Retail News Flash!

Get ready makeup lovers! Sephora is opening up a new location on the east side at Pinecrest. Located at 311 Park Avenue, Orange Village, OH 44122, the grand opening for this new location will be Labor Day Weekend: Friday, August 30 through Sunday, September 1, 2019. There will be exclusive giveaways, including a free totebag with every $50 or more purchase. Hurry in! The perks are only while supplies last.

It's officially August, and guess what that means?
It's Back to School Season!!!
So to help parents out financially with getting their students ready for the new school year, for the third year in a row the State of Ohio has given parents a hand in affording new school supplies and new clothes by devoting a whole weekend where retail stores are not to charge consumers sales tax on such items as clothing, shoes, and school materials.
The holiday starts on Friday, August 2, 2019 at 12:00 a.m. and ends on Sunday, August 4, 2019 at 11:59 p.m. 
During the holiday, the following items are exempt from sales and use tax:

• Clothing priced at $75 per item or less;
• School supplies priced at $20 per item or less; and
• School instructional materials priced at $20 per item or less. 

Overall, for every $100 you spend on the items listed above this weekend, you will only pay that $100.00. You save $8.00 in sales tax that during any other time of the year would have been added to your subtotal of $100.00 to give you a total amount of $108.00 to pay.
So enjoy taking advantage of this sales tax break, whether or not you are a parent or teacher.
Happy shopping!

In an economy that is constantly changing due to technological advances, many storefront businesses take a hit. With the advent and commercialization of digital music over the last twenty years, record stores cease to exist in this day and age. Except for f.y.e.

Due to changing its main focus from brick-and-mortar sales to a strong online presence, Trans World Entertainment Corporation (TWEC), parent company of f.y.e., has been able to keep f.y.e. stores open due to supplying companies like ebay, WalMart, and Amazon with an array of items through its etailz brand. So it comes as no surprise that f.y.e would close one of its brick-and-mortar retail locations. 

Says Mike Feurer, CEO of Trans World Entertainment Corporation, "We continue to see sales growth in the etailz segment ... In the fye segment, although in the midst of continued structural and external challenges, we are focused on efforts to differentiate our entertainment merchandise towards creating a unique specialty retailing experience of choice for families and fans of popular culture and fun." 

Translation: f.y.e. will focus on its online sales geared towards Star Wars, the Marvel Comic Universe, the latest pop craze, and the newest digital entertainment tech toys.

As for now, notorious shoppers can have fun scouring the Tower City f.y.e. location looking for selections to add to their music and movie collections as well as completing some early Christmas and/or birthday shopping. The current discounts as of Saturday, August 4, 2018, are 30% off of new music and movies and 40% off of used music and movies. There are electronics, tech toys, and novelty items that range in discount from 30% to 50% off. Notable items include turntables, virtual reality headsets, and TV show DVD collections. 

Rest assured that if you decide to give this sale a try, it will be worth your time. Just ask Ms. Notorious Shopper herself; she was able to find Prince's Ultimate Collector's Edition of Purple Rain, consisting of three CDs, one DVD, and a collector's booklet in brand new condition at 30% off. The Prince lover in her rejoices.

Happy shopping!

.....And the local shopping enthusiasts are not too happy. 

As reported this past Spring, the Marshalls that was located at the Pavilion Shopping Center at 24055 Chagrin Boulevard in Beachwood was moved to Harvard Park Shopping Center at 4063 Richmond Road in Warrensville Heights, into the former location of the Golfsmith store. Their grand opening was Thursday, May 10th, 2018, and in the first months within their new home, NEO shopping enthusiasts have entered the store with grand expectations but left brokenhearted and frustrated.

Although many shoppers like the Harvard Park location because it is right off of one freeway (I-271) and near two other freeways (I-480 & Rt. 422), the new location is noticeably smaller in square footage than its former Chagrin Boulevard location. So with this major difference comes major disappointment. From complaints of there not being enough room to navigate in between clothing racks and store displays to there not being much selection to offer in various departments, too many of our enthusiasts walk around the store in utter diappointment. 

Says one notorious shopper, "I had been looking for the children's clothing for fifteen minutes, and it took another shopper to hear my verbal frustration and point out the small section that I had passed by several times."

"They should've used a bigger space than this!" exclaimed another notorious shopper. "They should've expanded this store to include the empty storefront next door," she said, referencing the available retail space between Marshalls and Club Champion. "This is such a letdown, especially since Marshalls is one of my favorite stores."

"They should've just left the store on Chagrin if it meant less merchandise to choose from," opined another notorious shopper.

We couldn't agree more.