"Will grocery stores be forced to install $30,000 talking carts that help shoppers make better food choices?" at Daily Mail."The USDA first recommends that SNAP shoppers be rewarded for their healthy food choices with movie tickets or discounts. SNAP shoppers will be helped meeting their healthy food quote with high-tech shopping carts. These so-called 'MyCarts' Will be color-coded and physically divided by differently healthy food groups and notify when the shopper has enough to qualify for a reward. 'You achieved a MyCart healthy shopping basket!' it will say." Read more   "Harris Poll Names Top Regional Grocers" at Digital Journal. [...]

  "Walmart, so far, indicates it won't join Target in refusing gun toters" by Max Brantley at Arkansas Times.  "For now, Walmart, which is a major weapons retailer, is standing fast. "Our policy is to comply with all state, federal and local laws as it pertains to carrying firearms," Walmart spokesman Brian Nick told HuffPost on Thursday. "We're not considering any changes at this time." Read more   "Facebook tests Buy button in new e-commerce push" by Benny Evangelista.  "The button would appear within ads in Facebook News Feeds and company Pages. And when it is clicked, the Buy button [...]

  Credit Suisse:  Target should cut its losses and exit Canada — soon by Jonathan Ratner at National Post.  "We think it may be more prudent for Target to cut its losses and devote 100% of its resources on the U.S. — which comprises over 97% of the company’s current sales...Mr. Exstein estimates the liquidation value of the 189 Zeller’s locations Target acquired will be significantly lower than the US$1.86-billion it paid in 2011.” Read more   NRF:  Back to school spending expected to be up 3% by Krystina Gustafson at CNBC.  "According to the National Retail Federation's annual survey, [...]

  YouGov BrandIndex's Semi-Annual Top 10 Brands:  Amazon #1, Walgreens #7, Lowe's #9  See the Top 10 List   "Ex-Amazon Manager Gets Funding To Help Retailers Battle His Former Employer" by Ryan Mac at Forbes. "Hariharan is hoping that his new startup, Boomerang Commerce, can turn the tables and cause Amazon’s CEO some headaches as it aids the e-commerce giant’s competitors. A big data analytics company that provides online retailers with price-tracking services, the firm announced on Wednesday that it had raised $8.5 million from Madrona Venture Group and Trinity Ventures." Read more   "Lowe’s General Manager Kevin Meagher Weighs [...]

  "Family Dollar, Best Buy and Rite Aid Among America's Least Respected Brands" by Phil Wahba at Fortune.  "There were plenty consumer-facing brands at the bottom of the list, including Denny’s, Best Buy, J.C. Penney  and Family Dollar Stores. For example, Penney, still trying to repair the damage from a failed experiment to go upscale two years ago, has a near perfect familiarity rating, but only 60% favorability."  See the Top 10 Most Respected & Least Respected Brands   Washington Post Hits Target:  "5 unanswered questions about Target’s alleged firing of an employee for reporting a suspected shoplifter" by Tom Jackman.  "The [...]

  "Home Depot Starts Selling 3-D Printers in Stores for First Time" by Selena Wang at Bloomberg.  "Home Depot is selling devices from MakerBot in 12 locations as part of a pilot project, the companies said. The effort will include stores in California, Illinois and New York...“It’s a pilot for us to test a potential disruptive technology, and to make sure we are on the forefront of a new innovative product,” Joe Downey, an online merchant at Atlanta-based Home Depot, said in an interview." Read more   ...Video:  See the MakerBot in Action in Home Depot Endcap at 3ders.  See [...]

  "Walmart Will Buy Media for Suppliers" by Jack Neff at Ad Age.  "We're going to bring a lot more tools that our vendors can use with Walmart that will make their digital marketing a lot more effective," Mr. Quinn said in an interview. "If you think of a P&G and Samsung, it lets them see that their marketing is actually having an impact at Walmart, and we're able to speed up reporting in real time. It's pretty much a holy grail for us as marketers." Read more   "Amazon Tosses Jumble Of Household Staples In Massive Box, Hopes For [...]

  "Costco June Comp Sales Up 6%"  "Costco today reported net sales of $10.89 billion for the month of June, the five weeks ended July 6, 2014, an increase of ten percent from $9.91 billion during the similar five-week period last year." Read the release   "Family Dollar Q3 Comp Sales Decreased 1.8%"  "The Company now expects to open 350-400 new stores in fiscal 2015, down from approximately 525 new stores in fiscal 2014...intends to further expand its cooler program beginning in fiscal 2015...continuing to expand traffic-driving categories with a multi-year rollout of beer and wine, beginning in fiscal 2015." Read the release   "Costco [...]