Before we start this week’s Retail Therapy, it’s my duty as a human being to alert Retail Dive readers of a fantastic, new job opportunity that will no doubt bring you plenty of joy. Or at least, we're hoping you'll get some sweet athleisure gear.
This week, Hypebeast spotted that Adidas is hiring 17 positions for its new collaboration with Kanye West. No word yet on whether private screenings of West’s famous rants are part of the job perks.
Read on for some more Retail Therapy.
Receipt needed
An empty wine bottle, 13-year-old frozen fish and leftover bits of steak. No, these aren’t items from a recent restaurant dumpster dive—these are all products that customers actually tried to return to at least Costco, according to Reddit community members.
Some highlights from the Reddit thread on the most ridiculous items that Costco members have tried to return:
"Usually a few months after the Garden Center closes, people bring back plants that died. Sorry let me rephrase that...plants they couldn't take care of properly."
"Someone bought a ribeye bone in cryovac around 200 dollars during the holidays and returned a cooked container of bones and fat. Yes, they were completely reimbursed for returning literally .13 cents worth of fat and bones."
"A huge safe bought online was returned reeking of marijuana. The police were called."
The whole thread in all its ridiculousness can be found here.
Everyone needs a good ol' Target run
If you’re visiting your local Target, be sure to keep an eye out for Adele—you know, the super famous, Grammy-award-winning Adele.
According to the Star Tribune, the singer let it slip during a recent concert that Target is one of her go-to stores in the U.S.:
“The first thing I do when I get off a plane in America is head to a Target store,” she said, to applause that overpowered her tributes to Bob Dylan and Prince in the show. And lest her Brit wit be mistaken, she added, “I’m not kidding. I’ve been there twice since I’ve been here.”
Staples stings so hard
The art of throwing shade is hard to master, but Staples appears to be a grade-A scholar.
After Kris Jenner tweeted out a photo of her new "Elegance” necklace, which, according to Refinery 29, is composed of "organic man-made pearls" and sterling silver "clips" with a "diamond cut finish," Staples responded with a dig to confirm everyone’s suspicions that those “clips” look a lot like a common office supply...
My new 'Elegance' necklace is available now, exclusively online! https://t.co/FRcZp2VqjZ pic.twitter.com/2Da4vk51Tp
— Kris Jenner (@KrisJenner) June 28, 2016
Also available in aisle 7.... #ThinkStaples https://t.co/Do3I7J641p
— Staples Canada (@StaplesCanada) June 30, 2016
Wax poetics
Question: Which retailer has 585 U.S. stores, a 24/7 production facility and sales that make up about half of the U.S. candle market?
Answer: Yankee Candle, purveyor of almost every scent under the sun from Schnitzel with Noodles to Man Town (more on that below). Racked takes a deep dive into the company’s $832 million business, visiting Yankee Candle Village and speaking with hardcore candle fans, some of whom will pay up to $1000 for discontinued scents.