Costco is selling gold bars and they are selling out within a few hours at CNBC. "I’ve gotten a couple of calls that people have seen online that we’ve been selling 1 ounce gold bars,” (Galanti) said. “Yes, but when we load them on the site, they’re typically gone within a few hours, and we limit two per member...only available online, and only if you’re a Costco member...retailer also is limiting the purchases to two to a customer..." Read more   In Suing Amazon, FTC’s Lina Khan Turns Her Earlier Pricing Argument on Its Head at Wall Street Journal. [...]

  Costco partners with Sesame to offer members $29 virtual health visits at USA Today. "Sesame and Costco do not plan to open clinics in Costco locations, according to Bloomberg News, who first reported the partnership." Read more   NRF Foundation Announces The List of People Shaping Retail’s Future 2024 lululemon Chief Information Officer and Executive Vice President Julie Averill Crocs Senior Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer Heidi Cooley The Kroger Co. Senior Vice President and Chief Information Officer Yael Cosset Shopify President Harley Finkelstein Snoopslimes Founder and CEO Jungmin Kang Burlington Stores Inc. Senior Vice President of Leadership [...]

  Walmart opens a pet center with veterinary care and grooming at CNBC. "On Wednesday, the retailer is opening a first-of-its-kind center in Dallas, Georgia, a suburb about 30 miles northwest of Atlanta...The Georgia location will serve as a pilot, but Walmart plans to open more locations, said Kaitlyn Shadiow, vice president of merchandising for pets for Walmart U.S. She declined to say how many pet shops it may ultimately have but said Walmart plans to open more next year, if not sooner." Read more   Bay Area residents shocked over new COVID vaccine prices at NBC Bay Area. "Being [...]

  Amazon Develops Version of Cashierless Tech for Clothing Stores by Matt Day at Bloomberg. "Amazon has quietly piloted its RFID-enabled Just Walk Out technology at fan shops at two Seattle sports arenas: Lumen Field, home of the National Football League’s Seahawks, and Climate Pledge Arena, of the National Hockey League’s Kraken. Amazon Chief Executive Officer Andy Jassy is a minority owner of the hockey team." Read more   AutoZone 4th Quarter Domestic Same Store Sales Increase 1.7% Press release   ....AutoZone Announces Organizational Changes "Tom Newbern...has been promoted to Chief Operating Officer...Jamere Jackson...has been promoted as Chief Financial Officer [...]

  Carrefour sticks price warnings on food to shame suppliers at Reuters. "Carrefour is putting stickers on products that have shrunk in size but cost more even after raw materials prices have eased...Since Monday, Carrefour has marked 26 products in its stores in France with labels reading, "This product has seen its volume or weight fall and the effective price by the supplier rise." Read more   CEOs from Alphabet, Walmart, Pfizer meet White House officials on refugees at Reuters. "Chief executives from a wide array of U.S. companies will meet White House Chief of Staff Jeff Zients on Thursday [...]

  TikTok Shop officially launches in the U.S. at TechCrunch. "As part of the rollout, the company is bringing features such as a dedicated shop tab on the home screen, live video shopping, shoppable ads, and affiliate programs for creators. TikTok has been testing its e-commerce initative in the U.S. since last November." Read more   A Mall Owner’s About-Face: Bet on America’s High-End Malls at Kate King at Wall Street Journal. "The European owner of Westfield malls is pulling back from its aggressive plan to sell nearly all its properties and exit from the U.S. market this year...will hold some [...]

  US jobless claims hit lowest level since February; productivity strongest in years at Reuters. "The report also showed labor costs, a key focus of the Federal Reserve as it battles to bring inflation back down to its 2% target, rose at a 2.2% annualized rate, a somewhat faster pace than the 1.6% rate initially reported. Nonetheless, the advance was still the slowest since the fourth quarter of 2021." Read more   Appointees of new Texas task force to work on how to prevent organized retail theft at KXAN. "The task force will meet quarterly and make legislative suggestions to [...]

  America's Best Customer Service 2024 (#1 = Publix, Costco, Wawa...) at Newsweek. "Newsweek and...Statista are proud to announce our sixth edition of America's Best Customer Service 2024. This award recognizes 724 brands in 166 categories that go above and beyond to make their customers feel special." Rankings   Goldman Sachs cuts chances of US recession in next one year to 15% from an earlier 20% at Reuters. Read more   Amazon is reportedly getting into legal fights with landlords as 'zombie' Amazon Fresh stores pile up by Alex Bitter at Business Insider. "In New Jersey, another landlord is suing [...]