Tuesday Tipsheet: Wmart Tests ‘HappyOrNot’ | Lowe’s Roof Collapses | Bass Pro ‘Pyramid’ Video

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Walmart tests HappyOrNot kiosk across from HQ by Kim Souza at The City Wire. “During a 20-minute period on Saturday afternoon (Feb. 14) there were no shoppers who used the kiosk to rate their experience. Traffic in the store was heavy ahead of inclement weather and last minute Valentine’s Day shoppers. Wal-Mart did not say if this kiosk would be added to other stores, only noting it is a test.” Read more

 

Walmart to set up 15 cash & carry stores in Andhra Pradesh, India in 5 years at Economic Times. “The company currently had three stores in Andhra Pradesh – in Vijayawada, Guntur and Rajahmundry,” the release said.” Read more

 

Memphis: Sneak peek inside the new Bass Pro ‘Pyramid’ store (The ‘Swamp’ will hold 600,000 gal of water and hold 1,800 fish from 36 difference species).  See the behind the scenes video

 

Roof collapse reported at Mass. Lowe’s at WCVB 5 ABC.  See the 19 pics

 

JCPenney finds in-store mobile is right fit for Cinderella promotion by Chantal Tode at Mobile Commerce Daily. “JCPenney is hoping to drum up some interested in its Disney shops, which launched in late 2013. The collection of toys, costumes and children’s apparel is being expanded this year to an additional 116 stores.” Read more

 

***A message from Comfy Sacks – Not your parent’s bean bag chair!  Incredibly soft micro-suede covers and our uniquely comfortable shredded foam filling make the Comfy Sacks experience one your customers won’t want to miss. These ‘big and fun’ foam bag chairs (up to 7.5 feet in size!) are great for living rooms, basements, kids rooms, dorm rooms, etc. For merchandising information contact info@shiftmarketinggroup.net  See the sack/website

 

With smart mirror, shopping trips become solo fashion shows by Julia Love at Mercury News. “It’s a new way to see how you look,” said Scott Emmons, who heads the Innovation Lab at Neiman Marcus. “We’re socializing people as to what it is.”…”It’s a selfie on steroids,” MemoMi CEO Salvador Nissi Vilcovsky said.” Read more / See the in-store video

 

Port Delays Starting to Damage Businesses by Laura Stevens, Suzanne Kapner & Leslie Josephs at WSJ. “Softline Home Fashions, a major importer of fabric for curtains and other home decorations, has about $800,000 of goods waiting to be unloaded for retailers including Wal-Mart Stores Inc., J.C. Penney Co. and Bed Bath & Beyond Inc. “We’re in trouble right now with some of our customers,” said Softline President Jason Carr. “It’s a major headache.” Softline is worried about a shipment of drapes bound for Wal-Mart that is stuck in a ship idling along with 35 others outside the port at Long Beach, Calif.” Read more (Subscription)

 

Top US labor official arrives as West Coast ports back up by Justin Pritchard at AP via Yahoo. “U.S. Secretary of Labor Thomas Perez arrived in San Francisco…Full port operations are supposed to resume Tuesday, when Perez is scheduled to speak formally with both sides for the first time.” Read more

 

Millenials ditching their TV sets at a record rate by Claire Atkinson at NY Post. “Traditional TV usage… tumbled 10.6 percent between September and January…“The change in behavior is stunning. The use of streaming and smartphones just year-on-year is double-digit increases,” Alan Wurtzel, NBCUniversal’s audience research chief, told The Post. “I’ve never seen that kind of change in behavior.” Read more

 

Gas station could join already congested Sam’s Club in Northern Chicago suburb by Rick Kambic at Chicago Tribune. “Competition is the reason we’re talking about this, and adding gas stations is consistent with big-box markets,” Village Manager John Kalmar said. “Costco is intercepting people that were going to our Sam’s Club.”…Kalmar said the Costco in Mettawa is doing $130 million in sales, which is about 30 percent more than originally projected.” Read more

 

CVS Health To Present At RBC Capital Markets Healthcare Conference  February 25, 2015, at approximately 10:00 a.m. ET.

 

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Eye-on-Retail is created early AM every weekday and read by thousands of Retail Merchants & Executives every morning. We love data, earnings reports, executive presentations and stories off the beaten path that get at what’s happening in the world of retail. Contact us at info@shiftmarketinggroup.net.

