Amazon scores record sales with a 37% increase year-over-year at Fox Business. "...posted net income of $6.3 billion in the third quarter, or $12.37 per share, compared to $2.1 billion, or $4.23 per share a year ago. Meanwhile, Amazon's third-party seller services saw a 55% increase year-over-year. On Prime Day, third-party sales surpassed $3.5 billion, a nearly 60% year-over-year increase." Read more | Press release   Amazon expects to incur $4 billion in COVID-related costs next quarter at TechCrunch. Read more   Walmart pulls guns, ammo off sales floors because of ‘civil unrest’ in some areas, but will still sell [...]

  Walmart turns four stores into e-commerce laboratories at CNBC. "...employees will use digital tools, store design features and different strategies that could speed up restocking shelves and fulfilling online orders. They will test an app that uses artificial intelligence to scan multiple boxes in the back room rather than one at a time as they move them to the store floor. They will use new store signage and handheld devices to cut down the time it takes to pick an online order. And product and technology teams will be based at the stores to accelerate the pace of prototyping." [...]

  Retailers including Walmart and Foot Locker looted in Philly at 3 CBS Philly. "Philadelphia police tweeted a warning to stay away from the area as a crowd of approximately 1,000 people was looting in the area...Police say looting along Aramingo Avenue in Philadelphia’s Port Richmond neighborhood has “rapidly gone downhill” Tuesday night and is a “total loss.” Video/Pics/Read more   Hy-Vee unveils cart sanitizing system at Fox Business. "Sterile Cart is manufactured by Minnesota-based IZZA Manufacturing and distributed by Ultra Green Packaging. It uses a low-pressure spray system and a dry-in-place disinfectant. With a small footprint, 6 by 4 feet, it [...]

  Home prices in August see biggest gains in more than two years, S&P Case Shiller says at CNBC. "The 10-City Composite posted a 4.7% gain, up from 3.5% in the previous month. The 20-City Composite rose 5.2% year-over-year, up from 4.1% in July." Read more   Doug McMillon Speaks at the Yahoo Finance All Markets Summit "We have been through a lot of these [elections]. We want to help the country get stronger, so whatever we are asked to do that’s what we’ll do. We hope to contribute to bringing the country together as it is related to things [...]

  Walmart sues government to pre-empt allegations it helped fuel opioid crisis at Fortune. "(Walmart) argues in the suit that the U.S. Justice Department and Drug Enforcement Administration is scapegoating the chain to divert attention from the agencies’ failures to effectively address the public-health crisis over opioids. Watchdog groups have “meticulously cataloged” the ways regulators have “failed to safeguard the public from improper diversion of prescription opioids,” Walmart’s lawyers said in the 54-page complaint." Read more   American Express Sees Higher Consumer Retail Spending at Wall Street Journal. "Non-travel and entertainment spending—which made up about 70% of spending going into the [...]

  September existing home sales jump 9.5%, but ‘prices are rising too fast’ as supply remains tight at CNBC. "The median price of an existing home sold in September was $311,800, a 14.8% gain compared with September 2019. The inventory of homes for sale fell 19.2% annually...At the current sales pace that represents a 2.7-month supply. That is the lowest since the Realtors began tracking this metric in 1982." Read more   Apple expands 'Express' retail store format ahead of holiday season at Reuters. "The new format has a wall built in front of the main store with sales counters [...]

  ELECTION LOOTING - U.S. retailers secure stores as worries about election unrest mount at Reuters. "Aon...told Reuters the majority of retailer clients it surveyed are considering boarding up stores because they are worried about looting around the election...“You’d be foolish to think the worst is over. We all watch the news,” said Bob Moraca, principal at Rock Security Group and former vice president of loss prevention for the National Retail Federation." Read more   Head of Target's Media Business to Leave at Ad Age. "The face of Target’s media business is leaving the company at a time when competitors [...]

  Albertsons Q2 comp sales +13.8% "Digital sales growth of 243%...Net income of $284.5 million Adjusted EBITDA of $948.4 million, an increase of 67% compared to the second quarter last year." Press release   NORDICTRACK @ LOWE'S - Lowe’s bets on new categories this holiday season at CNBC. "We thought that home fitness was one of those areas that we could play in as it relates to home improvement and we still feel that way,” (Bill Boltz) said. “The pandemic has just kind of escalated that.” During the holidays, he said Lowe’s wants to make shopping on its website “a [...]