Tipsheet: Hatchimals Hoarder | Bezos Visit Trump Wed? | Duluth Trading HQ Move | S.Claus Loses Ring @ Kroger
Will Bezos attend Trump’s tech summit on Wednesday? by Kara Swisher at Recode. “…Amazon CEO and founder Jeff Bezos was invited, said sources, and he is likely to attend.” Read more
Nearly $50,000 in layaway paid off at a Pennsylvania Wal-Mart by Krystina Gustafson at CNBC. “This is the third consecutive year Santa B has paid off the accounts in a Pennsylvania store, a Wal-Mart spokeswoman told CNBC. Though the retailer does not know the identity of the donor, the checks are always signed by a man, she said.” Read more
Venezuela orders stores to get into the Christmas spirit via Yahoo News. “Seeking to spread some cheer, President Nicolas Maduro’s socialist government has set aside its distaste for consumerism and sent a small army of bureaucrats and soldiers to force more than 200 retail stores in Caracas to hold Christmas sales.” Read more
…Venezuela seizes nearly 4 million toys – will give them to poor kids at AP. “The country’s fair pricing authority seized the toys from three warehouses run by Kreisel, Venezuela’s largest toy distributor, on Friday. Two company executives were detained on suspicion of promoting price speculation.” Read more
Fifth Avenue is fast becoming a sneakerhead’s paradise by Lisa Fickenscher at NY Post. Read more
Selena Gomez signs $10M deal to become face of Coach at NY Post. “A source told us that, as part of the deal, Gomez would design her own line for Coach and star in ad campaigns.” Read more
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PepsiCo Wants to Sell Healthy Food, Consumers Want Chips by Mike Esterl at Wall Street Journal. “An array of new products at a trade show in Atlanta this fall told the story of two PepsiCos. Anchoring one part of the display was a fiber-filled nut and fruit bar called Init and a sparkling lemonade with real lemon juice called Lemon Lemon. Nearby sat an assemblage of bright bags of Mac N’ Cheetos, new frozen cheese sticks resembling Cheetos, and Top N Go Doritos, a portable meal designed to be eaten with a fork and high in salt and fat…” Read more (subscription)
Duluth Trading Co. to move headquarters to Mount Horeb, Wis. via Pioneer Press. “The plan would construct a more than 108,000-square-foot, five-story office building along a bike trail. The project would add 100 to 150 additional jobs to the village’s downtown on top of about 100 primarily marketing jobs already located in the Mount Horeb Innovation Center.” Read more
Hatchimals are hoarded by best-selling author, and parents are outraged at NBC Today. “Selling out everywhere, Hatchimals are the hottest toys of the holiday season – so hot that people are buying them in bulk and reselling them at hiked-up prices, frustrating parents. Sara Gruen, author of the best-selling “Water for Elephants,” is catching heat for buying $23,000 worth of Hatchimals.” Video
Target customers angry after waiting hours in line for Hatchimals toy only to come up empty-handed by Justin Boggs at KFDI. “Amy Sikorski spent three hours at the Target in Baltimore, Michigan Sunday morning in the midst of a snow. Being the 15th person in line, she was told after three hours that the store only had four Hatchimals in stock.” Read more
De Beers Jewelers CEO on its new U.S. Flagship in NYC at New York Business Journal. 4:54 video
Santa Claus loses his wedding ring at a Kroger gas station at WFAA 8 ABC. “Unfortunately, there’s one more problem for this part-time Mr. and Mrs. Claus. Their mini-van broke down Friday morning. It’s parked in the same Kroger parking lot, right behind the Chick-fil-A. They’re guessing it’s an electrical problem. So, for the time being, Santa’s sleigh is effectively out of commission too.” Video / Read more
Gun goes off in Home Depot bathroom by Gerron Jordan at Fox 2 Now St.Louis. “Around 11:50 this morning we responded to a report of a shooting at the Home Depot” said Sgt. Robbie Hagen. “It appears a gun must have fallen and accidentally went off. One employee was taken to the hospital with non-life threatening injuries” Hagen said.” Read more
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