Report: Amazon Lockers arriving at Staples stores

Photo Courtesy Dave Zatz

Amazon.com has struck a deal to put its new locker system — which allows customers to order products online and pick them up at physical locations — in Staples stores, according to a report today by Reuters. Staples is the largest office supply retailer in the world, with more than $25 billion in annual sales and… Read More…

Now will you line up for Surface? Microsoft Stores offer $100 Xbox Music pass

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The launch of Microsoft’s Surface tablet tomorrow is generating lots of buzz, but will it generate lines? Actually, the answer is already yes, at least in Beijing — where hundreds of people reportedly waited to be among the first to buy the new Microsoft tablet. In the United States, the company is taking steps to promote… Read More…

Amazon unit to unveil new kids sites Bookworm.com and AfterSchool.com Thursday

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Quidsi may be known for operating the online retail store Diapers.com. But now the Amazon.com unit is looking to leverage its relationships with moms and dads for a slightly older demographic. On Thursday, New Jersey-based Quidsi plans to launch two new sites — Bookworm.com and AfterSchool.com — that will sell a wide range of books,… Read More…

U.S. Postal Service to test same-day delivery service Metro Post

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It seems everyone is now experimenting with the concept of same-day package delivery — even The U.S. Postal Service. Today, it filed documents with the Postal Regulatory Commission for a new program called Metro Post which is designed to deliver packages on the same day the orders are placed from online retailing partners. To kick… Read More…

Best Buy looks to retain customers, plans to match Amazon on price

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Wal-Mart earlier this week threw down the gauntlet on Amazon.com, announcing that it plans to offer same-day delivery in some markets this holiday season. Now, it’s Best Buy’s turn. The electronics retailer is planning to match the prices of Amazon.com this holiday season, with The Wall Street Journal reporting today that the strategy is an… Read More…

Engagement ring designer Ritani sparkles with $15M, combines clicks with bricks

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Ritani has been in the diamond business for more than a decade. But the engagement ring designer is adding a fresh shine today, announcing $15 million from Cantor Ventures and a new strategy that combines brick-and-mortar retail with e-commerce. That’s a hot concept right now, highlighted by concepts such as Amazon.com’s locker service and efforts… Read More…

Wal-Mart takes direct aim at Amazon, promises same-day delivery in 10 cities

Walmart is trying to roll onto Amazon's turf

In July, Amazon.com CFO Thomas Szutak seemed to douse reports that the online retailer would go big with same-day shipping, with the tech executive noting that “we don’t really see a way to do same-day delivery on a broad-scale economically.” But Wal-Mart is tinkering with the concept, and it is pushing ahead aggressively with a… Read More…

Video: Microsoft Store pulls plug on table-stomping rapper

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There’s no word on exactly how much damage the rapper Machine Gun Kelly caused during this appearance last week at the Microsoft Store in Atlanta, but clearly this wasn’t what the company was expecting in the way of a performance. After delivering a few profanities, the rapper jumped from table to table, stomping around (and possibly on)… Read More…

The end of Endless: Amazon pulls plug on fashion site

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Amazon.com is shutting down Endless.com, the five-year-old high-end online fashion site that sold handbags, shoes, jewelry and other accessories. The site will be turned off on September 27th, with the service integrated directly with Amazon.com/Fashion. Amazon has been making some big bets in the high-end fashion market, and we’ve talked about the growing rivalry between the… Read More…

Apple opening bigger Bellevue store, but what about downtown Seattle?

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Apple plans to open a bigger retail store at Bellevue Square this Saturday, moving to a new location in the mall. They’re hosting a grand reopening ceremony on Saturday at 9:30 a.m., giving away T-shirts to the first 1,000 guests. (What, no Miley Cyrus tickets like when Microsoft opened its store at the mall?) The… Read More…

Amazon prepares fall launch of AfterSchool.com, a new site for sports and outdoor gear for kids

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Amazon.com’s Quidsi unit is gearing up to launch a new sports and activities site called AfterSchool.com, designed to outfit kids with the sports, dance and art supplies. “AfterSchool.com … is a completely new way to shop for kids’ favorite sports & activities,” according to a message Amazon.com sent to manufacturing partners. “Whether they are into… Read More…

Katniss vs. Harry: Hunger Games outsells Harry Potter on Amazon

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It’s happened. Something has outsold the Harry Potter series on Amazon. And that something is Suzanne Collins’ Hunger Games series. Heck, even Bill Gates liked it. Amazon announced today that the three-book Hunger Games series following hero Katniss Everdeen’s adventures of survival and derring-do have outsold the seven-book Potter series that followed those lovable wizards… Read More…

Is Coinstar on the auction block, and could Amazon come knocking?

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Two months ago, the Corum Group, a boutique Seattle M&A advisory firm, floated an idea that Amazon.com should buy retail kiosk pioneer Coinstar. We wrote about it, noting at the time that it was one tech prediction that made a ton of sense. We noted: “Amazon’s lack of a retail presence — while a huge advantage in… Read More…

Why Amazon.com gave up the sales tax fight: A new face for the ‘online’ retailer?

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An interesting thing started happening last year. Amazon.com, which for months had battled states over the collection of sales tax, began changing its tune on the issue. It started agreeing to collect sales taxes on purchases in some states where it didn’t operate physical locations, while simultaneously inking deals to bring massive warehouses (and jobs)… Read More…

QThru lands $3.5M to help you sail through the supermarket

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Supermarkets are increasingly adopting self checkout terminals. But Seattle entrepreneur Aaron Roberts, a former engineer at RIM and Attachmate, believes he’s come up with a better way for people to do their shopping at the local grocery story. It’s called QThru, and the young upstart just raised $3.5 million from undisclosed angel investors to start rolling out… Read More…

Meet the college dropout (and speed freak) running tech for Seattle’s hottest startup

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Don’t let the laid-back Pacific Northwest demeanor fool you. Luke Friang is a self-described “speed freak.” Whether bombing down icy slopes on his snowboard or maneuvering through hairpin turns in a mini-racecar, Friang simply loves to move fast. And that’s why the 42-year-old college drop-out and self-taught technologist has found such a good home at… Read More…

Nordstrom pays the price for bigger e-commerce investment

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Nordstrom is making a large investment in its e-commerce initiatives, spending even more than it had planned to better compete with the likes of Amazon.com. And in the short run, at least, Wall Street is taking the company to task for the move, sending its shares down nearly 5 percent in trading today, after Nordstrom’s earnings… Read More…

Amazon tops e-retail satisfaction survey with highest score ever

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Amazon.com has few physical touch points with its customers, operating somewhat mysteriously from its headquarters in Seattle’s South Lake Union neighborhood. No stores. No customer support line. But that lack of interaction doesn’t seem to be holding the company back. In fact, customers love the company more than ever, according to ForeSee’s Top 100 E-Retail… Read More…

Amazon vs. Nordstrom: Call in the fashion police for another crosstown rivalry

Why is Jeff Bezos so happy?

We wondered what the heck was going on a few weeks ago when Amazon.com founder Jeff Bezos was named the honorary chair of the Metropolitan Museum of Art Costume Institute Benefit – a gala taking place in New York this evening to celebrate the opening of a fashion exhibit titled “Schiaparelli and Prada: Impossible Conversations.” But now it’s… Read More…

Report: Target to dump Kindle

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This could get very interesting, especially in light of the new alliance between Barnes & Noble and Microsoft. The Verge reports today — citing an unnamed source and an internal Target memo — that the giant retailer will stop selling the Kindle due to “conflict of interest.” There certainly seems to be some legs to this… Read More…