SpiderFarmer

A list of retailers that are shuttering some, or all, of their doors:

• Circuit City

• Ann Taylor- 117 stores nationwide are to be shuttered

• Lane Bryant,, Fashion Bug ,and Catherine’s to close 150 store nationwide

• Eddie Bauer to close stores 27 stores and more after January

• Cache will close all stores

• Talbots closing down all stores

• J. Jill closing all stores

• GAP closing 85 stores

• Footlocker closing 140 stores more to close after January

• Wickes Furniture closing down

• Levitz closing down remaining stores

• Bombay closing remaining stores

• Zales closing down 82 stores and 105 after January.

• Whitehall closing all stores

• Piercing Pagoda closing all stores

• Disney closing 98 stores and will close more after January.

• Home Depot closing 15 stores

• Macys to close 9 stores after January

• Linens and Things closing all stores

• Movie Galley Closing all stores

• Pacific Sunware closing stores

• Pep Boys Closing 33 stores

• Sprint/ Nextel closing 133 stores

• JC Penney closing a number of stores after January

• Ethan Allen closing down 12 stores.

• Wilson Leather closing down all stores

• Sharper Image closing down all stores

• K B Toys closing 356 stores

• Loews to close down some stores

• Dillard’s to close some stores.

Even those of us who are wise in years, and experienced business operators get scammed. It’s way more embarrassing, because by dint of graying temples and crone stick of wizened wisdom, we expect ourselves to be smarter than that. But draw your chairs closer children, and I’ll tell you the sad story of how I let myself get taken.

Read more at Soapy Hollow

Even those of us who are wise in years, and experienced business operators get scammed.  It’s way more embarrassing, because by dint of graying temples and crone stick of wizened wisdom, we expect ourselves to be smarter than that.  But draw your chairs closer children, and I’ll tell you the sad story of how I let myself get taken.

Patricia Belgrave sent out emails to a targeted list of mid-scale soap manufacturers offering to let us buy out the remainder of her warehouse because she was closing shop in September.  Because the message purportedly came from within the soapers community, I didn’t do the due diligence I usually take when sourcing a vendor.

Lesson learned: Always do due diligence on your supply chain.  Never buy anything to do someone a “favor”.

After a month of placing an order, and paying their PayPal invoice, I still hadn’t received any product.  I emailed them, and the mail bounced.  I emailed their paypal email address, and asked for either tracking information or a refund, and there was no response.  I called their phone number which had been disconnected.

*facepalm*

I filed a dispute with PayPal, which was eventually decided in my favor.  Unfortunately, PayPal won’t reimburse you for claims if the company has emptied the paypal account, which this person did long before any of us with claims got through the mandatory claim time.

Lesson Learned: PayPal is not as safe as Visa or Mastercard, both of which would have reversed the charges. PayPal says “Yeah, sorry to hear that. Sucks to be you.” I need to find a new payment processor for the SoapyHollow shopping cart.

So, to save other from suffering the same sort of loss, and the embarrassment of getting scammed, I give you all of the information on these folks that I can find.

Doing business as; Wholesalershub

Also doing business as: EssentialsbyShishas

Also doing business as:: The Upper Room Bath & Body Basics

(Addresses, emails, phone numbers after the cut.)

Read more…