As one of the editors 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 presidential candidates’ ugly sweaters to a boom in the baby business, here are some of the most interesting stories from around the Web.
Merry Christmas from the presidential horse race
We’ve covered the retail offerings from various presidential candidates in the past, including Jeb! Bush’s “Gauca Bowl.” Now, Bloomberg reports that candidates are getting into the holiday spirit, coming out with holiday sweaters branded with their logos or names. They're more like sweatshirts, but who’s keeping track?
The boss is watching
Cyber Monday basically revolves around workers shopping on work time—and managers are catching on. Fortune reports that half of U.S. employees admit to Internet shopping at the office, while 28% of managers said that they have fired someone for “non-work-related activity” on the Internet, up 24% from last year.
Baby boom
The baby care market is booming, with global sales predicted to hit $66.8 billion by 2017. With a slew of new products out there for the new parent (Silent humidifiers! Buttwashing gadgets! Age-specific detergents!), Chavie Lieber at Racked asks when it all will become too much.
"This stuff just keeps getting bigger and bigger," Dana Wood, an analyst with the Robin Report, told Racked. "A decade ago, there was one baby carrier. Now, there are dozens of them. Whenever someone in the market has something new, you can be sure there will be 10 more coming down the pipeline.”
Window art
First comes Thanksgiving, then come the New York City store window displays. The New York Times takes a look at the highly competitive nature of decorating New York department stores’ windows for the holidays. Some highlights from this year: an intricate Victorian gingerbread house at Lord & Taylor’s and a live ice sculpture carving demonstration at Barneys.
Lenny looks
Another month, another celebrity retail site. This week, “Girls” girl Lena Dunham launched her online shop called Lenny, selling feminist products like a “Feminist” banner and a “Dismantle the Patriarchy” patch set.
