Monday’s Tipsheet: Food Stamp ‘Riot’ at Walmart | Sam’s ‘Underwhelms’ | Dominick’s Suitors
“Walmart Shelves Cleared in Food Stamp Glitch” by Carolyn Roy at KSLA 12. “Shelves in Walmart stores in Springhill and Mansfield, LA were reportedly cleared Saturday night, when the stores allowed purchases on EBT cards even though they were not showing limits. The chaos that followed ultimately required intervention from local police, and left behind numerous carts filled to overflowing, apparently abandoned when the glitch-spurred shopping frenzy ended.” See the Video / Read more
“Walmart customers riot when unable to use food stamp cards” by Kristen Reed at Clarion Ledger. “People in 17 states found themselves unable to buy groceries with their food stamp debit-style cards Saturday after a routine check by vendor Xerox Corp. resulted in a system failure. The mini riot, happened at the Walmart in Philadelphia, Miss. Shortly thereafter, managers decided to temporarily close the store.“For the safety of our customers we did make a management decision to close the store.” Read more
“Target trains the bull’s-eye on showrooming” by Janet Moore at Star Tribune. “Stephanie Bauman of Brooklyn Park was searching for grapeseed oil moisturizer last week when Mathison asked if she needed advice. The product wasn’t on the shelf, but Mathison whipped out her iPad to show Bauman where she could order it on Target.com. (The beauty concierges are brand-agnostic.)“I thought I’d have to go to Macy’s, and that it would be really expensive,” Bauman said, obviously pleased.” Read more
“Here’s who wants to buy those Dominick’s supermarkets” by H.Lee Murphy at Crain’s. “Cincinnati-based Kroger Inc. has indicated an interest in at least 15 Dominick’s locations…sources speaking on the condition of anonymity say that Roundy’s Inc. of Milwaukee, the owner of a dozen Mariano’s stores in metro Chicago — with another seven under construction — has expressed interest in 20 Dominick’s…Finally, sources say that the Jewel/Osco chain is hoping to land perhaps another 10.” Read more
“Sadness about Dominick’s ripples through Chicago suburbs” by Dawn Rhodes at Chicago Tribune. “Dominick’s shoppers throughout Chicago’s suburbs reacted with shock, anger and disappointment to the news that the supermarket giant would soon quit the area. Losing Dominick’s, some said, marks the loss of something intrinsic and familiar, an end of an era for an institution with decades of history in the area.” Read more
“Walmart Canada ‘Quietly’ Starts to Sell Food Online” by Marina Strauss at Globe & Mail. “Wal-Mart, which already sells food online in the United States and beyond, is starting in Canada with non-perishable fare, but will look into expanding into fresh and frozen offerings, spokeswoman Susan Schutta said. “We are talking to our customers to understand what they need, beyond” non-refrigerated packaged goods, she said in an e-mail.” Read more
“The Grocery Store May Be on Its Death Bed” by Brad Tuttle at Time. “The need for the weekly 30-minute expedition browsing up and down the aisles of the supermarket is being eliminated. Instead, many shoppers are taking advantage of new services, in which they place an order online and hit a convenient pickup location to retrieve their groceries—often without ever having to leave the car.” Read more
“Sam’s Club bets new merchandise will make customers buy more” at Baltimore Sun via Reuters. “We’ve been underwhelming our members,” Chief Executive Officer Rosalind Brewer said as she toured a new Sam’s Club in Romeoville, Illinois, last week. Some goods just have not been “on trend” enough, she said…The chain is adding 132 new general merchandise goods for the holiday season, up from 56 a year ago.” Read more
“Walmart Changes Playbook, Buys NFL on Thanksgiving Day to Push Black Friday” by E.J. Schultz at Ad Age. “As for why the retailer decided just this year to use the NFL on this year’s Thanksgiving, Mr. Quinn said: “I don’t know why we didn’t figure it out sooner.” The NFL is, after all, the primary TV event on the day before the Black Friday holiday-shopping frenzy — which for Walmart and other retailers now essentially begins Thanksgiving evening while the leftovers are still being packed away.” Read more
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