Monday Tipsheet: WMT Restricts ‘Savings Catcher’ | Tesco Axe 10K? | Amazon: No Drone

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Wal-Mart adds new restrictions to ‘Savings Catcher’ tool by Kim Souza at The City Wire. “Beginning Feb.14, we are removing some departments consisting mostly of items that do not have a like for like match at other retailers, such as produce and bakery items. Additionally, we are limiting our comparisons to offers of other mass market retailers, grocery and dollar stores, removing comparisons with drug stores,” the email stated.” Read more

 

Amazon Left Out of FAA Drone Plan by Bart Jansen at USA Today. “The FAA needs to begin and expeditiously complete the formal process to address the needs of our business, and ultimately our customers,” Amazon Vice President Paul Misener said in a written statement. “We are committed to realizing our vision for Prime Air and are prepared to deploy where we have the regulatory support we need.” Read more

 

Wal-Mart VP Marcus Osborne offers health insight to Bill Frist and friends by Eleanor Kennedy at Nashville Business Journal. “Osborne told Frist the usual guesses for Wal-Mart’s top selling product are things like Cheetos, Coke or other standards of the lazy, fat American archetype. In fact, Osborne said, Wal-Mart’s No. 1 seller by units is bananas.” Read more

 

Hamburg, N.Y.: BJ’s Store Damaged in November to Reopen by Erica Brecher at WGRZ NBC. “It wasn’t all bad news in November: Because BJ’s had to clear out its inventory immediately, a local food pantry was the recipient of an unexpected 17,000 pounds of food. This week, ahead of the reopening, pantry coordinator Brent Doyle expressed her thanks. “You know, nobody ever got rich writing product off. There’s not a large margin in grocery to begin with. And it’s actually easier for them to throw it away than to give it away,” he said.” See the video / Read more

 

Oakland: Walgreen’s Granted ‘Living Wage’ Exemption by Joe Garofoli at SF Gate. “The council’s Community and Economic Development Committee voted 4-0 to grant Walgreens the exemption — meaning if the store opens, it could pay the minimum wage rather than the living wage. But after hearing an earful from community activists at the meeting and elsewhere, Walgreens changed course. Or, as a Walgreens corporate spokesman said, Oakland “didn’t have accurate information on our policy” concerning a living wage.” Read more

 

Amazon: ‘No way robotics are ever going to replace humans’ by Rachel Lerman at Puget Sound Business Journal. “Each robot is connected to Kiva software, which is programmed to know what products need to go where and when. Hundreds of Kiva robots work in the DuPont facility, and Amazon has more than 15,000 total in operation globally.” Read more

 

Whole Foods reschedules annual meeting in wake of SEC ruling by Greg Barr at Austin Business Journal. “Whole Foods said its meeting, which had been scheduled for March 10, has been postponed.” Read more

 

Man stuns ex-wife in Walmart at My Fox Atlanta. “The two hadn’t spoken for 43 years until last December…On Saturday, Demetriades wanted to rekindle the old flames and drove from Tennessee to Fort Smith, Arkansas to propose to her.”Forty-three years is a long time and to say yes right away, I’m going to have to test him a little bit first! I will marry him though, because he’s a good man,” said Stumpf.” See the video / Read more

 

Frozen berries recalled across Australia in hepatitis A scare by Jenni Ryall at Mashable. Read more

 

The Invention Mob, Brought to You by Quirky by Steve Lohr at NY Times. “(Quirky) says a handful of companies have lined up for its new corporate partnership program, which builds on Quirky’s experience with G.E. Though it is not identifying them yet, the new partners will include large companies that make toys, audio equipment and kitchenware. The products created will carry the tagline “Powered by Quirky,” but will be sold under the big companies’ brands.” Read more

 

Happening Thursday: Walmart Q4 Earnings Release  Pre-recorded phone call at 6am CST

 

Hershey faces backlash after bid to ban British Cadbury by John Chesto at Boston Globe. “I’m mad as hell,” said Lane, who threatened to ban Hershey products from his store. “I’ve got two choices: Allow Hershey to bully me as a retailer, or take a stand and send a message.” Read more

 

Tesco set for thousands more job cuts by Matt Clinch at CNBC. “There will also be the removal of an entire layer of management from stores, the report added. Those in the middle managements roles affected – who are between the store manager and shop assistants – will be offered alternative positions…The Sunday Telegraph stated that total losses could reach 10,000, but the Financial Times and The Guardian had more conservative layoff estimates.” Read more

 

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Eye-on-Retail is created early AM every weekday and read by thousands of Retail Merchants & Executives every morning. We love data, earnings reports, executive presentations and stories off the beaten path that get at what’s happening in the world of retail. Contact us at info@shiftmarketinggroup.net.

