Management

Christopher & Banks has named Joel N. Waller as president for a one-year term, effective immediately. Waller is charged with revitalizing the business and putting the company back on track to profitability. He will report to Larry Barenbaum, CEO.

Hair product brand TRESemmé hit a huge customer relations snafu when an email offering free samples to a few hundred email subscribers was accidentally sent out to tons of fans and posted on its Facebook page. After thousands of people contacted TRESemmé about collecting their free samples, the company realized that it made a mistake and began to backtrack.

In many ways, Tory Burch’s story is one of abiding family values, in the best possible meaning of the phrase. She was raised by doting parents — she still talks to her mother at least once a day — and remains very close to her siblings, one of whom works with her.

Last week, a Macy's employee spotted a transgender woman going into the women's dressing room and decided to stop her and inform her that she wasn't really a woman. Macy's promptly fired the employee, but now she's has enlisted the help of a hatemongering conservative organization and is claiming that Macy's discriminated against her religious beliefs by denying her the right to harass whichever customer she chooses.

Three more syringes have been found hidden inside clothing at a Wal-Mart in Georgia, raising the total to seven and prompting fears for customer safety. In addition to three other incidents reported last month, two shoppers and a staff member have found needles in different pairs of trousers.

Bloomingdale's recently revealed plans to grow the luxury department store brand. "Bloomingdale’s is a growth brand for us,” said Terry Lundgren, chairman, president and CEO of Macy's.

Talbots is seeking a new CEO as it works to turn around its struggling business. The retailer said that President and CEO Trudy Sullivan plans to retire as soon as a successor is named.

According to the Department of Labor, the retail industry added nearly 50,000 jobs in November, the second highest increase since September 2007. However, the Retail Industry Leaders Association warned that new regulations could impede the continued pace of job growth.

Talbots is slashing another 100 jobs at its Hingham, Mass. headquarters, abruptly suspending its national advertising campaign, and reportedly looking for new leadership after years of a failed turnaround.

With expendable income being scarce in today’s economy, consumers have become highly skilled at comparison shopping. While shopping for the best deal once required serious effort — driving from store to store and/or comparing catalogs — it’s an easy process now.