlet as part of a three-year revitalization plan announced on February 4. According to the plan, the department store will roll out 50 Backstage locations within existing Macy’s stores and open seven new standalone locations in 2020. Macy’s Backstage […]

Whole Foods opened its newest US store on January 30. It features a half dozen self-checkout registers, a fresh-cut-pasta bar, and self-pour taps of beer and wine. Visit Business Insider’s homepage for more stories. Whole Foods opened a new store in Richmond, Virginia, on January 30. I visited the 47,000-square-foot […]

Nordstrom is wading into resale with the launch of See You Tomorrow, a secondhand shop located within its recently opened New York City flagship store. Curated by Olivia Kim, Nordstrom’s vice president of creative products, the store’s inventory is pulled from a mix of customer contributions as well as returned […]

Pier 1 Imports, a major home goods retailer, is struggling and closing up to 450 of its 942 stores. Ross Stores sells home goods in addition to clothes, shoes, and accessories. We visited a Ross store in Davie, Florida and a Pier 1 Imports in New York City to see […]

Pier 1 Imports is in trouble. The company announced Monday in an earnings report that it plans to close up to 450 of its 942 stores, which could impact thousands of employees’ jobs. The news comes amid reports that the company plans to file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection and […]

Ross Stores is a discount chain that historically posts strong sales. The company competes with stores like TJ Maxx and Marshalls.All offer designer items for cheaper. We visited a Ross store in Davie, Florida and saw why the company is doing so well, despite the messy and somewhat disorganized store. […]

Wegmans is a regional grocer with a massive cult following. The grocer has 101 stores in the New England and Mid-Atlantic region and is known for its in-house brand and hefty ready-to-eat food offerings. We visited Wegmans stores in Brooklyn, New York, and in the suburb of Manalapan, New Jersey […]

As online shopping and Instagram continue to transform the way Americans shop, the role of physical retail spaces is changing. B8ta, an experiential retail platform that previously focused on electronics, opened its first apparel and lifestyle “smart” store, Forum, in Los Angeles. I visited Forum and saw how its display […]

Amazon and Seattle are now inextricably linked. But long before Amazon came along, there was a nine-story department store building in the heart of downtown Seattle: Macy’s, formerly the Bon Marché. Now, Macy’s is closing 30 stores across the country in early 2020. The iconic Seattle flagship store is one […]

Trader Joe’s and Wegmans are two grocers that both have cult followings. Both grocery stores also have unique store designs and fill their shelves with their own in-house brands. We visited both stores to see which was better and found that Wegmans, though the smaller chain, offered a superior store […]

Barneys New York began liquidation sales this week, both in its seven remaining stores and online, after the company was sold to Authentic Brands Group in bankruptcy court last week. Despite buzz over the sales, many shoppers took to social media to scoff at the meager discounts, as most items […]

Wegmans is a grocery chain with a cult following. More than 25,000 people showed up for the opening day of the regional grocer’s 101st store, located in Brooklyn, New York, in October. Business Insider spoke to four Wegmans fanatics in October to see why they love the grocer so much. […]

Dollar Tree is a top dollar store chain. The company’s net sales increased in the second quarter by 3.9% and it currently operates over 15,100 stores in the US and Canada under the brands Dollar Tree, Family Dollar, and Dollar Tree Canada. We compared Dollar Tree stores in Jersey City, […]

Forever 21 filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection on Sunday and announced it would close up to 350 stores globally, effectively ceasing operations in 40 countries, including most of its locations in Europe and Asia. In a letter to shoppers, Forever 21 emphatically said that it was not going out […]

Sears and Kohl’s are both having issues. Sears narrowly avoided liquidation in February when it was bought by the company’s chairman, Eddie Lampert. It also recently laid off 250 employees at its corporate headquarters and announced multiple store closures. Kohl’s reported a 2.9% drop in sales of in stores open […]

Hot Topic is expanding despite tough conditions in retail and in malls. With over 670 stores across the US and Canada, the chain sells merchandise based on whatever trend is sweeping the nation, from punk music to Harry Potter. We stopped by a location in Queens, New York and saw […]

Trader Joe’s and Costco are two nationwide chains that both sell groceries. Costco sells items in bulk, while Trader Joe’s caters more to the average shopper. Both have their own in-house brands. We shopped at both stores and found that Trader Joe’s offered the better experience overall, from store design […]