April Fools' Day gets real: Why some brands are choosing to release actual products on April 1 With so many fake products being teased for April Fools' Day, some brands are trying to stand out with real product releases and giveaways.

A new fun story we just published: why some brands are releasing real products on April 1 www.modernretail.co/marketing/ap...

Congrats Jake, such exciting news and so well-deserved!

I'm a journalist. Here's the story based on a ridealong I did >> www.axios.com/local/twin-c...

My rapid response ridealong host and I talked through concerns beforehand. I agreed that certain details about communication wouldn't be included, nor would identities of other RR volunteers w/o consent.

Check out the first paragraph in that screenshot. That's how you frame a story.

Great alt text caption

Does this mean Texas gets invaded now? Or is that only after intrepid reporter Nick Shirley gets a scoop?

www.fox4news.com/news/48-texa...

I have seen calls for Target to issue some kind of statement calling on ICE to leave Minnesota and to make it clear that they don't want ICE in their parking lots but legally -- there is nothing they can do to stop it outright.

How Target is talking to corporate employees about the ICE surge in Minnesota Target has sent corporate employees some communication related to ICE's increased presence in Minnesota, as it avoids publicly commenting.

NEW: I spoke with some corporate Target employees about how the company has been talking to them about the ICE surge (much of it avoids mentioning the word "ICE") and saw an FAQ resource page Target put together: www.modernretail.co/retailers/ho...

Hi, I'm a retail journalist and I'm looking into a few things related to Target and the ICE surge. I have a couple questions I'm looking to ask corporate Target employees under the condition of anonymity (meaning your name wouldn't appear in any story). You can reach me on Signal at 651-356-5217

👋 Do you work at Target's Northern Campus? If so, I have some questions for you about something I'm looking into. DM me if interested, and I'm happy to keep you anonymous

Brands are upset that 'Buy For Me' is featuring their products on Amazon without permission Online merchants say Amazon’s “Buy for Me” AI tool listed their products without permission, forcing them to opt out after the fact.

In an ironic twist, Amazon blocks Perplexity from buying items from its website on behalf of users with an AI agent only to have the same exact feature called “Buy for Me”.

Amazon doesn’t want to be disintermediated but is happy to disintermediate others.

The year of Thriftmas: Why secondhand gifts could finally go mainstream this holiday season Secondhand gifts are shedding their stigma as shoppers, squeezed by tariffs and inflation, turn to thrift stores and resale sites.

Happy Thriftmas to all who celebrate! Why more shoppers are turning to secondhand gifts this holiday season www.modernretail.co/tariffs/the-...

Minneapolis Bluesky -- there's a reporter on my team (@modernretail.bsky.social) looking to talk to current or ex Target employees about yesterday's layoffs. If you or anyone else you know might be interested, DM me or email me at anna@modernretail.co. Happy to talk under the condition of anonymity

Why US shoppers are still getting hit with tariff invoices on overseas e-commerce orders Online shoppers are getting blindsided with tariff invoices from shipping carriers and U.S. customs, and the issue could drag on for months.

Have you gotten a surprise tariff bill after ordering from a foreign site? Don't expect the issue to slow down anytime soon www.modernretail.co/operations/w...

Quince customers mistakenly hit with tariff bills DTC brand Quince says some of its customers are mistakenly being hit with tariff bills despite the brand having absorbed the fees.

Quince customers say they are receiving tariff bills from FedEx sometimes days or weeks after receiving their orders. Quince says it's an error on FedEx's end, and customers are not responsible for it www.modernretail.co/operations/q...

Why Lemon Perfect is supplying bachelorette parties with free products Lemon Perfect sees the trend of bachelorette parties asking for free products as a chance to acquire new customers.

We published a version of it last year! www.modernretail.co/marketing/wh...

As Target faces issues on multiple fronts, these once-loyal shoppers are still boycotting the chain Six months after calls to boycott Target over its pullback on DEI policies made news, some shoppers say they are still avoiding the retailer.

Are shoppers still boycotting Target, and exactly how much is it hurting the company given everything else that's going on? Here's my feature that attempts to answer the question -- give it a read! www.modernretail.co/operations/a...

Godspeed to every brand that hasn't put out any Love Island content to date and is now frantically trying to come up with something funny to post on social media before the finale

The rise of Labubunomics: How merchants and marketplaces are cashing in on the viral Pop Mart toy Labubu dolls are a viral sensation, thanks to TikToks, “blind boxes," celebrity fans and more. And on resale sites, prices keep climbing.

Kenny So, the co-owner of 30-year-old Chalice Collectibles, has seen fads come and go from Beanie Babies to Jellycats. But he says he's never seen anything like the fervor around Labubus.

More here on the crazy prices that Labubus are fetching on resale sites www.modernretail.co/marketing/th...

Modern Retail Podcast: Nike's Amazon return, E.l.f's big Rhode bet, and debunking recession indicators This week's Modern Retail Podcast gets into the news of Nike returning to Amazon and E.l.f buying Rhode, plus a talk about recession indicators.

Can sales of lipstick and men's underwear really tell us whether or not we are headed for a recession? On the latest episode of the Modern Retail Podcast, we debunk popular retail recession indicators. This was a fun one to record! www.modernretail.co/operations/m...

Awful -- what industry are they in?

CEOs go on a media blitz to warn of the 'existential threat' posed by tariffs Retail CEOs are posting daily on LinkedIn, appearing on CNBC and writing letters to their representatives to warn of the dangers of tariffs.

I wrote about how small business owners are going on a media blitz right now warning about how catastrophic these tariffs will be if they're not changed www.modernretail.co/operations/c...

Kohl's has stopped accepting Amazon returns at some store locations Store associates at Kohl's retail locations in Leominster, Massachusetts; Washington, Missouri and Eau Claire, Wisconsin confirmed that those particular stores are no longer accepting Amazon returns.

Breaking news, if Bluesky cares about this! Kohl's has stopped Amazon returns at some locations -- it appears to be a test, and may just be temporary for now www.modernretail.co/retailers/ko...

Inside Four Loko's plan to reinvent itself for Gen Z Fifteen years after removing caffeine from its drinks, Four Loko is focused on growing distribution and adding new flavors to appeal to Gen Z.

“Holding a Loko can means being wild, sharing insane moments with friends and really creating your own epic story." Four Loko is back (actually, it turns out they never left, just removed the caffeine) and is trying to reinvent itself for Gen Z www.modernretail.co/marketing/in...

Today in asinine food discourse: someone who is upset to learn that Chick-fil-a (allegedly) uses MSG, preservatives, artificial dyes, trans fats and more because they thought Chick-fil-a was "OK." Yes, once fast food stops using MSG, then it will be healthy

Limited Too is ramping up adult collections in an appeal to millennials After releasing its first capsule collection in larger sizes for the holidays, Limited Too is rolling out more clothes for adults.

If you are a millennial who wants to relive the early aughts, Limited Too is here for you -- once a favorite of teens and tweens during the early 200s, Limited Too relaunched last year and is now creating collections for adults, like a line of Zodiac-themed tees www.modernretail.co/marketing/li...

Every critique of White Lotus is like "as someone who is rich or knows rich people this is NOT how this specific type of rich person would act"

Why Energizer and Duracell are ditching plastic packaging Energizer and Duracell are rolling out paper packages in a move that removes plastic and also improves the customer experience.

When you open a pack of batteries, you've probably gotten used to to ripping open the cardboard back, before trying to keep the batteries from tumbling out of the plastic cavity.

But now, Energizer and Duracell are ditching this packaging. Here's why. www.modernretail.co/operations/w...

Happy for da birds

if i text you this just know you’re cooked