Overstock.com #4 in Customer Service, as Ranked by the National Retail Federation and American Express

Holiday retail sales up 4 percent: ShopperTrak
Foot traffic for November and December, the most important part of the year for Retailers, was flat, ShopperTrak said on Monday at the National Retail Federation conference in New York. ShopperTrak expects foot traffic -- customers in stores -- to be up 2.8 percent in the First Quarter. Separately, Moody's.com Chief Economist Mark Zandi on Monday forecast sales gains in 2011 and 2012 for Retailers, and predicted the U.S. market gains would pick up speed. The Standard & Poor's Retail Index w...

Retail trade group hires new chief lobbyist
The National Retail Federation (NRF) announced Tuesday that it has hired David French to be its new chief Lobbyist. French will be senior vice president for government relations for the retail trade group and will direct its advocacy efforts in Washington. He comes from the International Franchise Association.   "They are a lot of tools that the NRF brings to the table and I'm looking forward to being part of it," French told The Hill.   Policies dealing with taxes, the workplace and healthc...

Betsy Perry: Customer Service: Exactly Who Is Minding the Store These Days?
As mother of a bride-to-be, I headed to Bergdorf for some high end MOB shopping. Dressed in my best coat with the sable trim - albeit bought in 1996 but definitely not channeling a Lewis and Clark expedition - I approached the Oscar de la Renta department. Sitting -- evidently Elmer-glued to her chair -- was the salesperson on the phone. And on the phone. And on the phone. I politely interrupted to ask when Spring party dresses were coming in. When irked enough my elbows, as they say, can be ...

Commerce Release: Perceptis Inc.
COLUMBIA, S.C. - January 12, 2010 - The South Carolina Department of Commerce, the Greenville Area Development Corporation and the Upstate Alliance today announced that Perceptis Inc., a leading provider of help desk and customer support services to the Higher Education market, will open a new facility in Greenville County. Over the next five years, the company expects to invest $1.125 million in the new facility and create 200 new jobs. “Since this company’s founding, Pe...

Holiday retail sales up 4 percent: ShopperTrak
NEW YORK | Mon Jan 10, 2011 12:21pm EST NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. Retail Sales rose 4 percent during the 2010 Holiday Season, and should rise 2.2 percent in the First Quarter of 2011, research firm ShopperTrak said on Monday. Foot traffic for November and December, the most important part of the year for Retailers, was flat, ShopperTrak said on Monday at the National Retail Federation conference in New York. ShopperTrak expects foot traffic -- customers in stores -- to be up 2.8 percent in th...

Retail trade group hires new chief lobbyist
Economic agenda: Tuesday, Jan. 11, 2011 At some point in the last couple of years--we would place it sometime after Lehman Brothers went down but before the automakers were bailed out--Washington became the financial capital of the world. "Now that we're all used to pre-nups, it's time to start thinking about Divorce Insurance: Ever had that sinking feeling that the person your friend is marrying is perfectly awful? Of course not, because you love everyone. But should it happen, you now can giv...

Tips for bosses in The King's Speech
Of three movies that I saw this weekend (a record cine-immersion for me), True Grit was disappointing, The Fighter was thrilling, and The King's Speech was inspiring -- my favorite of the bunch. The King's Speech is about King George VI, Queen Elizabeth's father, and his determination to cure his paralyzing stammer at a moment when England is at the brink of war and in desperate need of inspiration. The movie, sure to be  in this year's Oscar contest, is surprisingly exhilarating, and it is...

Investors: 1, Analysts: 0
If you have ever wished you hadn’t taken the advice of a film critic, or cringed after purchasing a well-reviewed product that turned out to be junk, chances are you have since become a smarter shopper. Bad experiences teach us to be wary of the advice of others, especially those who are being paid to give us advice. It seems that investors have begun to learn those same lessons. Bloomberg reports that, among companies within the S&P 500, those that were recommended increased 73% (o...

Walmart wants a piece of New York City
The days when Manhattan's major streets were filled with quirky, small, family-owned businesses are long gone. Broadway or Sixth Avenue or 34th Street offer much the same retail options as a suburban mall. And the outer boroughs of New York City are going the same way. It's a process that has made many a longtime New Yorker despair. But resistance to a Walmart in New York Cityhas remained strong, even as Target, Lowe's, Costco, and other big-box stores have stomped their way into the marketplace...

Shoppers to spend more, stay thrifty: Deloitte
By Phil Wahba NEW YORK | Sun Jan 9, 2011 4:15pm EST NEW YORK (Reuters) - Shoppers will continue to spend more this year, spurred by a slowly improving Job Market and an uptick in income, but enough shoppers are still struggling with their finances that any increase will be modest, a retail industry expert said. Consumers returned to stores en masse in 2010 and gave Retailers their best Holiday Season since before the Recession. But December sales at top Retailers such as Macy's Inc and Kohl's...

Shoppers to spend more, stay thrifty: Deloitte
NEW YORK (Reuters) - Shoppers will continue to spend more this year, spurred by a slowly improving Job Market and an uptick in income, but enough shoppers are still struggling with their finances that any increase will be modest, a retail industry expert said. Consumers returned to stores en masse in 2010 and gave Retailers their best Holiday Season since before the Recession. But December sales at top Retailers such as Macy's Inc and Kohl's Corp disappointed Wall Street as shoppers proved to b...

Shoppers to spend more, stay thrifty: Deloitte
By Phil Wahba NEW YORK | Sun Jan 9, 2011 4:15pm EST NEW YORK (Reuters) - Shoppers will continue to spend more this year, spurred by a slowly improving Job Market and an uptick in income, but enough shoppers are still struggling with their finances that any increase will be modest, a retail industry expert said. Consumers returned to stores en masse in 2010 and gave Retailers their best Holiday Season since before the Recession. But December sales at top Retailers such as Macy's Inc and Kohl's...

