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 an accidental shopping spree to an American Apparel-inspired drama, here are some of the most interesting reads from the past week.
Free shopping spree
Some Bloomingdale’s rewards members were pleasantly surprised when a computer glitch accidentally added large sums of credit to their accounts, anywhere between $5,000 to $25,000. One lucky customer who received $25,000 in credit spoke to Buzzfeed, in which he disclosed the spoils of the $17,000 shopping spree (diamond earrings, a $5,000 watch, and a Louis Vuitton bag) he embarked on soon after he unintendedly received the credit.
Comedy in error
The New York Time’s expose looking at the working conditions inside of Amazon sparked much discussion on the Internet. With the amount of coverage sprouting up around the piece, some humor was bound to arise, including these two gems from the New Yorker’s Andy Borowitz and The Onion.
What came first: the shoe or the jean?
New York Giants’ wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. is perplexing a lot of people in the sports industry with the jean-shoes (or are they shoe-jeans?) he sported in Vogue’s September issue.
Don't do him like this pic.twitter.com/D57CU8xv1O
— Pimp Céy (@iCelestial) August 19, 2015
More (literal) drama for American Apparel
In case Dov Charney’s year-long spat with American Apparel didn’t have enough drama, Charney’s cousin Oren Safdie has written “Unseamly,” a play inspired by his hugely publicized ouster from the company.
From the play’s Facebook page: “A young woman seeks legal advice to initiate charges of sexual harassment against her former boss, the CEO of an international clothing company known for its risqué billboards.”
Revenge via returns
Sephora’s loyal customers were extremely disappointed when its recent Epic Rewards promotion that promised exclusive deals for high spenders turned out to be a huge dud. To retaliate, some shoppers are taking advantage of its generous 30-day return policy to return hundreds and thousands of dollars of used beauty merchandise to Sephora stores.