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Party City Going Out Of Business, Closing All 800 Stores
The party is over for a popular chain store that's been in business for decades.
Party City is “winding down” operations immediately at its approximately 800 locations, CEO Barry Litwin told corporate employees in a video call on Friday, Dec. 20, CNN reports.
Workers were told they will not receive severance pay, and that their benefits would end as the company goes out of business, CNN says.
The company, headquartered in in Woodcliff Lake, New Jersey, is running low on cash and unable to pay rent in some locations, according to an earlier Bloomberg report.
Party City was foun…
Teamsters Union Launches Strike Against Amazon
As the holiday season peaks, the Teamsters Union has initiated a significant strike against Amazon, targeting facilities in four states. This action is described as the largest labor movement in the company’s history.
On Thursday morning, December 19, union members began protests at a fulfillment center in Queens, New York, with additional strikes occurring in Atlanta, Southern California, and Skokie, Illinois.
The union aims to highlight unacceptable working conditions and Amazon’s refusal to engage in collective bargaining.
Their demands include better wages, hours, and benefits fo…
Luxury French Department Store Set To Open First US Location in NY
A touch of Parisian luxury will soon be arriving in America.
Printemps, the iconic French department store, is prepares to open its first US location in the spring of 2025.
The new store, which will be located in Manhattan, will occupy 55,000 square feet within the historic One Wall Street building in the Financial District, blending classic architecture with modern elegance.
Founded in 1865, Printemps is celebrated for its high-end fashion, beauty, and lifestyle offerings.
The Manhattan location aims to capture the spirit of its flagship Paris store, showcasing a carefully cu…
Shake Shack Offers Free Burgers With Purchase During Holiday Promotion
Shake Shack is launching a limited-time promotion offering free burgers with a qualifying purchase during the holiday season.
The “Holiday Burger Blitz” will run from Monday, Dec. 16, to Tuesday, Dec. 24, providing customers with a free burger each day when they spend a minimum of $10 and use the code BURGERBLITZ at checkout.
The promotion features a different burger each day, including popular items like the ShackBurger, SmokeShack, and Avocado Bacon Burger. The schedule for the free offerings is as follows:
Monday, Dec. 16: ShackBurger
Tuesday, Dec. 17: SmokeShack
Wednesday, Dec. …
Shoplifting Costs Retailers Billions: These Are Most Frequently Stolen Items
Shoplifting in the US is a costly epidemic, with retailers losing over $120 billion last year.
The trend focuses on easily concealed, high-demand products at major retailers like Walmart and Target, posing a nationwide challenge for store owners and law enforcement.
Electronics, health and beauty products, and food items are among the most commonly stolen goods, Capital One Shopping reports.
Small gadgets such as headphones and phone chargers, alongside over-the-counter medications and cosmetics, are frequent targets.
Alcohol, baby formula, and packaged meats are also popular …
Just Released New iOS Update Brings AI, Custom Emoji Access To iPhones, iPads
Apple has unveiled new updates that bring advanced AI and emoji tools to its iPhone and iPad devices.
Released on Wednesday, Dec. 11, iOS 18.2, iPadOS 18.2, and macOS Sequoia 15.2 expand Apple Intelligence with features like ChatGPT integration, custom emoji creation, and visual design tools.
Key Updates
ChatGPT Integration: Siri and Writing Tools now support ChatGPT for generating content, solving problems, and enhancing productivity. Privacy settings ensure user control over data.
Image Playground: This tool allows users to design custom visuals by inputting text descriptions, wit…
Meta Outages: Thousands Experiencing Issues With Facebook, Instagram, Other Platforms
Tens of thousands of Meta users are experiencing outages across its platforms.
Just before 1 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 11, there were numerous reports of outages on Downdetector.com, including 69,000 on Instagram, over 1,000 on Facebook, and 10,000 on WhatsApp.
Meta issued a statement on the outages on X at around 1:45 p.m.
"We’re aware that a technical issue is impacting some users’ ability to access our apps," the statement said. "We’re working to get things back to normal as quickly as possible and apologize for any inconvenience."
We’re aware that a technical issue is impacting some use…
Moderation Mess: Meta Admits Harmless Content Often Gets Taken Down
Meta is admitting that harmless content gets taken down amid criticism for its handling of moderation.
“Too often, harmless content gets taken down, or restricted, and too many people get penalized unfairly,” the company's president of global affairs, Nick Glegg, told reporters on Monday, Dec. 2, according to a report in The Verge.
Meta's platforms include Facebook, Instagram, Threads, and WhatsApp.
Despite advancements in AI moderation, Clegg acknowledged there is still “work to do” in ensuring fair and accurate enforcement, the report said.
Meta has promised to refine its…
Hearst Lays Off Around 200 Employees From Magazine Division
Hearst Magazines has just fired around 200 employees, most of whom were assigned to the company's midtown Manhattan headquarters, according to multiple reports.
Cosmopolitan, Esquire, Good Housekeeping, Men's Health, Popular Mechanics, Town & Country, and Harper's Bazaar are among the titles the division of Hearts Communications publishes.
Affected employees were notified in a private meeting days before Thanksgiving, according to New York Magazine.
Some of the Hearst publications :were already run by a skeleton crew" after years of downsizing, the report in New York said.
Recall Issued For Produce Sold In NY, CT Stores Over Potential Listeria Contamination
Ready-to-eat fruit and vegetable products sold in the parts of the Northeast are being recalled.
Connecticut-based Gracie’s Kitchens Inc., located in New Haven, has issued the recall due to potential contamination with Listeria, a bacteria that can cause serious health risks, according to the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
The recall involves products manufactured between Monday, Nov. 4 and Wednesday, Nov. 13, and sold under the Gracie’s Kitchens, King Kullen, and Wild By Nature brands.
The products were distributed to grocery stores in New York and Connecticut.
Items …
Amazon Workers Go On Strike, Protest In 20 Nations, Including US
Amid the busiest shopping weekend of the holiday season, workers for Amazon, the world's largest online retailer, have gone on strike.
Protesting under the banner of “Make Amazon Pay.” employees have walked off the job across six continents in 20 countries, including the United States.
The strike is scheduled to last from Black Friday on Nov. 29 through Cyber Monday, Dec. 2, the UNI Global Union announced, saying protests will be held in majors cities in the US, United Kingdom, Germany, Japan, India, Brazil and elsewhere.
The strike could cause customers' holiday deliveries …