 

Friday Tipsheet: Wmart Sues TX | Costco Chops 10% of Amex | Target’s Schindele New Role

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Wal-Mart and Mexico launch initiative to improve lives of farmworkers by Richard Marosi at LA Times. “Wal-Mart said it is taking action to ensure that workers are treated with “respect and dignity,” reminding its in-house buyers that they should buy produce only from farms that meet the company’s standards for decent treatment of workers.” Read more

 

Target brings back Mark Schindele for real estate role by Nick Halter at Minn./St. Paul Business Journal. “His new job is senior vice president of Target Properties, where he’ll lead ” a broad and diverse team responsible for: store planning and design, real estate, corporate real estate, property management, construction, strategic sourcing and procurement and Target Commercial Interiors,” he wrote on LinkedIn.” Read more

 

Wal-Mart sues the state of Texas by Maria Halkias at Dallas News. “Our Texas customers want added convenience when shopping for adult beverages. However, the current law prohibits publicly owned businesses such as Wal-Mart from offering spirits to its customers,” Wal-Mart spokesman Lorenzo Lopez said.” Read more

 

American Express, Costco to end US exclusivity deal by Tom Murphy at AP via SF Chronicle. “The current agreement covers U.S. stores and dates back 16 years. It will end March 31, 2016.” Read more

 

…Costco cards accounted for 8% of American Express’ billed business and 10% of its cards by Roger Yu at USA Today. Read more

 

 … On Thursday, AmEx’s shares dropped $5.53, or 6.4%, to $80.48, its largest one-day percentage decline since August 2011 by Robin Sidel at WSJ  Read more (Subscription)

 

***A message from Bra Bag – This adorable travel case, shaped like a bra, protects molded bras from denting or lumping in your suitcase so they arrive in form. Available in more than six styles, the Bra Bag can store up to six bras cup sizes. The Bra Bag has been touted by A-listers and fashion magazines around the world.  See the sell sheet.  Contact info@shiftmarketinggroup.net for merchandising information.

 

Wal-Mart acknowledges inventory woes in U.S. stores, seeks ‘fresh’ fix by Kim Souza at The City Wire. “I have visited about 70 stores over the past four months. Inventory is an issue, shrinkage has created challenges and we are leaning into this in a meaningful way. We can’t fix it all in five minutes. It’s going to take time but Judith (McKenna, chief operating officer for Walmart U.S.) and the team are working on it,” (Greg) Foran said during the meeting.” Read more

 

Cabela’s Q4 Comp Sales -5.5% / Revenue +7.2%  Read the release

 

Fast Company: The World’s 50 Most Innovative Companies (Warby Parker #1, Alibaba #3)  See the top 50 list

 

Mattel and Google have a mystery product coming by Todd C. Frankel at Washington Post. “So what is this mystery product? Speculation has been flying. Many have seized on the View-Master clue. Maybe a mash-up between Mattel’s old-school plastic View-Master and the new Google Cardboard, the tech giant’s DIY virtual-reality glasses that can be paired with a smartphone.” Read more

 

Pinterest Is Working on a Plan to Introduce a ‘Buy’ Button as Soon as This Year by Jason Del Rey at Recode. “The Buy button would allow Pinterest users to order and pay for some of the products they discover on Pinterest without leaving the company’s website or app, these people said.” Read more

 

NRF ’15 Forecast: Retail industry sales will rise 4.1% up from 3.5% growth in 2014. Online sales to increase between 7% and 10% this year by Barbara Thau at Fortune. Read more

 

Johnson & Johnson projects aim to spot who’ll get a disease at AP via Yahoo. “A hundred years from now, someone’s going to look back on us and say, ‘Can you believe they waited until you got a disease and then did something?'” Dr. William Hait, head of Janssen research and development, said in an interview with The Associated Press.” Read more

 

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Eye-on-Retail is created early AM every weekday and read by thousands of Retail Merchants & Executives every morning. We love data, earnings reports, executive presentations and stories off the beaten path that get at what’s happening in the world of retail. Contact us at info@shiftmarketinggroup.net.

Thursday Tipsheet: Target: Bounces ‘Alex’ and Cheques | Blake to P&G | Raccoons in Aisle 4

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Amazon disputes report claiming deliveries arrived late this holiday by Tricia Duryee at Geek Wire. “Amazon is downplaying the results of a new study today that claims 10 percent of shoppers said packages arrived later than expected over the holidays…In an interview with Reuters, Amazon’s head of Prime Greg Greeley, dismissed the results, calling them “very suspect.” An spokeswoman additionally told Reuters that “Our internal data shows significantly better results.” Read more

 

West Coast ports mostly shut for 4 of next 5 days as longshore dispute drags on by Justin Pritchard at AP via Seattle Times. “29 West Coast seaports that handle about $1 trillion of goods annually will be mostly closed four of the next five days.” Read more

 

