As the editor of Retail Dive, it’s my job to keep tabs on every piece of retail-related news—the good, the bad, and the silly. From five days of prom to Scott Walker’s “Kohl’s Curve,” below are some of the most interesting reads from the past week.
More crazy Amazon workplace anecdotes
Medium published a stirring account from a former Amazon worker, who described her alleged mistreatment from the retailer after she returned to work after having a baby and cancer.
In the end, she wrote a personal plea to Jeff Bezos:
"You can’t claim to be a data-driven company and not release more specific numbers on how many women and people of color apply, get hired and promoted, and stay on as employees. In the absence of meaningful public data — especially retention data — all we have are stories. This is mine."
Retailers on the campaign trail
Apparently no one is safe from the cloud of press surrounding the Republican presidential candidates—not even retailers.
Scott Walker has used anecdotes about shopping at Kohl’s to demonstrate his frugality throughout the year, tweeting about some of his steals he has scored at the retailer and renaming his economic policy the “Kohl’s Curve.”
Meanwhile, Donald Trump was recently criticized for his move to outsource his clothing line to Mexico... while at the same time making disparaging remarks about Mexican immigrants on the campaign trail.
Here is the tie I wore on @FoxandFriends yesterday. @TonetteWalker got it on sale at Kohl's. - SW pic.twitter.com/BvFWXHUlxQ
— Scott Walker (@ScottWalker) July 31, 2015
Scott Walker has become a living, breathing advertisement for Kohl's department store: http://t.co/QFueqV5GvH https://t.co/c8fja6HXxS
— ABC News Politics (@ABCPolitics) August 25, 2015
Amazon wants to set up shop in your home
The Wall Street Journal’s Greg Bensinger reports that Amazon’s secretive Silicon Valley hardware-development center Lab126 has laid off “dozens” of engineers that worked on its Fire phone, although it is still reportedly working on a “high-end computer for the kitchen,” a tablet with 3D-like graphics, and a battery for e-readers that could last up to two years on one charge.
“The next logical step for them is a fully connected home,” IDC’s Tom Mainelli told the Journal. “With the data they have, they could soon be at the point where all the things you need just arrive at your home, without even asking.”
Say yes to the Dress(es)
Racked’s Lauren Sherman spent some time at the five-day World of Prom trade show, a prom dress conference filled with all the sparkles, silk, and teen angst that you would imagine.
High fashion flop
Vogue got called out by Yahoo Style for having only two pages featuring plus size women in its 800-plus page September issue. The kicker? The two pages were ads for a website yet to be launched, plusisequal.com, most likely from plus-size retailer Lane Bryant and model collective ALDA.