IT’S MY MONEY | Memorial Day is about remembering those have gone before us and because it’s a three day weekend, it’s also about shopping. As blasphemous as that sounds, we are in America– the land where capitalism is king and any occasion can be molded into a reason to spend money.

Disregard the moral debate and let’s look on the bright side for a minute: Sales. Shops will be teeming with them. As with any shopping trip, you should go into it with a plan. If you find a pair of slacks for $5, I don’t care if they are cheap unless you need them, otherwise you’re wasting money. Decide ahead of time what items you need, i.e. khaki pants, white T-shirts, colorful polos, etc. And of course, take your time, it’s a three day weekend afterall!

For some deals, check out:
• JC Penny’s “buy one, get one for 99 cents” on tops, shorts and cropped pants for the entire family.
• Sunvalley Mall’s feature on its Web site that lists many of the sales going on at its stores.

BITS & PIECES | Walnut Creek will be home to another hip chain, Urban Outfitters, coming this fall. The store will occupy a space formerly home to Traditions Home Furnishings. The building will be divided between Urban Outfitters and Lululemon, a boutique shop that sells yoga gear. Lululemon also plans to open a Berkeley location in June.

Urban Outfitters Inc. also owns the Anthropologie and Free People chains. The store definitely carries strong name and brand recognition, but its one of those places you go and marvel at the selection and only buy something when you want to spurlge or are those lucky “money is no object” types. Nonethless, Urban Outfitters will for sure fit in nicely with the other high-end, high-visability retailers that fill the streets of downtown Walnut Creek.

• Express gets new owner: The AP reported that Limited Brands has sold 67 percent of Express stores to affiliates of private equity firm Golden Gate Capital for $548 million. Express was apparently struggling. It could be that their clothes lost all personality and frequent clearance events weakened their brand image. I remember my college days (earlier this millenium) when almost every girl on my campus owned a pair of Express jeans and we felt trendy to point at our cute tops and say “I got this at Express.” Somehow, the store’s cachet faded a few years ago and everyone stopped thinking of it as a “go-to” apparel retailer.

Limited Brands also owns Victoria’s Secret, Bath and Body Works and Limited Stores, another division it is considering selling. Starting in 2001, the company purged other chains including Limited Too, Lerner New York, Lane Bryant and Abercrombie & Fitch. Wow, the company has gone from powerhouse to slim pickings.

• The Wall Street Journal reports that Amazon will launch a digital music store this year that will sell music that is not copyright protected. That small detail will make it easier for buyers to play the songs on a variety of MP3 players.

STICKERSHOCK | I wrote a front page article for today’s edition about credit and debit card fraud schemes targeting retailers. TJX Companies, parent of such bargain spots as T.J. Maxx and Marshall’s, has come under fire in recent months for a major security breach that exposed financial information for 47.5 million of its customers. Here in the Bay Area, shoppers at Albertsons in Alameda and San Lorenzo unknowingly gave up their account information when they used rigged card readers at the stores’ checkstands.

It’s a fascinating issue. In researching the story, I frequently asked experts on the topic, “How can someone just hack into a store’s wireless network or walk into to a grocery store and alter the card readers?” The most common response was “easy.” Apparently, many retailers don’t secure their wireless networks or with just a few tries, skilled hackers can crack network security codes. In the case of rigging a card reader, it could happen within seconds when a cashier is not paying attention or someone walks into a store claiming to be an authorized technician. It’s amazing, but not in a good way.

One piece of advice many sources shared with me is to avoid using your debit card for retail purchases. Consumers are at risk anytime they swipe their cards, so why open up a precious asset such as your bank account?

I have since switched to using a credit card for my purchases, which has pros and cons. The switch has taken some getting used since I had been using my debit card for about 90 percent of my transactions. One pro is that I don’t have to worry about bouncing checks or not having enough funds in my bank account. On the other hand, I worry that I won’t control my spending as well if I’m using credit verses the “real money” in my checking account. Better safe than sorry? Let’s just hope I pay my entire balance each month.

Know anyone who’s had their account breached? Tell us about it in our comments section.

RETAIL DETAIL | Whole Foods announced this morning plans to open four new Northern California stores including one in Lafayette that will take the place of a former Albertsons. The other stores are in Capitola, Santa Rosa and San Francisco’s Haight district. Lafayette and Capitola will open in 2008 and the Haight store will open in 2009.

The Lafayette store could pose an interesting threat to existing stores such as A. G. Ferrari’s, Diablo Foods, Safeway and Trader Joe’s. I think the former two have the most to worry about.

Whole Foods has 12 other NorCal stores already in the works:
Oakland (expected opening: September)
Dublin (expected opening: 2009)
Sonoma (expected opening: June)
Cupertino-Stevens Creek (expected opening: July)
San Francisco-Potrero Hill (expected opening: August)
Napa (expected opening: 2008)
Santa Cruz (expected opening: 2008),
Mill Valley (expected opening: 2008)
San Jose-The Alameda (expected opening: 2009)
San Jose-Blossom Hill (expected opening: 2009),
Roseville (expected opening: 2009)
Novato (expected opening: 2009)

RETAIL DETAIL | Sunvalley Shopping Center in Concord will have four new store openings this month:
•Aldo Shoes
•Coach
•Sports Authority
•Dairy Queen/Orange Julius

The arrival of Coach is a highlight for the mall that is known for caterting to teenagers and bargain shoppers. The mall, one of the largest in the East Bay, has more than 150 stores and restaurants.

Sunvalley will add more stores this summer including:
• Samsonite, featuring luggage, business cases, travel accessories and handbags (June 1)
• Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory, featuring chocolate candy and treats (July 1)
• Illuminations, featuring updated seasonal candles and home décor items (August 1)

RETAIL DETAIL | Kohl’s will convert three-quarters of its 80 California stores to run on solar power starting this month according to an article in American Business Journals.

Retailers are increasing add more “green-strategies” to help the environment and save money in the long run. It’s another example of Kohl’s innovative spirit that’s keeping it one step (or more) ahead of rival Mervyn’s.