LA Health Officials Take Action After Local Supermarket Sells Raccoons As Food at CBS LA. “Customer Christina Dow was at the market, and upon seeing the frozen raccoons, filmed the scene on her cell phone. She shared the video on social media. “The way it’s packaged in the store, it’s so real, and it’s so fresh, and you don’t see chickens with their feathers and blood all over them, and their expression, with their tongue hanging out,” Dow said.” See the video / Read more

 

Whole Foods Q1 Comp Sales +4.5% Read the release

 

Wal-Mart to lean on suppliers for better prices, products, sustainable solutions by Kim Souza at The City Wire. “McMillion was quick to tell suppliers the retailer is going back to what works and that is the “Everyday Low Prices” (EDLP) philosophy which begin with Everyday Low Costs (EDLC) of goods from suppliers. “What we need from you is EDLP and EDLC. …Putting items on sale and special promotions have never worked for us. When we get away from our pricing model out in the middle of the road we get run over,” McMillon said.” Read more

 

Target lays off 550 in Twin Cities as fallout from Canada closing by Kavita Kumar at Star-Tribune. “About 350 Target employees finished work on Wednesday. Another 200 were notified that their jobs will soon end but that the company wants them to stay through the winding down of the Canadian business…Target said it will eliminate 170 positions at its tech operations in India, where it employs about 3,000.” Read more

 

Target to bring 250 jobs to York County, PA by Myles Snyder at ABC 27 News. “Target will lease an existing 625,000-square-foot facility in West Manchester Township and plans to invest more than $52 million to establish that site as its new online fulfillment center.” Read more

 

Ex-Home Depot chief Frank Blake elected to P&G board at Atlanta Business Chronicle. Read more

 

…Blake will serve on the Audit and Governance & Public Responsibility committees of the P&G’s board by Alexander Coolidge at Cincinnati Enquirer. Read more

 

Target Can’t Kick Wet Wipe Class Action Over Clogged Pipes by Aebra Coe at Law 360. “An Ohio federal judge on Tuesday trimmed but refused to gut a class action accusing Target Corp. of marketing and selling flushable wet wipes that clog septic systems, finding that although three of the suit’s common law claims fail, a slew of other product liability-related claims can proceed.” Read more (Subscription)

 

Meijer managers charged with embezzling up to $100,000 at WZZM 13 ABC. “Tracy Gordon, 45, and 63-year-old Danny Vandermyde are accused of converting gift cards for their own use.” Read more

 

Costco Tries To Sell 9th Circ. On New Trial In OT Row by Brandon Lowrey at Law 360. “Costco on Wednesday urged the Ninth Circuit to grant a new trial after a judge awarded damages to two managers alleging the retailer misclassified them as exempt employees and denied them overtime, saying the company realistically expected the managers to spend their time on exempt duties.” Read more (Subscription)

 

How Ace Hardware Turned Corner Stores Into A $4.7 Billion Co-Op by Clare O’Connor at Forbes. “In the past 18 months Ace has seen some 144 stores jump ship from competitors, including a handful from its two fellow hardware co-ops, True Value and Do It Best. During that time just 49 Ace stores have left the fold…Ace is tackling same-day delivery, one of the hottest trends in retail. Tests in 33 stores across six states started on Jan. 26.” Read more

 

He’s not ‘Alex from Target’ anymore by Tom Webb at Pioneer Press. “I have not been bagging groceries. I know — sorry to disappoint, but I’ve been doing some other stuff.” That “other stuff” includes appearing in a music video, rolling out a line of Alex Lee clothing, going on tour and planning to appear in an upcoming movie. Alex also said he’s been working hard on his singing…In any case, Alex’s fame may be fading.” Read more

 

…See Alex’s Video (His 10 Minutes are Nearly Up…) at MTV  See the video

 

Harris Poll Survey: Do Americans Prefer Name-Brands or Store Brands? “Americans tend to purchase name-brands for food and beverage products where flavor, arguably, differs more between brands. This at least seems to be true for a majority of Americans who default to name-brands when purchasing breakfast cereal (62%), carbonated soft drinks (58%), bagged snacks (58%), prepared frozen foods (56%), coffee (55%), and yogurt (54%).” Read the release

 

Canada: Long list of small businesses wait for cash as Target’s cheque bounces by Marina Strauss at Globe & Mail. “Just before Target was granted court protection from creditors, the company sent her a cheque for $18,000, the final payment for her work. The cheque was dated Jan. 13, two days before the court filing, but she didn’t get it until Jan. 26. When she went to the bank to cash it, the cheque bounced.” Read more

 

REI expands to Delaware, Virginia, Iowa by Emily Parkhurst at Puget Sound Business Journal. “These will be the first REI stores for Delaware and Iowa. It will be the sixth REI store in Virginia…Currently, REI has 138 stores in 33 states and will likely continue expanding as the U.S. economy rebounds.” Read more

 

