discounters

Two of the men most responsible for making Target a cool, hip shopping option will soon be leading J.C. Penney's, which means bold changes could be coming for the middle-of-the-road department store chain. Can Ron Johnson and Michael Francis help it shake its stodgy image?

#fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-566395{display:none;} .cke_show_borders #fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-566395, #postcontentcontainer #fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-566395{width:620px;height:439px;display:block;}They are the everyday essentials -- what my mother would call those "necessary...

It's no secret that cash-strapped consumers have been flocking to discounters and dollar stores for more than a year. A bit more surprising is that even after a 50% rally off their 52-week low, shares in Dollar Tree Stores (DLTR) still look as cheap as the retailer's wares. The company posted yet...

Last month, I walked into a Wal-Mart store for the first time in my life. I'm from San Francisco, a place proud for its efforts to keep big-box stores out of city limits (Target is acceptable, although the nearest one is in South San Francisco, officially a different city). I have always tried to...