Tipsheet: Amazon Groc. Expands | WM Medicare Agency | Prime Day 10/5ish

 

Amazon reportedly postponing Prime Day until October at CNBC. “The email advises sellers to use the week of Oct. 5 as a “placeholder date” for Prime Day promotions and coupons, but cautions that “exact Prime Day dates have not been announced.” Read more

 

White House teases executive orders on China, immigration and prescription drugs at Politico. “The interesting thing is this president will do more in the next four weeks than Joe Biden and his team did in the last 40 years,” (Mark Meadows) claimed. “So you just need to stay tuned.” Read more

 

Sam’s Club CEO Kath McLay joins Yahoo Finance’s Julia La Roche at Yahoo Money. 4:17 video

 

The Pandemic Is Rewriting the Rules of Retail at Harvard Business Review. “For several years now, some retailers have been putting as much if not more priority on the in-store experience than on the products they sell…As a result of Covid-19…(retailers) have to give people a reason to visit that is so compelling, it justifies their exposure to health risks and overcomes the inertia of the behaviors they adopted during the shutdown.” Read more

 

Uber agrees to buy food-delivery service Postmates for $2.65 billion in stock at CNBC. Read more

 

Amazon Go Grocery stores slated for Seattle area and Washington D.C. at CNBC. “Traditional grocery stores are also in the works in California and Illinois, according to The Seattle Times…The conventional stores will be in North Hollywood and three suburbs of Chicago. An Amazon spokesperson confirmed the stores in California, Illinois, and D.C. to GeekWire.” Read more

 

**A message from Comfy Sacks bean bag chairs – Consumers spending more time at home demand comfort! Sales on premium bean bags filled with superior quality furniture foam continue to rise sharply. Booklet | Video | Website | Request sample bag: info@eyeonretail.net

 

As Black buying power grows, racial profiling by retailers remains persistent problem at CNBC. “Nearly 30% of Black Americans said they were treated unfairly because of their race when shopping in the past 30 days, according to the 2018 Gallup poll.” Read more

 

Walmart to open Medicare insurance agency in the Dallas market at Talk Business. “…the retailer plans to have the agents working the first week of August. In the employment ads, Walmart says it now “has an insurance agency.” The focus of hiring is for Medicare insurance agents and call center representatives, who according to the job listing will work remotely for Walmart Insurance Services LLC, a subsidiary of Walmart Apollo LLC.” Read more

 

NYC grocers struggle to hire while workers bank on unemployment claims at NY Post. “Morton Williams, which operates 16 stores in the New York metro area, was slammed with 400 claims at the height of the pandemic in March and April…Through June, claims have risen to about 600 — or about half the workers on the payroll, he said. What’s more, during that time Sloan said Morton Williams has laid off only three people as grocery demand went through the roof. Yet by the end of May, more than 160 ex-staffers were drawing weekly benefits OK’d by the state, he said.” Read more

 

Sears exploring sale of home improvement business at CNBC. “Transformco, the owner of the Sears and Kmart retail chains, could raise at least $1 billion by divesting the home improvement business, the sources said. Sears has tapped investment bankers at Guggenheim Securities LLC to explore selling the business, the sources said.” Read more

 

Stores focus on cleaning to get shoppers back to spending at AP. “Shopping was something I really enjoyed. I like to look at clothes and jewelry. It was almost like therapy,” said Hope Kaplan, a 62-year-old publicist who is now only willing to go to the dentist and CVS because she’s worried about the coronavirus, especially with cases rising in her home of Tucson, Arizona.” Read more

 

Early Covid-19 tracking apps easy prey for hackers at Politico. “In the Qatar Covid-19 app, researchers found a vulnerability that would’ve let hackers obtain more than a million people’s national ID numbers and health status. In India’s app, a researcher discovered a security gap that allowed him to determine who was sick in individual homes.” Read more

 

Tipsheet Extra

Krebs: E-Verify’s “SSN Lock” is Nothing of the Sort

Costco Is Getting An Exclusive 2020 Corvette

Man that jumped into aquarium at Bass Pro Shops arrested

This coronavirus-killing MIT robot could end up in your local supermarket

Why personality tests could derail your future goals

Read Tipsheet Extra Stories

 

**

Eye on Retail Tipsheet is must-read material for retail execs every weekday morning. Tipsheet stories are carefully curated bright and early every morning to ensure fresh and unique content.