Target Canada employees granted representation by court by Francine Kopun at Toronto Star. See the 7 appointed employees

 

Amazon Challenger Jet.com Raises $140 Million Ahead Of Launch by Ryan Mac at Forbes. “With 130 employees, Jet.com is expected to launch to a select group of “insiders” next month, while the full site will be open to the public by late spring. The company recently closed its early membership program, which obtained about 352,000 sign ups, said Lore.” Read more

 

Top 10 ‘Organic’ Cities (Minneapolis #5, Seattle #7) by Emily Parkhurst at Puget Sound Business Journal. See the top 10 list

 

Best Buy Opens Wedding Registry in Bid for New Sales at AP via NY Times. “Electronics and small appliances are as important to today’s newlyweds as silverware and towels,” said Wendy Fritz, Best Buy’s head of gift strategy.” Read more

 

With JRW’s title gone – will Dick’s Sporting Goods get its $164,481.17 back? by Jared Hopkins at Chicago Tribune. “It has been placed on probation and suspended from tournament play until its top directors are replaced and the league complies with Little League rules…Dick’s gave $164,481.17 in September from proceeds of selling 12,000 yellow team T-shirts…Dick’s did not respond to requests for comment Wednesday.” Read more

 

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Eye-on-Retail is created early AM every weekday and read by thousands of Retail Merchants & Executives every morning. We love data, earnings reports, executive presentations and stories off the beaten path that get at what’s happening in the world of retail. Contact us at info@shiftmarketinggroup.net.

Wednesday Tipsheet: WMT & 309 in Can. | Target Ticket Dead | Academy Attacks Tampa

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Wal-Mart says to invest C$340 million in Canada at Reuters. “Wal-Mart said on Wednesday it would spend about C$230 million of the planned investment to complete 29 supercenters, including the expansion of several stores to add full grocery departments…Wal-Mart had planed to spend C$500 million in Canada in the last fiscal year…The newly announced supercenters…will boost its supercenter count in Canada to 309 by the year ending January 2016.” Read more

 

Target Agrees To Pay $4 Million Settlement For Overcharging Customers at KPIX 5 SF Bay “Since 2008, the retailer was allegedly charging more at the register than the price posted on the shelf. Apparently the expired shelf tags were not getting changed out, so now the retailer must now designate one person to inspect every price tag in the store after they are swapped out each weekend.” See the video / Read more

 

Target pulls the plug on its digital video service less than 18 months after launch by Paul Lilly at Tech Hive. “(Target) has decided to end all services offered on Target Ticket effective March 7, 2015.” Read more

 

Amazon’s Newest Tool Lets Anyone Host Giveaways Online by Sarah Perez at TechCrunch. “Amazon announced a new self-service tool…that allows customers to host giveaways on its website. Anyone is eligible to run these sorts of promotions on the platform.” Read more

 

Dick’s in sponsorship deal with United States Olympic Committee by Kris Mamula at Pittsburgh Business Times. “Dick’s Sporting Goods Inc. and the United States Olympic Committee on Tuesday announced a sponsorship agreement, which allows the Findlay-based retailer to become the official sporting goods retail sponsor to the USOC and Team USA.” Read more

 

***A message from Comfy Sacks – Not your parent’s bean bag chair!  Incredibly soft micro-suede covers and our uniquely comfortable shredded foam filling make the Comfy Sacks experience one your customers won’t want to miss!  These ‘big and fun’ foam bag chairs (up to 7.5 feet in size!) are great for living rooms, basements, kids rooms, dorm rooms, etc. For product details contact info@shiftmarketinggroup.net  See the sack/website

 

Wal-Mart’s small format push not new by Kim Souza at The City Wire. “One of those historians is retired Walmart executive Andy Wilson…Wilson said in the early 1980s he was on the management team that traveled to large urban areas like Atlanta and Chicago and there were 30 small urban formats on the board that far back… “David Glass had a vision for a small store format,” Wilson said. “We had been trying the Hypermarts and they were not profitable, but we knew there could be money made in grocery back then.” Read more 

 

CVS Health Kicks Smoking Habit And Still Has Record Sales by Bruce Japsen at Forbes. “In the company’s fourth quarter – the first full three-month period without tobacco sales – CVS said net revenues increased 12.9 percent to a record $37.1 billion…The CVS decision has also put pressure on other retailers like Walgreens and Wal-Mart “It’s opening up some doors to some unique opportunities,” (Larry) Merlo told analysts.” Read more

 

Costco Cancels Plans for Auburn Store, Senior Center Relocation Up in Air at Fox 40 Sacramento. “The Senior Center’s Executive Director, Barbara Crowell, is distraught. “Is there a sense of relief? No. It doesn’t settle anything. We still have to move,” adding that Costco agreed to give the Senior Center $530,000 to relocate. Since Costco canceled its plans, that money must be returned.” Read more / See the video