Many happy that Verizon will finally offer iPhone
As someone who sells urns and other products to the newly bereaved, Mary Hickey often takes phone calls from customers who need support. It's support that Hickey is glad to provide - if only her calls would quit dropping. She takes Customer Service calls on her Apple iPhone, which runs on AT&T;'s notoriously balky San Francisco network. More times than she can count, Hickey has been talking with a grieving customer when the line goes dead. "It's the kind of call you don't want to drop," said H...

Many happy that Verizon will finally offer iPhone
As someone who sells urns and other products to the newly bereaved, Mary Hickey often takes phone calls from customers who need support. It's support that Hickey is glad to provide - if only her calls would quit dropping. She takes Customer Service calls on her Apple iPhone, which runs on AT&T;'s notoriously balky San Francisco network. More times than she can count, Hickey has been talking with a grieving customer when the line goes dead. "It's the kind of call you don't want to drop," said H...

From a nation of shopkeepers, to a nation of rude shoppers
Although Customer Service is often appalling, customers can be pretty appalling, too, says Michael Deacon. ...

DFAS Offers Tax Help for Military Retirees, Annuitants
NEWS RELEASE DEFENSE FINANCE AND Accounting SERVICE 8899 East 56th Street Indianapolis, IN 46249 Press Release 0111-001 For Immediate Release January 4, 2011 Making it easy to get your Military Retiree/annuitant tax statements Indianapolis (Jan. 4, 2011) -- Now that you have the holiday decorations put away and you've begun your New Years resolutions, it's time to get things ready to file your tax returns. The Defense Finance and Accounting Service, the folks who pay Military retirees and annu...

They're still standing
What makes a good record shop? Can HMV learn from global trends? Continuing a series of features about the UK's changing music-buying habits, writer Graham Jones takes a closer look - and listen - at five of the country's most unusual record shops. My claim to fame is that during the last 20 years, I have visited more record shops than anybody else that has ever lived. Working for various music distributors, I would spend almost every weekday visiting about five stores all over Englan...

Many happy that Verizon will finally offer iPhone
As someone who sells urns and other products to the newly bereaved, Mary Hickey often takes phone calls from customers who need support. It's support that Hickey is glad to provide - if only her calls would quit dropping. She takes Customer Service calls on her Apple iPhone, which runs on AT&T;'s notoriously balky San Francisco network. More times than she can count, Hickey has been talking with a grieving customer when the line goes dead. "It's the kind of call you don't want to drop," said H...

Are you being served?
Why is service still so bad in the UK? How do you overcome a stammer? Are the Beckhams likely to have another boy? Bad Customer Service is unforgivable and it's everywhere in the UK, says Michelin-starred chef Michel Roux Jr. So why is it still so bad? Surly, slapdash and dreadful. That's how chef Michel Roux Jr sums up Customer Service in the UK. "It's not just in restaurants, you get bad service anywhere," he says. "Even buying a newspaper you can find that you...

Things Never Said About Restaurant Websites
A Tumblr reiterating Conor's complaints: "Broken links tell me that this place really focuses its energy on its food, not on ‘image’ or ‘good Customer Service.’ I like that.” ...

Borrowers Can Now Get Inside Lenders' Heads
But you might see lenders prefer to choose this second option from this point forward. FICO spokesman Craig Watts explains that this is likely for two reasons. First, since they're going to be required to do so in July anyway, they probably won't want to revise their procedures twice, so will comply with the new standard early instead. Second, from a Customer Service point-of-view, providing some explanation for providing less-than-ideal credit terms is much better than just telling someone they...

Fed report: U.S. Economy expanding moderately at end of 2010
Economic agenda: Wednesday, Jan. 12, 2011 At some point in the last couple of years--we would place it sometime after Lehman Brothers went down but before the automakers were bailed out--Washington became the financial capital of the world. "Now that we're all used to pre-nups, it's time to start thinking about Divorce Insurance: Ever had that sinking feeling that the person your friend is marrying is perfectly awful? Of course not, because you love everyone. But should it happen, you now can g...

LGBT History Museum Opens In SF
Tomorrow San Francisco's GLBT History Museum will stage its grand opening on 18th Street in the Castro. The museum is the only one of its kind in the United States and one of only two in the world. Via Press Release: “A quarter century after the founding of the GLBT Historical Society, we’re proud to open a museum to showcase our community’s history,” said Paul Boneberg, Executive Director of the Historical Society. “The GLBT History Museum is in the heart of the Castro, a ne

Any Hotel Room in a Storm? Good Luck
For people hoping to wait out the storm in a Hotel Room in New York City, the Headaches started the moment the forecasters started talking about snow. They discovered that reservations were hard to come by. “The snow’s timing is perfect,” said Karen Thomson, the director of sales at the 700-room Crowne Plaza Times Square. “It’s the only week in the whole of January that we’re sold out.” Some hotels, like the Crowne Plaza, were buzzing with people attending the Nati

UK confidence in online shopping rattled by snow: poll
Consumer research specialist Intersperience said a poll of 1,000 shoppers showed 17 percent did not receive at least one online purchase by Christmas Day as Bad Weather hit deliveries, while 11 percent got a wrong item or something they were not expecting. Although 81 percent of those surveyed shopped online, around a quarter spent less than they planned as a result of problems. "Overall, online retailing failed to live up to people's expectations and the problems they faced receiving orders pu...