 

Subscribe to Eye on Retail Tipsheet here

 

Contact us: Put your product or service in front of the most powerful retail execs in the world, send advertising inquiries to info@eyeonretail.net

 

Website: eyeonretail.net

Tipsheet: H.Depot Bans Some Rope | Kroger Covid Kit | WM Drive Ins

 

US adds 4.8 million jobs as unemployment falls to 11.1% at AP. Read more

 

Home Depot bans some rope sales after nooses were found tied on store spools at USA Today. “Rob Ball urgently needed some rope. A vegetable farmer in eastern Jefferson County, Ball had 300 tomato plants that needed stringing…So Ball paid a visit to his local Home Depot, where he hoped to buy several hundred feet of the store’s quarter-inch twisted nylon rope. To his dismay, a Home Depot salesman informed Ball of a new store policy: Customers can no longer buy rope by the foot.” Read more

 

‘Talk less and do more’: Lowe’s CEO Marvin Ellison says corporate leaders must step up diversity efforts at CNBC. “When he arrived at Lowe’s, the company had only eight Black employees at the vice president level or higher — a number he was determined to increase. “I didn’t need social unrest as a CEO for me to understand it was an issue,” he said. He said Lowe’s now has two Black executive vice presidents, two Black senior vice presidents and 11 Black vice presidents.” Read more

 

Kroger gets emergency use approval for at-home Covid test kit at Cincinnati Enquirer. “The kit, which Howard said may eventually be sold direct to consumers, allows users to collect their own nasal swab samples for testing under the supervision of a licensed healthcare professional through a video chat.” Read more

 

Belk confirms layoffs related to COVID at its corporate headquarters in Charlotte at Charlotte Observer. “The company refused to disclose the total number of people who are losing their jobs. Belk has about 1,300 employees at the corporate office at 2801 W. Tyvola Road.” Read more

 

Neela Montgomery leaves Crate and Barrel – successor will be announced shortly Press release

 

Walmart Launches Virtual Summer Camp and Drive-In Movie Theater “Walmart is transforming 160 of its store parking lots into contact-free drive-in movie theaters…” Press release

 

Who Is the Mystery Shopper Leaving Behind Thousands of Online Shopping Carts? at Wall Street Journal. “It is more than a nuisance. John Smith’s activity skews analytics that online merchants use to advertise and make other critical business decisions. The shopper also uses a bunch of bogus email addresses, and sellers get warned by their internet service providers for sending follow-up pitches to phantom customers…” WSJ subs.

 

Coty names former L’Oreal executive Sue Nabi as its CEO at Reuters. Read more

 

National coin shortage has retailers pleading for exact change at NY Post. “Some Lowe’s stores have posted signs urging shoppers to pay with exact change or use other forms of payment, as have convenience stores such as 7-Eleven, Pilot and Circle K…Meijer (is) banning cash payments in its self-checkout lanes until the shortage ends.” Read more

 

Tipsheet Extra

Kanye West wants to make Yeezy shoes, clothes in Wyoming

Target intros own brand bedding, bath products

‘Beavis and Butt-Head’ returning with two new seasons (and spinoffs)

Amazon shipping snafu sends order of seven small items in seven separate boxes

We are throwing away a record 53.6 million metric tons of electronics

Read Tipsheet Extra Stories

 

**

Eye on Retail Tipsheet is must-read material for retail execs every weekday morning. Tipsheet stories are carefully curated bright and early every morning to ensure fresh and unique content.