 

Amazon worker says vandalized car a sign of tech backlash by Joel Moreno at KOMO News. “The man, who doesn’t want to be identified, said the vandal tried to scrape off an Amazon team sticker and also scratched up the paint job on the car. Worse was the note the owner found under the windshield wiper. “It said, ‘Amazon go home,'” he said. “I feel targeted.” Read more

 

Academy Sports to enter Tampa Bay area market by Richard Mullins at The Tampa Tribune. “Academy Sports already has 190 locations, many in the Southeast, but has only recently started to expand deeper into Central Florida.” Read more

 

Alibaba’s AliExpress Sets Its Sights On Indonesia’s Promising E-Commerce Market by Catherine Shu at TechCrunch. “(Alibaba) announced today that AliExpress, one of its e-commerce sites, has signed a strategic agreement with DOKU, Indonesia’s largest online payment provider. It also launched a website and customer service line in Bahasa and English.” Read more

 

Nearly 40% of all large US retailers plan to support Apple Pay by the end of next year by Dave Smith at Business Insider.  Read more

 

Link to Obamacare? Staples cracks down on worker hours by Dan Mangan at CNBC. “A number of Staples store managers are now threatening to discipline part-time workers—”up to and including termination”—if they clock in for more than 25 hours on the job per week, a new report reveals.” Read more

 

U.S. creates new agency to lead cyberthreat tracking by Warren Strobel at Reuters. “Obama will host a “cyber summit” with industry and government leaders at Stanford University in California on Friday.” Read more

 

Rite Aid to Acquire Leading Independent Pharmacy Benefit Manager EnvisionRx for $2 Billion Read the release

 

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Eye-on-Retail is created early AM every weekday and read by thousands of Retail Merchants & Executives every morning. We love data, earnings reports, executive presentations and stories off the beaten path that get at what’s happening in the world of retail. Contact us at info@shiftmarketinggroup.net.

Tuesday Tipsheet: PwC: AMZN #1, WMT #2 | Dollar Store=’Toxic’ Products? | Tracking Target’s Tie Teen

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 Lowe’s to launch innovation center in India by Varun Aggarwal at Economic Times. “Lowe’s expects to spend approximately $350M in their annual IT capital expenditures, including Omni-Channel capabilities. “We met with other retailers, asked them to explain how they were working on newage technology, and many of them pointed us to the global innovation centres they have in place in India,” (Robert) Niblock told ET in an exclusive interaction.” Read more

 

PwC Names ‘Top Ten Favorite Retailers’ (Amazon #1, Walmart #2, Target #3) by Andria Ching at MarketWatch. “PwC didn’t ask respondents to name their absolute favorite…Unlike past years, PwC combined both bricks-and-mortar and online retailers in one list. The total list comprised 38 retailers, and PwC declined to provide all the names. Some 71% of respondents have household income under $80,000, meaning that the list could be skewed toward certain kinds of retailers.” See the Top 10 list

 

…68% of respondents showroom…73% said they ended up making purchases at a physical store rather than online by Benjamin Snyder at Fortune. Read more

 

Retailers urged not to openly display Sports Illustrated ‘pornographic’ cover by Keith J. Kelly at NY Post. “The shot of the 24-year-old model pulling down the front of her bikini bottom “normalizes genital display,” according to the National Center on Sexual Exploitation, which wrote a letter to leading retail chains — including Walmart, CVS, 7-Eleven and Costco — asking them to display SI with its cover partially obscured as they would with adult magazines.” Read more

 

Arizona: Walmart tests grocery pickup service by Sue Doerfler at The Arizona Republic. “The service begins today at one Walmart Supercenter in Chandler and two in Mesa. It also is offered at select stores in Bentonville, Ark., and Denver.” Read more

 

***A Message from Orchard Road Canning:  Orchard Road targets young canners with a simple and elegant glass jar design and a unique package design featuring authentic food-filled jars.  See the sell sheet and package design.  www.orchardroadcanning.com  Contact info@shiftmarketinggroup.net for merchandising information.

