Just when you thought your days of browsing a big-box national book retailer store were as numbered thanks to the demise of Borders and the fading of Barnes & Noble comes word e-tailer giant Amazon is prepping to launch a physical store. more ›

A David versus Goliath struggle has erupted in West Hollywood, and the local pet-loving community is voicing its opinions loud and clear. Yesterday, a community pet shop with just two Los Angeles locations received an unexpected two-year anniversary present atop their Santa Monica Boulevard store. more ›

It's time to get bent, lovers of shiny things and the revitalization of historic buildings: Downtown L.A. will soon be home to a "Sparkle Factory." If you, like us, are wondering WTF is a "Sparkle Factory," (and if any My Little Pony products are involved) we can explain... more ›

A national organization is helping pet retailers move away from selling commercially bred dogs and get shelter pets in the store and for sale. In March, the Barkworks store at the Westside Pavilion will "become an official adoption center for rescues." more ›

If you live, work, or, most importantly, shop in unincorporated Los Angeles County, reusable shopping bags should be on your holiday wish list, because the ban on single-use plastic bags expands to include smaller stores effective January 1, 2012. more ›

As part of the continued effort to ban single-use bags in Los Angeles, Heal the Bay has dubbed Thursday, December 15 "Day Without A Bag." The event is appropriately timed, as L.A. City Council is expected to move forward with a sweeping ban on single-use shopping bags next week. more ›

Your local mall could be monitoring your cell phone signal this holiday season. This Black Friday some malls in the US will be rolling out a new technology that allows retailers to track customers' cell phone signals while they're shopping. more ›

If you need that little extra restraint to stay indoors this Black Friday - the biggest clusterfuck shopping day of the year - a recent survey by the National Retail Federation (NRF) has it. Approximately 152 million shoppers will descend upon retailers on November 25. more ›

You're so on-the-go that taking those bills or that plastic card out of your wallet is too much work, so you'e armed your smartphone with Google Wallet. Where can you use it? Smoothie seller Jamba Juice has announced they will now be testing the program in 270 of their locations. Yay? more ›

For starters, if your neighborhood Barnes & Noble store is the one at the Westside Pavilion, the short answer is: Yes. That said, the nation's hang-on big box book retailer could end up closing the doors on hundreds of the locations around the country over the next two years. more ›

This may bring about some closure for those who were adamant for so long that Fresh & Easy open a location in North Hollywood. Specifically in the area's retail core, NoHo Arts. And, before word came it would become a 24 Hour Fitness, specifically NoHo Arts-ers wanted F&E to take over the failed HOWS market. more ›

Just in time for Halloween, what makes more sense than sucking back a bottled beverage made in the spirit of HBO's biting drama, "True Blood"? Tru Blood Beverage, which debuted for sale two years ago via HBO's online shop, is now available in the flesh in plastic bottles at your neighborhood BevMo! more ›

If you're a Bank of America customer and you swipe that handy debit card for purchases, get ready to have a $5 monthly fee charged to your account starting in early 2012. The bank announced the impending imposition today, and intends to use the added revenue to help pad themselves against losses they'll incur on new caps placed on fees merchants pay for debit transactions. more ›

About 30 protestors rallied at Tuesday's City Council meeting in Burbank, flashing signage in opposition of the impending addition to their 'hood - a big, fat Walmart. The mega-retailer, notorious for treating its employees like dirt, purchased a 120,000 square foot building, formerly home to Great Indoors, and is in discussions on how much of the space it will hog, if it will stock groceries and if it will be open 24/7 for your saving money and living better needs. more ›

If you ever feel like you're being watched while you try on clothes in the department store dressing room, well, maybe you are. A CBS2 undercover op reveals that the doors of several area department stores are deliberately designed so that store employees can see in. Oh, but don't worry, it's not because they're pervy, it's because they think you're a thief. more ›

Tonight's City Council meeting in Burbank is gonna be a doozy, as residents opposed to a Walmart going in at the Empire Center sign up to sound off. In fact, the Council is prepping to hear "a long list of grievances," about the new mega big box shop. more ›

Head to the city's eastern communities (leave the east versus west hooey behind) and take note of the robust options for getting a hold of some great brews in Downtown, Eagle Rock, Silver Lake, and Echo Park. If you're looking to get some of that great beer to go back with you to your corner of town, a must stop shop is the just-opened and much-anticipated Sunset Beer Company. more ›

Burbank, your prayers have been answered. Coming soon to the former Great Indoors site is your very own Walmart. The 120,000 square foot building is apparently a prime location for the multinational chain's next beast. more ›

Silver Lake hipsters are now going to have a new place to spend the change they put in their piggy banks after taking their glut of PBR cans to the recycling depot. The vacated Circuit City at 4400 W. Sunset is going to become a Whole Foods. more ›

The lease has been signed, and an opening looms on the horizon: Diesel: A Bookstore in Malibu will indeed re-open, confirms LA Observed. A legal skirmish and low sales volume left Diesel no choice but to close up shop in February, however rumors soon swirled that the owners had their eyes on a spot in the Malibu Country Mart. more ›

Shoppers, your 6-month grace period is over: Tomorrow begins a life of BYOBag for shoppers in Santa Monica, as the city's Single-Use Carryout Bag Ban goes into full enforcement September 1. Under the ban, all 1,900 Santa Monica retailers are prohibited from giving customers single-use plastic carryout bags. more ›

CVS Pharmacy got called out, and now they're going to be paying out: The company announced today they will pay $2 million as a result of a consumer protection civil lawsuit filed earlier this month by the District Attorneys of Los Angeles, Riverside and Ventura counties. The suit alleges CVS used false advertising by not providing an immediate discount for some advertised items. more ›

We're not in line to get the world's largest Apple Store, but we're about to get one with a glass roof. more ›

Sometimes bankruptcy works, and sometimes it's just time for a total liquidation. Borders, the big box bookseller who hit financial woes and began shutting down select locations recently, is throwing in the towel, and closing up all of their remaining 399 stores. more ›

To help explain Amazon.com Inc.'s shut down of their affiliate program in California, the debate over the new sales tax law and the current petition, Next Media Animation, a Taiwanese subsidiary of Next Media, has produced a short animation entitled "Amazon takes on California over sales tax." Animated Californian voters are shown checking "YAY!" in support of a tax-free online market. more ›

A new law requiring online retailers to collect California sales tax from shoppers has stirred up controversy, and now Amazon.com Inc. is saying they are looking for voters to take the matter to the ballot. more ›

National grocery retailer Supervalu, whose Albertsons brand stores are one of our regional grocery options, recently announced they will enact a "zero waste" model at 40 of their stores. The eco-friendly move will begin with primarily focusing on Albertsons stores, says TreeHugger. more ›

Downtown's 7th/Metro subway station, which serves the Red, Purple, Blue, and, eventually, Expo lines, will soon be home to a convenience store in the stop itself. The Rush Snack Bar could open as soon as the end of this month, says blogger Brigham Yen, who has the background info on the new retail endeavor. more ›

While we have reason to celebrate our A-list local bookstores, this week brings sad news for two SoCal independent book retailers who have announced they're closing up shop. more ›

In February, the Malibu outpost of indie bookseller Diesel, A Bookstore, closed up shop at the Malibu Village after a near-seven years' tenancy at that location, after what was described as a "protracted legal skirmish." Now, a new chapter could unfold for the store in Malibu at the Country Mart, as the store's owners say they "are in negotiation on a lease and hope to work something out within the next few weeks," according to Malibu Patch. more ›