 

Subscribe to Eye on Retail Tipsheet here

 

Contact us: Put your product or service in front of the most powerful retail execs in the world, send advertising inquiries to info@eyeonretail.net

 

Website: eyeonretail.net

Tipsheet: H.Depot Retakes Radio | Wgreen “Cooper” Stores | Ellison Iview Today

 

Walgreens says new small-format store personalizes care, could help in ‘pharmacy deserts’ at CNBC. “It has opened more than 30 small-format pharmacies as part of a pilot, and it may open additional ones depending on how the stores perform. Inside of the company, the project was dubbed “Cooper” — a reference to the Mini Cooper, a small BMW car with a cult following.” Read more

 

Macy’s reports $3.58 billion quarterly loss as COVID-19 hits business at Reuters. Read more

 

Instacart sues Seattle over law requiring premium pay to drivers during the pandemic at GeekWire. “The legislation prohibits grocery delivery companies from passing on premium pay costs to customers. It also forbids the platforms from reducing worker compensation or service areas within the city.” Read more

 

Newsweek: America’s Best Customer Service 2020 – Publix #9 Top ten

 

Mall owner CBL says in forbearance over skipped interest payment at CNBC. “The Chattanooga, Tennessee-based real estate company, which owns 108 properties primarily in the Southeast, has been working with advisors Weil, Gotshal & Manges and Moelis & Co. to explore alternatives, which could entail a reorganization of the company.” Read more

 

FedEx says coronavirus shopping helped offset commercial slowdown at Fox Business. “FedEx said its 20 percent bump in revenue for its ground unit was the result of an increase in online shopping…FedEx’s core express delivery fell 10 percent…” Read more

 

**A message from Gusto kitchenware. Designed for young enthusiasts looking for quality, color and affordability. From the #1 cookware brand in Mexico. Program details | Retailers request samples: info@eyeonretail.net

 

Hear from Lowe’s Marvin Ellison today at 11 a.m. ET during NRF Retail Leadership Series Read more

 

Home Depot back at #1 in radio spots (Lowe’s #4, eBay #9) at Radio Ink. Read more

 

Walmart hires 265,000 veterans, promotes more than 44,000 to higher-paying roles at Fox News. “We’re forever grateful to our veterans for their service, and it’s an honor to offer them opportunities at Walmart,” said Walmart President and CEO Doug McMillon in a statement.” Read more

 

Amazon marks Pride and Stonewall anniversary with colorful lighting of Spheres in Seattle at GeekWire. Read more

 

General Mills beats estimates on virus-led stockpiling at Reuters. “Sales at its North America retail segment, which accounts for more than half of the company’s sales, increased 36%, after having fallen in seven of the last eight quarters.” Read more

 

The COVID-19 pandemic has made it harder for banks to trace the source of payment card data stolen from smaller, hacked online merchants at Krebs on Security. “Gemini Advisory has seen over 50 percent decrease in demand for compromised card present data since the mandated COVID-19 quarantines in the United States as well as the majority of the world,” he told KrebsOnSecurity.” Read more

 

Remember Brandless, the Amazon alternative that crashed and burned? It’s back! at Fast Company. Read more

 

Tipsheet Extra

South Koreans hail the return of Kellogg’s green onion-flavored cereal

Albertsons Ends Social Media Advertisements

50% of in-store supermarket shoppers in the past 30 days also ordered groceries online

Man shot, killed at Amazon fulfillment center in Florida; 2 others shot

Mercedes-Benz to end luxury subscription service

Read Tipsheet Extra Stories

 

**

Eye on Retail Tipsheet is must-read material for retail execs every weekday morning. Tipsheet stories are carefully curated bright and early every morning to ensure fresh and unique content.

 

Subscribe to Eye on Retail Tipsheet here

 

Contact us: Put your product or service in front of the most powerful retail execs in the world, send advertising inquiries to info@eyeonretail.net

 

Website: eyeonretail.net