U.S. Retail Spending Picked Up Strongly in September at Wall Street Journal. "A measure of purchases at stores, restaurants and online, retail sales increased a seasonally adjusted 1.9% in September from the prior month, the Commerce Department reported Friday, outstripping economists’ expectations for a 0.7% rise." WSJ subs.   TikTok is driving massive toy sales as play dates become less frequent during pandemic at CNBC. "A combination of fan-generated and TikTok influencer videos ignited the craze,” Renee Lee, vice president of global marketing at Zuru, said. The company has seen an average of 20 million to 25 million weekly views [...]

  THIS MORNING - Walmart CEO @ CNBC - urges Congress to get a stimulus deal done "If I could change one thing about our business right now, it would be to have an even higher in-stock level,” (McMillon) said. "We’re trying to make sure we’re ready to go all the way to Christmas and beyond, but we’ve still got some recovery to do.” Read more   Walgreens Boots Alliances Q4 sales +2.3% Press release   ...Walgreens returns to profitability as business rebounds at Fox Business. "Retail pharmacy sales in the U.S. grew 3.6% from last year to $27 billion [...]

  Walmart divides Black Friday deals into 3 separate events that kick off online at CNBC. "Walmart’s first Black Friday event will start online Nov. 4 and in stores Nov. 7 and feature toys, electronics and home products. The second event, focused on electronics such as TVs, smartphones, computers and tablets along with some items from other merchandise categories, will begin online Nov. 11 and in stores Nov. 14. And the third event will kick off online Nov. 25 and in stores Nov. 27 — the same day as the usual post-Thanksgiving shopping event. It will have a range of [...]

  Amazon’s German workers launch Prime Day strike over pandemic pay at Fortune. "This time the big issue is that of how workers are treated during the COVID-19 pandemic. As with strikes at Amazon facilities elsewhere earlier this year, there are allegations that Amazon isn't doing enough to protect its staff, and also isn't paying them enough considering the circumstances." Read more   EBay takes a bite at StockX and GOAT with sneaker authentication for sales $100+ in the US at TechCrunch. "The authentication will be done by Sneaker Con...The quick story here is that eBay’s  rep for authentic merch is, [...]

  Countering Prime Day transforms into new Black Friday at CNBC. "Amazon Prime Day starts at 3 a.m. ET Tuesday and lasts through Wednesday. Target will have “Deal Days” and Best Buy will jumpstart Black Friday sales on those days. Walmart holds its “Big Save Event” from 7 p.m. ET Sunday through Thursday." Read more   Hidden cameras and secret trackers reveal where Amazon returns end up at CBC. "Marketplace purchased a dozen products off Amazon's website...and sent each back to Amazon just as they were received but with a GPS tracker hidden inside...Marketplace returned toy blocks that travelled over 950 [...]

  Target HQ employees won't return to downtown offices until at least June 2021 at Star Tribune. "Target is looking at a “hybrid model” in the future, which the company believes will offer more flexibility while also working face-to-face meetings back into the mix. “Our intent is to blend the best of both work environments,” (CHRO Kremer) said." Tiered subs.   Safeway, Walgreens relationship with Theranos disputed in ex-CEO Elizabeth Holmes fraud case at Fox Business. "Safeway and Walgreens, (Holmes attorney) Saharia argued, are business partners, but are unfairly being identified as investors. The "investor" classification, in turn, caused Holmes to [...]

  Petco rebrands, bans shock collars in health and wellness push at Fortune. "We’re transitioning from being a company that asks, ‘Can I help you put that big bag of dog food into your cart?' into a full health and wellness company," Petco CEO Ron Coughlin tells Fortune." Read more   Costco September comp sales (ex. gas & f/x) +16.9%: US +16.7% / Canada +18.0% / Other Int'l +17.5% / Ecom +90.1% Press release   Dollar General to open stores aimed at wealthier shoppers at Fox Business. "The company plans to open a new brand of stores called Popshelf that [...]

  Amazon’s Prime Day estimated to do $10 billion in worldwide sales at TechCrunch. "This is ahead of what Prime Day achieved in years past. In 2019, the sales event delivered $6.93 billion in sales, eMarketer says, with $4.32 billion from the U.S. Total Prime Day sales in 2016, 2017 and 2018 were at $1.5 billion, $2.47 billion and $4.13 billion, respectively." Read more   Walmart tests electronic tech services similar to Best Buy’s Geek Squad by Kim Souza at Talk Business. "Walmart is testing electronic tech services through a partnership with True Network Solutions. The Walmart Supercenter at Elm [...]