New IKEA Coming to Seattle Area, Amazon and QVC Announce E-Commerce TV Channels

REI Encourages Shoppers to #OptOutside: In a bold attemt to reject the consumerist clusterf*ck that is Black Friday, the Seattle-based

outdoor and fitness co-op, REI, will shut its doors this retail holiday. REI is sacrificing a significant loss of profit in order to contest the

frenzied introduction to the holiday season. Last year, an estimated 86.9 million people shopped on Black Friday, and the day has

consitantly been one of the retailer’s most profitable days. REI President and CEO Jerry Stritzke told USA Today, “The thing that is

powerful to me is this clearly is not a financially self-serving act. It’s an act where we’re really making a very clear statement

about a set of values.” In addition to a lack of Black Friday promotions, the retailer will not process online orders until Saturday, and the

majority of employees will recieve paid time-off.

No More “Popping Tags” at Capitol Hill Value Village: The beloved Capitol Hill thrift store, which has remained an integral part of the

community for 20 years, will be closing its doors on November 7th. A spokesperson told Capitol Hill Seattle that “certain

business conditions” have made it necessary to close the store after “a number of years of leasing the space on a month-to-month basis.”

In addition to being a beloved store to Capitol Hill natives, the thrift shop gained international attention when Macklemore featured the

store in his music video for the song, “Thrift Shop.” In response to the closure, thye artist tweeted “Ah hell no!!!” We’re feeling the

same way, Macklemore.

New IKEA Coming to Seattle: IKEA officially broke ground yesterday for a new store in Renton. The store will be adjacent to its current store and is expected to open in Spring 2017. The new space will be 406,000 square feet, consist of two levels, and feature an updated, modern architectural design. Lars Petersson, IKEA U.S. President, announced “We are pleased…to extend our Seattle presence with a new and updated store that will provide an enhanced experience for our many loyal customers. The new store also will help us introduce the latest version of the unique IKEA concept to Seattle-area consumers who value good design, good function and affordable prices, but have not yet had the chance to visit the current Renton store.”

Shop Through Your TV: Earlier this week, Amazon announced it is adding an e-commerce channel to the Fire TV. The company has already introduced a shopping feature to the television, but it plans to offer a larger shopping channel where viewers can purchase products directly from their screen. Amazon is not alone in this venture, though. On Thursday, Geekwire reported that QVC also plans to launch a virtual shopping channel with Apple TV. Like the Amazon Fire channel, users will be able to purchase items via a “speed buy” button.

No More “Popping Tags” at Capitol Hill Value Village: The beloved Capitol Hill thrift store, which has remained an integral part of the community for 20 years, will be closing its doors on November 7. A spokesperson told Capitol Hill Seattle that “certain business conditions” have made it necessary to close the store after “a number of years of leasing the space on a month-to-month basis.” In addition to being adored by Capitol Hill natives, the store gained international attention when Macklemore featured it in his music video for the song, “Thrift Shop.” In response to the closure, the artist tweeted “Ah hell no!!!” We’re feeling the same way.

Travellers, Prepare to Update Your ID: As early as next year, your Washington state ID may no longer be sufficient to get you through airport security. The federal government rejected an extension to the state to update driver’s licenses and IDs, which means that Washington residents will have to present a passport or an enhanced ID that is valid under federal law. Thankfully, IDs can be updated for only $3 per year remaining on your license or ID. The Department of Homeland Security said a date on travel requirements will be announced by the end of the year.