Extreme couponing: not just for hoarders

I know what you're thinking. How can I possibly think those crazies on TLC's "Extreme Couponing" may be on to something? If you haven't seen the show I will give you brief rundown: people (mostly women) spend hours of their day taking coupon clipping to the extreeme. No, I'm not talking about using bigger scissors- I'm talking about stealing newspapers, trolling the internet at all hours of the night, even dumpster diving. Gross. While the stars of the show use their coupons to buy crazy amounts of product for example, 250 bottles of Tide detergent, there are some couponers out there that are JUST as diligent about couponing but can come up with a more well rounded grocery cart. Check out the piece I did with Reuters TV I did this week on extreme couponing. I had  the extreme pleasure of shopping with Susan Samtur aka "coupon queen" where we bought $167.88 worth of groceries for $4 + tax (total was $8.88). I'm someone who likes to cook and save money at the same time. Maybe there is something to be said for taking some time out on the weekends to clip coupons of foods you like, take advantage of store deals and really become a more active consumer. I'll just pass on the 500 tubes of Crest.

 

Want a job at Burberry? Start speaking Mandarin!

Earlier this morning, luxury retailer Burberry reported earnings that after taxes rose by 26% to $415 million. Revenues were up a staggering 24% to around $2.5 billion. What's driving the growth? Asia, baby. Burberry launched flagship stores in Hong Kong, Teipei and Paris. An intereesting sign of the times: If you walk into almost every luxury flagship store stateside, you will find at least TWO people who speak Mandarin. Why? Because SURPRISE luxury sales outside of Asia and Europe are mostly driven by Chinese tourists. Want to know something else? Burberry trench coats are still a top seller. And given all the rain we've been getting on the east coast, a trench could definitely come in handy.

(YES that's me from the Art of the Trench campaign shot by my friend Scott Schuman. I really don't look like that when I am getting out the cab.)

How many hoodies can a Facebook IPO buy?

A LOT according to Bloomberg News.  Recent info. suggests Morgan Stanley (IPO underwriter) allegedly hid weakened growth forecasts from investors, making the $104 billion original valuation significantly less.  In real people terms, that means Morgan Stanley may have made Facebook seem more valuable than it is.  That didn't prevent Mark Zuckerberg from dumping 30.2 million shares and profiting (before taxes) $1.13 billion.  If The Zuck wanted to take a page from the Steve Jobs playbook,  could buy close to 8.7 million Betabrand pinstripe hybrid hoodies. OR he could buy 325,000 more of the custom made hoodie he always wears which are going for $4,000 on eBay last time I checked. OR he can just upgrade his wardrobe like we suggest here in this Reuters TV video:

Whatever he does, here's hoping  he doesn't take his fashion cues from the dudes on the Edison, NJ train. The programmer uniform of pleated front khakis and a short sleeve polo shirt is just bad. Sorry fellas.

$FB (Facebook) mania begins: will fashion and retail FINALLY get on board?

When I say "on board" I'm not referring to the 200,000 or so "likes" designers like Diane von Furstenberg have on her page. I'm talking about real retail transactions, people. Like buying stuff and shiz. In all seriousness, in the past four years I've listened to retail C-levels drone on about how social media is changing the way their customers shop. However, everytime I sit through these presentations, earnings calls and convos over drinks I've never heard an actionable plan put in place. Now that Facebook has gone public topping out (there is still an hour or so to this trading day) at a $104 Billion valuation, retailers finally have a reason to get a plan together- and quick. This piece on Racked pretty much spells it out. Here are four main reasons for retailers to take this IPO seriously: 1) Hello, acquisitions!: Now that Facebook has a ton of CASH on the books and a keen interest in world wide domination, the next step is for it to start snapping up companies to help make this happen. Instagram is super cool, but so is a technology company that can help facilitate customer engagement, aggregate sales or customer feedback.

2)Advertising: With over 500 million + users, retailers would be dumb not to want to try and target new and returning customers. However there is one sticking point: do you actually click on those ads when they come up? My survey says: NO.

3) People will actually BUY stuff via facebook recommendations: Did you know $JWN has close to 1.5 million likes on facebook? And department stores are banking on the notion those "likes" will translate into sales. Personally just because my little sister likes something doesn't mean I am going to like it enough to buy it, but that's just me.

4) Bigger than just social media: Retail technology companies are actually building their technologies on the Facebook PLATFORM. Why is that a big deal? Because 15 years ago, the same companies were building it on the Microsoft platform. Crazy, right?