Apocalypse Now-ish?

(Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

Wouldn’t You Like to Be a Prepper Too?

Every generation gets its own flavor of survivalist–people driven to prepare for the end of societal order, AKA the Apocalypse, Armageddon, an epidemic of uncontrolled terrorism or any old kind of cataclysm–and Reuters reported Saturday on the most recent incarnation: “preppers.” Are preppers any different from previous forward-thinking folks who dug bomb shelters or laid up stores of long-lasting dried goods and arms, just in case? Read More

Whale Watch

The Category Killer.

Wooing Walmart: NYC brokers still have eyes for elusive retailer

The weekly phone calls. The dinner invites. The gifts.

When representatives from Walmart, the nation’s largest retailer, waltz into the New York Hilton for this year’s two-day International Council of Shopping Centers conference, many of the city’s most intrepid retail brokers will be close behind them, perhaps even plying those officials with compliments, dinner invitations and business opportunities. Read More

First Manhattan Costco in Forest City’s East River Plaza

Manhattan bargain shoppers, rejoice! By year’s end, you will have your very own Costco.

On a Tuesday morning Forest City Enterprises investors call, president and CEO (and cousin of Bruce) Chuck Ratner revealed that Costco Wholesale will open its first Manhattan store in East River Plaza, the development firm’s 500,000-square-foot mall set to open Read More

July a Mixed Sales Bag for Chain Retailers

With government stimulus checks mostly spent, July was a gloomy month for retailers. WWD took a toll of the national chains that either fell short of expectations or took a hit last month–or both–compared to July 2007.

Sales were up 3 percent year-over-year at Wal-Mart, falling short of the 3.4 percent boost Read More

Are You Rich— Or Super-Rich? Baby, Take My Quiz!

As close readers of The New York Times will attest, the paper of record has recently thrown itself headlong into what is unquestionably the most pressing social issue of our time: the ever-growing economic disparity between the rich and the super-rich.

In a series of hard-hitting articles, the paper has examined everything from the tyranny Read More

Pols Hate Wal-Mart, But Consumers Don’t

New York’s politicians view Wal-Mart the way vets view a rabid dog.

Local pols fall over each other to assert that they will keep us free from the contagion of Sam Walton’s chain.

It emerged in February that Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton had returned a $5,000 donation from the nation’s biggest retailer—despite the Read More

Pols Hate Wal-Mart, But Consumers Don’t

New York’s politicians view Wal-Mart the way vets view a rabid dog.

Local pols fall over each other to assert that they will keep us free from the contagion of Sam Walton’s chain.

It emerged in February that Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton had returned a $5,000 donation from the nation’s biggest retailer—despite the fact that Read More

Diamonds: A Churl’s Best Friend?

Charlie Bagli writes today on the dispute between former Belgian diamond merchant Gary Barnett, now a real-estate developer, and the diamond merchants on the crowded strip of West 47th Street where Mr. Barnett wants to build a 30-story tower that would serve as a global diamond exchange.

He says the building could help Read More