 

Teen returns to Target to say thank you to store employee who helped him tie a tie for a job interview by James Gordon at Daily Mail. “Yasir’s mother is equally grateful to the strangers who showed her son kindness. ‘They could have just sold my son a tie,’ said Najirah Parrish. ‘But they took the time, helped him tie the tie and talked to him. They treated my son with dignity, respect.’ See the pics / Read more

 

…ABC 11 Tracks Down Target’s Tie Teen by Anna Laurel. “Moore went back for a second interview Saturday, and he did so well they will call him Friday for the next step in the interview process. Moore told ABC11 that he asked his parents to get him another new tie in case the same manager interviews him.” See the video / Read more

 

Report: Dollar-store products have unsafe levels of toxic chemicals at Louisville Business First. “The Campaign for Healthier Solutions tested 164 dollar-store products and found high levels of chemicals such as polyvinyl chloride, phthalates, lead and tin in 81 percent of them, WFPL-FM of Louisville, Ky., reports.” Read more

 

…See the 28 page report via Campaign for Healthier Solutions. Read more

 

Shop.org/Forrester Research: Mobile as a Percentage of Online Sales Increased 50% in 2014  Read the release

 

It’s No Fun Making Toys, Toasters in USA by James R. Hagerty at WSJ. “In terms of expertise and production capacity, “we let so much leave the country that you can’t find what you need,” he said.” Read more (Subscription)

 

Home Depot: hiring more than 80,000 workers for spring by Anne d’Innocenzio at AP via Yahoo News. Read more

 

Walmart VP of US Manufacturing to Address Plastics Industry  Read the release

 

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Eye-on-Retail is created early AM every weekday and read by thousands of Retail Merchants & Executives every morning. We love data, earnings reports, executive presentations and stories off the beaten path that get at what’s happening in the world of retail. Contact us at info@shiftmarketinggroup.net.

Monday Tipsheet: Target: 8 Tests & $8 Mil Grammy Ad | H.Depot Employee Gets 30

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What Target is cooking up for its stores by Kavita Kumar at Star-Tribune. “Here’s a rundown of some of Target’s recent experiments: Home redesign.  Instead of dishes and cups being stacked up on shelves, Target is testing more of a lifestyle layout…Target first began testing this redesigned home department at the Quarry store in November. It will be rolled out to 15 more stores this spring…” See the list of 8 experiments

 

West Coast ports to reopen after weekend shutdown by Chris Woodyard at USA Today. “At the normally busy Port of Los Angeles, cranes sat idly perched over ships stacked high with containers during the weekend while other loaded vessels bobbed at anchor offshore.” Read more

 

Bigger Container Ships Pose Bigger Risks by Gregory J Millman at WSJ. “Today, the newest and biggest container ships can carry around 18,000 twenty-foot-equivalent units—the industry’s capacity benchmark—but Dr. Hacegaba said in a study last year that industry watchers expect ships as large as 22,000 TEU to come into service by 2018, and that 24,000-TEU vessels are on the drawing board.” Read more (Subscription)

 

Target employees in tears as “unruly mob” demands better deals by Robert Bostelaar at Ottawa Citizen. “While retail employers everywhere wish they could remind customers that it’s the boss, not them, who sets prices, these staff are still further removed. Target’s liquidator is determining price cuts as the chain moves toward a mid-May closing.” Read more

 

New York man sentenced to 30 years in Home Depot bomb plot at Reuters. “A former Home Depot employee was sentenced to more than 30 years in federal prison for threatening to set off pipe bombs in some of the chain’s suburban New York stores in an attempt to extort money from the retailer, his trial attorney said on Saturday.” Read more

 

…Home Depot estimated spending about $1.5 million for security guards, bomb-sniffing dogs and other protection measures.

 

Amazon’s ‘Box on Demand’ Machine by Ina Steiner at Ecommerce Bytes. “Amazon is now boasting about how it is shipping items in right-size boxes. The Central Valley Business Journal uploaded a YouTube video this month accompanied by the following abstract: “Ever wonder how Amazon manages to ship your items in boxes that seem made for them? It’s because they are.” See the video

 

Target’s Imagine Dragons Commercial Break During Grammys Cost About $8 Million by Andrew Flanagan at Billboard. “With ad rates averaging $1 million per thirty-second spot during the broadcast, Billboard can estimate that the time on air alone cost Target about $8 million.” Read more

 

…It took more than 22,000 man hours, 2,500 square feet of LED lights, 575 people, 15 semi-trucks and more for Target and Imagine Dragons to pull off the act at The Bullseye View. “Take a look at the exclusive behind-the-scenes time-lapse video below to see the full stage come together in just 77 seconds.” See the video / Read more

 

Sellers Choice 2015: Sellers Rate Top Online Marketplaces by Ina & David Steiner at Ecommerce Bytes. “Etsy placed first overall in this year’s Sellers Choice, and was rated the highest for Customer Service and Ease of Use….Amazon placed second after coming in fourth place last year. And Bonanza placed third overall, a perennial favorite among readers taking the survey.” Read more

 

Is there a Better CEO than Jeff Bezos? by Charles Fombrun at HBR.  See the rankings

 

Canada: Shoppers Drug Mart’s addition of fresh food blurs the line between convenience and grocery stores by Hollie Shaw at Financial Post. Read more

 

Woman rescued from safe at Tractor Supply store by Dylan Johnson at Daily American. “Somerset fire Chief Stephen Miller said Mitchell became trapped in the safe at approximately 2 p.m. when she was playing a game in the store with her daughters, who closed the door on her.” Read more

 

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Eye-on-Retail is created early AM every weekday and read by thousands of Retail Merchants & Executives every morning. We love data, earnings reports, executive presentations and stories off the beaten path that get at what’s happening in the world of retail. Contact us at info@shiftmarketinggroup.net.

