RETAIL DETAIL | Gap Inc., our favoritie struggling retailer to the West (HQ are in SF), announced today it is closing its Forth & Towne stores, a chain aimed at women 35 years old and up.

Gap had opened 19 of F & T stores since August 2005 with plans for more, but has decided to pull the plug on the project. I had a chance to visit an F & T store during the opening of the Westfield San Francisco Mall last September. I was impressed by the store’s charming and elegant decor (fancy mirrors, framed art, floral accents), quite a change from the minimalistic and somewhat stark style of Banana Republic. The clothes, however, were not dramatically different from Banana and were a little more expensive.

The decision to close F & T is a wise one. The chain didn’t create much hoop-la and Gap has plenty of issues to address with it’s existing stores (Gap, Old Navy and Banana) to worry about a fledging fourth concept. The company will mostly like have to do some other downsizing like closing some of its Gap and Old Navy sites. We’ll see when that happens as the saga continues…

RETAIL DETAIL | Consumers and animal rights groups are up in arms that some retailers and designers discovered they were selling coats lined with dog fur even though labels on the items said the fur was fake. Read more in a story by the Associated Press.

The mislabeling problem is one issue, but the outrage over the use of dog fur is a separate matter. The story contends that most of the fur came from China, where a species called racoon dogs are killed for their fur. People on this side of the Pacific are upset because in America, dogs are meant to be treated as pets, not attire.

I would never consider wearing one of my pets, but if the racoon dogs in China aren’t even domesticated, then what’s the big deal? We use all kinds of animal skins for clothes and accesories, so why make a big stink over this case?

I definitely see the ick-factor of sporting a coat lined with fido, but not the argument that dogs or doglike creatures shouldn’t be used the way cows, ostriches, snakes and alligators are. What makes one animal more sacred than another these days?

IT’S MY MONEY | After weeks of suspense, my co-worker J-Mo finally got her hands on a Wii system. She has been calling Costco everyday to find out if they had any in stock and after dozen’s of “no’s,” she heard a “yes” today.

The Wii game consoles were released back in November amid much fanfare including long camp-outs at stores. Four months later, they are selling out within hours at stores.

J-Mo endured some stickershock when I told her the price sign read $339, far above the $250 tag she was expecting. The Costco price was higher than the listprice because the console came with two games. After pacing the store for several minutes, J-Mo took the plunge and bought the system. Now, other co-workers have been coming by to ask, “Did she really get it? Wow!” Yes, it’s Wii-ly here.

IT’S MY MONEY | Just because you are single, doesn’t mean you can’t spend money on Valentine’s Day, according to an article in the Washington Post. It appears that people are indulging in new shoes, cosmetics, visits to the spa and Rolex watches (we’re not just talking about women here).

In college, a fellow single friend and I planned a night of brownies, strawberries and wine for Valentine’s Day. It was a fun way to not feel the brunt of what we called “Single Awareness Day.”

I’ve been noticing that among Latinos, Valentine’s Day is referred to as the “Day of Love and Friendship.” To me, that gives the holiday more credibility as a real celebration of geniune feelings, not just commercial-ladden traditions. It’s sort of like Thanksgiving in February.

So as far as spending on yourself, it makes perfect sense. After all, as relationship books will profess, you must love yourself first before you can love anyone else.

RETAIL DETAIL | If you’ve been anywhere near a store lately, you’ve probably seen splashes of pink and red signaling the coming of “If I don’t spend money on you, I don’t love you Day” otherwise known as “Valentine’s Day.”

In case you are not in the mood to tell someone “Be mine,” you may want to consider sending an Anti-Valentine from CafePress. Well, I don’t actually suggest sending one of those messages, like the one pictured above, but you may get a chuckle just from browsing the site.

P.S. Check out my story about how American’s (mostly the male ones) are expected to spend $17 billion this year for Feb. 14 festivities.

STICKER SHOCK | My co-worker who I call J-Mo has reeled me into her search for a Ninendo Wii. For weeks now, I hear making phone calls to retailers asking, “Do you have any?” The answer so far is always no. I’m now involved because I agreed to accompany J-Mo to Costco should they get them in stock (I have a membership, she doesn’t). Keep your fingers crossed! I think our day may be coming this week!

Speaking of Costco. I went there this weekend hoping to keep my bill under $40, but ended up spending twice that thanks to some impulse buying. It was so bad I forgot to buy stuff I actually needed, like premium cotton rounds for cleaning my face.

A visit from a few friends this weekend proved that I need more towels so I picked up two beige egyptian cotton versions for $5.99 each.

Then there was trip through the produce aisle where I grabbed grape tomoatoes, unripe avocados and a box of like 20 plums. I ate one of the plums today. It was bland. Now I only have 19 to go.

Well, I’ll feel redeemed if I make it through my $3.45 box of organic spring green salad (what a deal!) by the end of the week.