Tag Archives: retail

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Tampa Bay Times: Inventors try pitch their way onto HSN in entrepreneur contest

By Justine Griffin for the Tampa Bay Times.

hsn

Don Kobasky slouched in a chair in front of a training room inside an HSN studio in St. Petersburg. He was the only one of more than a dozen who did not seem nervous to be there.

He stood out in his neon yellow T-shirt and wore sunglasses on his head. The other contestants wore high heels and sharp dresses or suits. Kobasky had dried paint flecks under his fingernails. Unlike more than 70 other contestants who flew or drove from all over the country to get to HSN’s headquarters last week, Kobasky lives right down the street.

In the training room, the contestants listened to advice on pitching their products from HSN employees, including Bill Green, who has worked on-air at the company for more than 20 years. Green told contestants to sell their story. He told them to show off their personality. He warned them not to say things like “ladies” and “girls” on-air, which can alienate some viewers.

“What about sugar mama?” Kobasky asked.

Read more in the Tampa Bay Times here.

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Tampa Bay Times: Virtual reality headsets and video games could be the hottest gifts this holiday season

By Justine Griffin for the Tampa Bay Times. July 6, 2016.

For the first time, Alex Yparraguirre felt like he was actually in a video game.

He could look up, down and behind him and still be sitting in the passenger seat of a getaway car in the London Heist Getaway game for Playstation 4’s new virtual reality system. Using motion sensing controllers, he could reach out to grab a gun or take hold of the car’s steering wheel. He could punch with his hand to break the glass windows.

One five-minute demo of the new Playstation virtual reality system, which will be released Oct. 13, wasn’t enough to satisfy his curiosity. So Yparraguirre, 28, got in line to try it again at the GameStop store on Causeway Boulevard in Brandon.

After all, he drove all the way from Fort Myers just for this.

Read more in the Tampa Bay Times here.

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Tampa Bay Times: You can can use your chip credit card Walmart and Target, but why not Publix?

By Justine Griffin for the Tampa Bay Times. May 18, 2016.

Last year credit card companies began installing chip technology that was expected to dramatically reduce the likelihood that a thief or hacker could steal from customers’ accounts.

Stores in the Tampa Bay area — ranging from big chains like Walmart and Target to independent shops like Buddy Brew Coffee and Juxtapose Apparel & Studio — began installing chip card readers seven months ago.

But for a privacy revolution, it hasn’t started with much of a bang. A study by the Strawhecker Group says only about 37 percent of stores nationwide are now equipped with readers; another study by Boston Retail Partners says it’s only about 22 percent.

Most notably missing among Florida companies is Publix Super Markets, the state’s most popular grocer with more than 1,000 stores, which has yet to allow customers to use embedded chip technology because it’s still upgrading its computer systems for the switch.

Some credit card experts say that could ultimately hurt Publix.

“The longer retailers go without upgrading their terminals, the more likely it is to put them in a competitive disadvantage because consumers will perceive them as being a less safe place to shop,” said Matt Schulz, a senior industry analyst with CreditCards.com. “That’s a big deal.”

Read more in the Tampa Bay Times here.

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Some local contractors haven’t been paid for work at Tampa Premium Outlets

outlet

Nearly two months after Tampa Premium Outlets opened to the public in Pasco County, some local contractors who helped build the mall say they still haven’t been paid.

asco County public records show that four building liens have been filed against the outlet shopping center in Lutz that opened Oct. 29, and only one of those has been paid, according to the subcontractors.

Among those who filed liens is Sue Mignoli, co-owner of RoofUSA LLC, a roofing company based in Brooksville. In the lien, Mignoli states that the general contractor behind the project, VCC LLC, still owes the company $1.89 million for the $4.15 million metal roofing job the company completed. Mignoli said they haven’t received a payment for their work since May.

Read more here.

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What will fill the mall of the future? Probably not more department stores

mLLA

When the Maas Bros. department store chain went defunct in 1991, Burdines was there to replace it. In 2004, Burdines was wiped away as stores were converted to bear the Macy’s name.

But when the time comes, what will replace Macy’s? Probably not another department store.

Department store chains have defined the way Americans have shopped in traditional malls for decades. But in recent years, those household name brands have reported significant sales losses year over year, and they are shuttering stores faster than they’re opening them. Some experts say it’s because department stores are antiquated and they’re failing to keep up with the fickle demands of younger shoppers. Maybe that’s why fewer shopping centers are relying on traditional department stores to be the anchors they need to draw new customers these days.

Read more here.