 

 

Friday Tipsheet: Costco #4 in Harris Poll | Bezos on CBS | Target’s Tie & Handshake

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Disappointed shoppers say Target bargains off the mark on first day of liquidation by Bill Mah at Edmonton Journal. “Despite store signs and ads promising markdowns of 30 per cent, shoppers at the West Edmonton Mall store Thursday said most items were discounted only 10 per cent, with some 20-per-cent deals…“I kind of thought they would be a little bit cheaper,” shopper Val Kendall said. “Everything’s only 10-per-cent off. We keep looking for the 30s, but I’m not finding them.” Read more / See the in-store video

 

…Globe & Mail Canadian Poll:  97% aren’t excited by Target’s liquidation sale.  See the poll

 

Harris Poll 2015 (Reputation): Wegman’s Bumps Amazon from Top Spot (Costco #4, Lowe’s Beats Home Depot)  See the Top 100 ranked

 

Jeff Bezos on “Transparent” and Amazon’s “insurmountable opportunity” by Jason Kashdan at CBS News. “Earlier this week, reports surfaced that Amazon may be in the running to purchase Radio Shack real estate…”I’ve been reading the same article as you’re reading on that but that’s something I can’t comment on,” Bezos said. But he did admit to their brick and mortar aspirations. “We’re starting in little bits and pieces. We’ve done some pop-up stores during the holidays. We’ve just launched some college bookstores,” Bezos said.” See the video / Read more

 

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Woman Walking Through Target Noticed Something Out of the Ordinary Going On. So She Took a Picture by Oliver Darcy at The Blaze. “A kid came in looking for a clip-on tie for a job interview this afternoon,” she wrote in a post shared on Target’s Facebook page. “The store only had regular ties, so this awesome Target team member took the time to help the nervous teen put on his new tie, tuck in his shirt and then showed him how to give a proper handshake and tackle a few tough interview questions!” “As the kid exited the store, a bunch of supportive Target team members cheered him on! THIS is true customer service – Right on the mark, Target!” Mark added.” See the pics & video / Read more

 

Alibaba begins drone delivery tests in China while Amazon pleads to start trials in U.S. at Bloomberg via Financial Post. “Asia’s largest Internet company is partnering with Shanghai YTO Express Logistics Co. to deliver ginger tea packets to 450 Chinese customers who volunteered for the one-time drone tests, according to an e-mailed statement from Alibaba.” Read more

 

It’s official: Target is on Snapchat at A Bullseye View.  “Kristi Argyilan, senior vice president, Media and Guest Engagement, Target: “Snapchat provides a fun channel for us to quickly share exclusive, behind-the-scenes content with our guests that they can’t get anywhere else.” Read more

 

JC Penney’s next big bet a bit of a head scratcher by Krystina Gustafson at CNBC. “Have you ever been browsing the shelves at J.C. Penney and thought to yourself, boy, I need a new haircut? Probably not. But the department store is hoping to change that by reinventing its 850 salons across the U.S. In a new partnership with Time Inc.-owned fashion magazine InStyle, Penney’s will rebrand its salons into a “modern, cutting-edge salon concept” called The Salon by InStyle.” Read more

 

GameStop’s new president of U.S. stores played for the Philadelphia Phillies / was SVP of HR at Home Depot by Maria Halkia at Dallas News. “Mike Buskey came to Grapevine-based GameStop in 2010 as senior vice president of human resources from Home Depot where he led HR activities for about 2,000 stores.” Read more

 

Some Shoppers Uncomfortable with Items from ‘Fifty Shades of Grey’ on Target Shelves by Elaina Athans at ABC 11 – Raleigh, NC. “Target stands by the sales.”As a national mass retailer, we carry a broad assortment of merchandise. The Fifty Shades of Grey products are not exclusive to Target. Our stores were directed to place them on a side cap in an adult health area of the store,” said Target spokesperson Molly Snyder.” See the video / Read more

 

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Eye-on-Retail is created early AM every weekday and read by thousands of Retail Merchants & Executives every morning. We love data, earnings reports, executive presentations and stories off the beaten path that get at what’s happening in the world of retail. Contact us at info@shiftmarketinggroup.net.