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Neiman Marcus has ventured into its first Canadian mall, but not as a department store. The chain opened a 250-person call center at the Westmount Centre, Edmonton, from which it will operate part of its Neiman Marcus Direct catalog service. … Britain’s Woolworth’s has come under fire for selling a toy chainsaw. The $14 toy, complete with moving "blade," is for children age 3 and above, but the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents claims it might encourage youngsters to play with the real thing. … Plans by the new owners of an outlet selling Amish furniture along I-94 in Pennsylvania to remove the "smiley faces" painted on both ends of the building brought protest and a petition signed by 600 people that argues the faces are a landmark. But the Amish who produce the furniture say it is against their religion to have images of a face painted on objects. ... Shopping carts are no longer just for carrying groceries but are increasingly becoming fashion statements. Kohl’s recently rolled out sporty looking carts, and other retailers are introducing their own sleek versions. … J.C. Penney gave Southern Methodist University, Dallas, a $1 million endowment to establish The J.C. Penney Center for Retail Excellence. The center will conduct retail industry-related research on areas such as consumer shopping trends and will offer classes to students interested in a management or executive career in retail. … The Meadowlands Mills project gained a new foe last week when American Rivers, a nonprofit environmental organization, listed New Jersey’s Hackensack River as one of America’s most endangered waterways and pointed to the proposed value megamall as a threat to its health. … Dillard’s Inc. pulled its ads from some CBS-TV affiliates after the network’s March 25 edition of "60 Minutes" aired accusations that the department store chain racially profiles customers. "Due to the competitive nature of the business, Dillard’s does not discuss its marketing strategies or advertising strategies, and it does not discuss its marketing decisions or advertising decisions," Dillard’s spokesman Skip Rutherford told the Associated Press. … A recent David Letterman list highlighted the "Top 10 signs there’s something wrong at the Gap" and included such digs as "No. 5: On the latest sweatshirts, ’Gap’ is misspelled." and "No. 2: New commercial where young people are swing dancing in an unemployment line." ... A shopping center in Bombay displayed a 64-foot-tall suit created by Indian retailer Raymonds. The suit, which the company says is the world’s largest, was made to commemorate the clothing maker’s 75th anniversary.

— Dave Bodamer