Free Republic

A California mom-of-three has been accused of masterminding an organized crime ring that stole nearly $8 million worth of makeup from stores like Ulta, T.J. Maxx and Walgreens — and then re-sold it online to churn a profit. Michelle Mack, 53, ran the sprawling enterprise from her $2.75 million, 4,500-square-foot mansion in the San Diego foothills, according to authorities. Mack allegedly paid as many as 12 women to steal from stores across the country, stockpiling the hot goods and then selling them on her Amazon storefront at a fraction of the retail price, according to authorities, NBC San Diego reported....

Authorities have a Houston-area mother behind bars for shoplifting $900 worth of items from a beauty shop in Spring. According to Harris County Precinct 4 Constable Mark Herman, officers were called to Ulta Beauty on Spring Stuebner Rd. after getting a call about a shoplifter. That's where constable deputies found Melissa Smith, 31, who was in custody with her 11-month baby. Investigators found she had taken $900 worth of merchandise without paying for it and tried hiding it.

Ulta beauty proved last weekend that at least one person in is marketing department is ulta-stupid, as the company’s Twitter feed was forced to turn off public comments on a post featuring two grown men reminiscing about “girlhood.” Which ended up being just as creepy as it sounds. The beauty supply mega-chain, which operates more than 1,300 stores across the U.S., blasted out a video clip from a podcast by a guy named David Lopez, a “gender-fluid” man with a beard and long flowing tresses (also still known as a man, given the lack of a uterus). Lopez was joined...

Why do merchants sometimes ask us for our ZIP code when we buy something? I recently visited the Mob Museum in Las Vegas, an interesting addition to Sin City’s attractions. I paid my admission with a credit card, prompting the museum ticket seller to ask me: “What’s your ZIP code?” When I paused for a moment, she added: “It’s for marketing purposes.” As much as I had heard good things about the museum, I was unlikely to return soon as I live far from Las Vegas, so I was not anxious to receive subsequent marketing. She said it was okay...