Interesting Facts Archives - I Hate Working In Retail

Feb
26

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Here Is The Most Wildly Popular Type Of Retail Store In Each State

Category: infographics, Interesting Facts Tags: , Leave a Comment

It may not surprise you that there’s a lot of demand for surf shops in Hawaii, but did you know that South Dakota is all about its art galleries?

A recent collaboration between The Huffington Post and Yelp reveals what kinds of stores are the most insanely popular in each state, based on the review website’s listings. It’s the same idea behind our recent map showing each state’s most popular type of cuisine.

To collect info for the map, Yelp delved into its online catalogue of store listings and calculated the percentage of a given type of shopping business relative to the total number of business listings in that state. Then, it compared those percentages with each type of store’s representation nationwide and produced a list of the top 10 most disproportionally common stores in each of the 50 states.

The map below, made by HuffPost’s Alissa Scheller, shows which type of retail shop is the most likely to appear in each state.

Yelp Data Scientist Will Seltzer told HuffPost that it wasn’t hard to see why some states favored a certain type of store. The several instances of fireworks shops on the map, for example, was to be expected, given that they’re legal only in a handful of states. That there were a ton of “outdoor gear” stores in Montana, well known for its parks and outdoor activities, was also no surprise.

“Baby gear and furniture [stores] show up in the top 10 in Utah and Texas, and those are two states that have some of the highest birth rates nationally,” Seltzer pointed out as another example.

The popularity of personal shopping businesses in California and D.C. also could be correlated to the celebrities and politicians who live in those places. This same demographic could explain why custom-made clothing shops (referred to by Yelp as “bespoke clothing”) were so hot in New York and D.C.

But what’s with the 5 instances of car battery stores on the map?

“My suspicion is that in certain states you have these stores that are just dedicated to car batteries, and in others they’re part of a larger outlet or department store,” Seltzer said. He went on to point out that businesses on Yelp can be tagged with up to three different store categories, which may also explain the prevalence of car battery stores on the map.

Check out Yelp’s full overview of the top 10 most popular kinds of stores in each state:

 

Sourced from huffingtonpost.com

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Feb
25

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17 UK nineties shops we wish would come back from the dead

Category: Interesting Facts, retail lists Tags: , Leave a Comment

17 nineties shops we wish would come back from the dead
Shopping was better in the 90s and you know it (Picture: Getty)

*Slips on rose tinted glasses*

Remember back in the 90s when you still used to go to the shops IRL, and a trip to your local high road would result in you spending, like, a whole £4.90 on that week’s number one single, a poster for your bedroom wall, and enough pick ‘n’ mix to give you a belly ache for a week?

Well nowadays £4.90 will barely get you a Big Mac meal, and most of the shops which fueled our teenage dreams are sadly no more.

So join us for a trip down memory high street, where the sun always shines, for some serious reminiscing… #Mems

1. Our Price

our price shop
(Picture: Tony Buckingham)

You probably brought your first single here. Chances are it was a tape, and in the intervening years you’ve realised the s*** song on the B-side is actually way better.

 

2. C&A

C&A store
(Picture: Craig Hibbert)

This is where your mum used to drag you, kicking and screaming, to get your vests, pop socks and school coat. It wasn’t cool, but now when you see them on mainland Europe, you feel kind of jealous that they still have them and we don’t.

 

3. Dolcis

File photo dated 26/9/2005 of the Dolcis shoe shop on London's Oxford Street. High street retailer Alexon revealed Tuesday January 10, 2006, that a disappointing performance at brands including Dolcis over Christmas had left it with an unexpected amount of unsold stock. See PA Story CITY Alexon. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Photo credit should read: Fiona Hanson/PA,
(Picture: PA)

Three words: Knee high boots.

 

4. Morgan

The Morgan store in Oxford St, between Oxford Circus and Bond Street. PICTURE, MIKE FLOYD.
(Picture: Mike Flyod)

You weren’t anyone until you owned a pair of Morgan’s black bootcut trousers. Fact.

 

5. Whittard

Passers-by in front of a Whittard of Chelsea store in Chiswick. Whittard of Chelsea, the tea and coffee retailer, has lined up Ernst and Young as administrators, a source close to the company confirmed.
(Picture: PA)

A whole shop dedicated to tea? Who the f*** shopped there? You, every Mother’s Day. True story.

 

6. Blockbuster

Blockbuster store. It's been a terrible week for Britain's High Street stores - first photographic retailer Jessops closed it's doors, then music chain HMV announced it's called in the receivers and today, DVD and video games rental firm Blockbuster UK, which has 528 stores in the UK employing 4,190 staff, has gone into administration. January 16th 2012 Photo by Keith Mayhew D27XPB
(Picture: Alamy)

Yes, they NEVER had the video you wanted, and you racked up enough late fines for a deposit on a two bed flat, but still, you really miss them on Sunday nights when there’s nothing on the telly.

