Lipstick on a Pig

It's not the crummy selection, poor fashion designs, lousy store conditions, high prices or terrible customer service that's killing retail these days; no, the real culprit is women who don't wear makeup, according to Macy's CFO Karen Hoguet.

“We did some consumer research, and the customer said she likes going to the off-price retailers because she doesn't have to put lipstick on,” she told attendees at an investor conference.

Hoguet also blamed tepid sales to the growing popularity of consumer electronic devices and services such as Netflix, as well as Millennials preference to use mobile phones to shop. She also acknowledged that the strong dollar is keeping international tourists from shopping like fiends when their flights touchdown.

Still, Hoguet's comments are interesting, and they put a whole new spin on Leonard Lauder's Lipstick Effect theory!