Evan Schuman

Throughout the five-month public history of the TJX data breach fallout, the industry has repeatedly tried to simplify it, to label one cause as the explanation, whether it was incompetent IT execution, an inside job, an open wireless port or some other clean explanation. But the TJX situation is complex, complicated and defies a simple […]

The worlds largest retailer on May 1 reaffirmed its support for RFID, citing one-third fewer out-of-stock items, a reduction in excess supply chain inventory and shorter customer waits. At the RFID Journal Live conference in Orlando, Fla, Wal-Mart CIO Rollin Ford said that the retailer will add radio-frequency identification capability to 400 additional stores by […]

Following lawsuits in February against some of the nations largest retailers for allegedly revealing too much credit card information on printed receipts, two of those retailers are now suing their point-of-sale vendors. In the initial lawsuits filed early this year, some 50 of the nations top retailers—including Rite Aid, Harry & David, Ikea, KB Toys, […]

Two security firms have crafted a fully-functional credit card with a tiny monitor and button that will issue one-time passwords. But whether any banks will offer the expensive formfactor is another question. The firms—Verisign and Innovative Card Technologies (ICT)—announced Tuesday that they are jointly trying to sell this concept to various credit-card (and debit card) […]

Checkpoint Systems on May 1 introduced a combined tag product, which is designed to deliver Electronic Product Code inventory and item-level tracking along with Electronic Article Surveillance anti-theft capabilities. But the move has prompted an unusual amount—and diversity—of criticism, ranging from privacy and health risk issues to standardization and support for retail returns. What Checkpoint […]

As retailers try and review their data-protection policies, its not a bad idea to extend it all the way down to the personal laptops of consultants working for every partner company. Thats the lesson the Neiman Marcus Group learned Tuesday, when it had to announce that “computer equipment owned by a third-party pension benefits plan […]

In another in a lengthy line of lawsuits against The TJX Companies involving the massive data breach that the company announced in January, the Massachusetts Bankers Association said on April 24 that it will sue the retail chain, accusing it of “negligent misrepresentation.” The MBA claims that TJXs assertion that it had been “safeguarding and […]

When U.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales held a news conference on Monday to discuss the new identity theft guidelines, he seemed to have two clear goals. First, to be asked questions that have nothing to do with fired U.S. Attorneys. (He looked as though he was fighting the urge to paraphrase Henny Youngman. “Take my […]

The retail industry is traditionally slow to adopt new technology and new payment methods, but once some retail leaders get comfortable with the idea, it can snowball into a very rapid trend. Its happened with self-checkout, buy online and pickup-in-store and—most recently—with contactless payment. Are alternatives to credit cards next? Although Visa, MasterCard and American […]

With all the investigations surrounding the massive TJX Companies data breach—including class action lawsuits, dozens of state attorney general probes, congressional inquiries and a Federal Trade Commission investigation, to name just a few—there are only two constituencies that the $16 billion retailer cares about: Wall Street and its customers. Indeed, that short list can be […]