Retail Stores

The offering of a free pizza from Papa John’s surprised The Capitol Deal, The Washington Post’s daily-deal site, when more than 30,000 customers signed up to take advantage of the offer in its first three hours.

Though it may seem like a new fad is sweeping the nation, it’s actually been around for more than 100 years. Coupons, first widely used by C.W. Post in 1909 to help sell his now-famed Post brand breakfast cereals, have become a social phenomenon. Who would have thought that the once-revolutionary newspaper coupon would grow into a life of its own?

The nation's first urban Wal-Mart Express store has opened on Chicago's South Side, part of a highly anticipated test that Wal-Mart hopes will help turn around a two-year U.S. sales slump.

Office Depot reported its loss widened to $29 million in the second quarter, compared with a loss of $25 million in the year-ago period. Sales were essentially flat in the quarter at $2.7 billion. By division, total sales dipped 2 percent in the North American retail division to $1.1 billion, and same-store sales decreased 1 percent.

Inspired by TLC's show "Extreme Couponing," Sandy Beacham, a stay-at-home mother of five, is on a mission to save as much money as possible. She's saved the most on toiletries and personal items at drug stores, but she doesn't consider herself an extreme couponer like people on the show.

Coupons aren't a new idea; they've been around for many generations of shoppers and now they've taken on a new lease of life. Many of your customers are looking at their cost of living and the family budget and wondering where they can save money. The result is that they're being bombarded with discount offers in almost every shopping window.

Borders' liquidation will increase available U.S. retail space by as much as 6.3 million square feet, according to DJM Realty LLC, as the industry struggles with near-record vacancy rates and stagnant rents.

While same-sex marriage is new to New York state, gay couples in Rochester have long worked with local retailers, from bridal shops to reception halls, to celebrate weddings that occurred days before and hundreds of miles away.

Apple has signed a 10-year deal with New York's Metropolitan Transportation Authority to open the largest Apple store yet within Grand Central Terminal. Apple's retail push was said to be scrapped in March, then revived in May.

Dish Network Corp plans to keep open more than 90 percent of the Blockbuster stores it acquired in its $320 million deal for the video rental chain. Dish, the second largest U.S. satellite TV company, said it reached agreements with property owners allowing it to continue running more than 1,500 stores. In addition, it will retain more than 15,000 employees. Dish Network won Blockbuster in an April bankruptcy auction, further broadening its business beyond satellite TV and setting up a possible showdown with Netflix.