 

7. Tammy

AD_161173285.jpg

Too old for M&S kids, but too young for Morgan? Welcome to Tammy Girl – the store of your pre-teen dreams.

 

8. The Body Shop

Pictures of Daily Mail writer Lucie Morris at Londons Heathrow airport Terminal 1 "Duty Free" pre boarding area. picture shows the Body shop where Lucie bought tweezers. Before boarding British Midland flight 175 to Paris with other banned dangerous objects, bought in the Heathrow duty free areas
(Picture: Mark Lloyd)

Yes yes, we know The Body Shop is still around, but seriously, when was the last time you made a friend a bespoke basket of white musk five ways, eh?

 

9. Madhouse

Cromwells Madhouse jean store
(Picture: Krestine Havemann)

It was down the dodgy end of Oxford Street, and THE place to get your Pepe jeans and Fruit of the Loom jumpers.

 

10. Kookai

Kookai retail shop. Branch in Oxford Street,London feb 2001...Retail Shop...Kookai retail shop.
(Picture: David Willis)

Kookai – the only place to get your going out (read spangly) tops and cute little clubbing bags. Chic (or so you thought).

 

11. Ravel

A06RY3 Ravel shop store Trafford centre UK United Kingdom England Europe GB Great Britain EU European Union
(Picture: Alamy)

Ravel is where you went for posh shoes for posh dos.

 

12. Athena

Athena shop
(Picture: Chris / Flickr)

This is where all your pocket money went. Posters, watches, man and baby, sexy tennis girl. Need we say more?

 

13. Gadget Shop

Gadgetshop.com retail. Branch in oxford Street,London Feb 2001...Retail Shop...Gadgetshop.com retail
(Picture: Gadgetshop.com)

Aka. a fantastic way to spend a couple of hours. No you never actually brought anything, but you did somehow manage to break something ev-er-y time you went in.

Can’t think why they closed down…

 

14. Sock Shop

Sock Shop on Oxford Street London, July 14th 2005. sock shop has gone bust for the third time, hit by slow consumer spending and rising costs. David Parry/ newscast.
(Picture: David Parry)

A shop just selling socks – how was that ever a good idea? No one, but no one loves socks THAT much.

 

15. Past Times

CITY Past Times 2...The Covent Garden branch of the gift shop chain, Past Times, which has gone into administration, it was announced today Thursday April 26, 2001. The company is looking for a buyer to support its 74 branches and 721 employees across the UK. See PA Story CITY Past Times. PA Photo: Kirsty Wigglesworth...A
(Picture: PA)

The go-to shop for last minute gifts. Who doesn’t like a vintage-style mug/ picture frame/ necklace/ candle holder?

 

16. Sweater shop

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Their T-shirts and sweaters were always on your birthday list, you wore them with cycling shorts or patterned leggings and thought… no knew, you looked too cool for school.

 

17. Woolworths

WOOLWORTHS IN CAMDEN HIGH STREET, LONDON NW1. PICTURE JEREMY SELWYN . REXMAILPIX.
(Picture: REX)

No round up of stores that will forever be in our hearts would be complete without Woolies. From the ultimate pick ‘n’ mix (or should that be nick ‘n’ mix), to pencil cases to make your best mates jealous, Woolworths was the absolute best.

Sourced from mirror.com

 

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Jan
22

By

Why Burgers Look Different in The Ads vs Real Life

Category: Fun Facts, Interesting Facts, Retail Articles Tags: , , Leave a Comment

This video exposes the world of food styling, the art of making food look beautiful and camera-ready.

Via vimeo.com

A good burger always starts with a good bun. The one you eat and the one you photograph look pretty much the same. But that’s where the similarities end.

vimeo.com

vimeo.com

When cooking meat for consumption, the goal is making sure it’s cooked all the way through.

This Is Why Burgers In Ads Always Look Better Than Burgers In Real Life

But the goal when you’re photographing it is to get some nice looking grill marks with a special tool.

This Is Why Burgers In Ads Always Look Better Than Burgers In Real Life

The meat patty you eat is simply placed on the bun, but the burger you photograph has an extra piece between the meat and the bun to give it a little lift.

vimeo.com

vimeo.com

Adding lettuce and tomato to your burger is pretty haphazard…

This Is Why Burgers In Ads Always Look Better Than Burgers In Real Life
Via vimeo.com

…But with food styling, the slices of tomato and the lettuce have to be placed very precisely, and held down with pins.

This Is Why Burgers In Ads Always Look Better Than Burgers In Real Life
Via vimeo.com

And the condiments aren’t squirted on for food styling. Instead, they are carefully syringed into place around the edges, as if oozing out of the burger.

vimeo.com

vimeo.com

So, which burger looks better to you?

So, which burger looks better to you?

Via vimeo.com
Sourced from buzzfeed.com

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