Dick’s +5.7% | B.Buy +2.7% | Kohl’s -1.7%

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US retail sales rose slightly in September, adding to months of big gains at AP. “Sales increased 0.2% last month from August, the Commerce Department said Tuesday…The retail sales figures suggest that Americans as a whole are still willing and able to boost their spending…” Read more

 

TikTok Shop Pushes Into Luxury Retail With $11,000 Handbags at Bloomberg. “The emergence of high-end luxury goods on TikTok Shop is a sign of the company’s evolving e-commerce ambitions since it launched in the US two years ago to comparisons with Chinese fast-fashion heavyweights like PDD Holdings Inc.’s Temu and Shein Group Ltd. TikTok Shop is still a destination for cheap finds…but its push into luxury also shows that the once-prominent threat of a TikTok ban in the US has done little to dim the company’s online shopping aspirations.” Bloomberg subs.

 

Dick’s Business Q3 comp sales +5.7% (vs. +3.6% expected) Press release

 

…Dick’s Ups Guidance, Will Shutter Some Stores at CNBC. “For its namesake banner, the company is now expecting comparable sales to rise between 3.5% and 4%, up from its prior range of 2% to 3.5%…“We need to clean out the garage,” said Stack. “We’ve taken pretty aggressive markdowns to clean out old merchandise. We’re impairing some store assets. We’ll close some stores … everything we’re doing is there to protect 2026 and just kind of do this one time.” Read more

 

…Dick’s Names Matthew Barnes President, Foot Locker International Press release

 

Best Buy Q3 comp sales +2.7% (vs. +1.5% expected) Press release

 

…Best Buy Hikes Sales Forecast at CNBC. “…expects full-year comparable sales…to range between a 0.5% rise to a 1.2% increase, compared with its previous expectations for a 1% decline and a 1% climb… CEO Corie Barry said Best Buy saw “better-than-expected sales” for the quarter because of strong results across computing, gaming and mobile phone.” Read more

 

Would You Like a New Car With That $8 USB Cable? Amazon Hopes So at WSJ. “Hyundai, which has been selling cars on Amazon since December, said nearly all the people browsing the company’s vehicles on the e-commerce website were new to the brand. Around 40% of them said they were more likely to consider a Hyundai once they learned of the tie-up with Amazon.” WSJ subs.

 

Kohl’s Q3 comp sales -1.7% Press release

 

…Kohl’s Appoints Michael J. Bender as CEO “Mr. Bender has served as interim CEO since May…has 30 years of leadership experience at Eyemart Express, Walmart, L Brands, and PepsiCo.” Press release

 

Cramer: Shares of Abercrombie & Fitch surged nearly 20% after the retailer beat on quarterly earnings and revenue…Kohl’s shares skyrocketed more than 25% after the department store reported a quarterly profit when estimates called for a loss. 

 

Shoppers curtail Black Friday plans to stretch spending: ‘They are using every tool that they can,’ expert says at CNBC. “Consumers plan to spend an average of $622 between Nov. 27 and Dec. 1, down 4% from last year, according to a new Deloitte survey released Monday. The overall belt-tightening was largely due to a higher cost of living and financial constraints, Deloitte found.” Read more

 

Amazon to invest up to $50B to build AI infrastructure for US government agencies at Fox Business

 

American Eagle’s Holiday Plot Twist? Martha Stewart in Denim at Adweek. “…American Eagle is branching out beyond its typical Gen Z target to the older generations who shop for them, (CMO) Craig Brommers told ADWEEK. While Stewart has cross-generational appeal, her name and image awareness among Gen Z grew by 33% between 2020 and 2024 and is now on par with Millennials…” Read more

 

Walmart Leadership to Participate in Upcoming Investor Events Press release

 

Inside Atlanta’s First Government-Funded Supermarket at WSJ. “The second store, going up in a section of Southwest Atlanta where roughly a quarter of residents live below the poverty line, could be more of a challenge. There, on the edge of a rundown strip center, the city is leasing space where a previous grocer went out of business…” WSJ subs.

WM +4.5% | Sam’s +3.8% | WM Eyes Counterfeit Startup

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Walmart Q3 comp sales +4.5% (ex-fuel) / Op Income -0.2% / Sam’s Club comp +3.8% (ex-fuel) / Walmart Int’l net sales +11.4% / Walmart US ecom +28% Press release

 

…Walmart to Transfer Stock Exchange Listing to Nasdaq Press release

 

Walmart in talks to acquire Israeli-founded startup to combat scams, counterfeits at CNBC. “R&A Data has been working with Walmart as a third-party vendor since at least 2024, helping the company screen listings on its online marketplace for compliance issues, such as counterfeiting, according to the people and records. After working with the tech startup, Walmart decided to acquire it, CNBC learned.” Read more

 

Williams-Sonoma CEO says next quarter will see a bigger tariff impact at CNBC. “In terms of where the tariffs are going, I think we’ll get stability at the end of the year, I hope, and more predictability, and I don’t imagine them going up. That is my best guess,” Alber told Cramer. “But they are going to affect us more in Q4 than they did in Q3 because a bigger percentage of our inventory is now tariffed as the cost rolls through the balance sheet.” Read more

 

…Williams-Sonoma Inc. Q3 comp sales +4.0% Press release

 

Holiday Hiring Slows, Frustrating Job Seekers at NY Times. “Taylor Gusman has been searching for a full-time job since graduating from Saint Mary’s College of California two years ago. With a bachelor’s degree in communications, and a marketing internship under her belt, she hoped a seasonal job in her field this holiday season might help her transition into full-time work, but she has applied to more than 30 positions without hearing back from most.” NY Times

 

Love’s names TRG as strategic creative and media agency of record Press release

 

Luxury Goods Market to Return to Growth in 2026, Bain Predicts at Bloomberg. “Sales of high-end goods, including jewelry, leather handbags, shoes and ready-to-wear fashions, will probably grow between 3% and 5% next year at constant exchange rates, Bain & Co. estimates in its outlook on the state of luxury demand. Bain currently expects the market will remain roughly flat this year…” Bloomberg subs. 

 

Here Are the 2025 CMA Awards Winners: Full List Billboard

 

Target Q3 comp sales -2.7% / Digital comp sales +2.4% Press release

 

TJX Q3 comp sales +5.0% Press release

 

Target to launch app in ChatGPT “Launching next week in beta, Target will offer a complete shopping experience through its app in ChatGPT, with the ability to purchase multiple items in a single transaction, shop fresh food products, and select drive up, pick up or shipping fulfillment options.” Press release

 

Lowe’s Q3 comp sales +0.4% / Online +11.4% Press release

 

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H.Depot +0.2% | Target Layoff Glitch | HBR Substitution Study

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Home Depot Q3 comp sales +0.2% / US comp sales +0.1% Press release

 

…Home Depot cuts earnings outlook as home improvement demand falls short of expectations at CNBC. “The retailer said it now expects full-year sales will climb about 3% and comparable sales…to be slightly positive. That compares to its previous expectations for full-year sales to grow by 2.8% and comparable sales to increase by 1%.” Read more

 

Layoff Tactics Keep Changing, and the Blunders Keep Coming at WSJ. “During Target’s recent layoffs, some employees logged on to a Zoom call—only to discover an audio glitch in the first few minutes that prevented them from hearing parts of the conversation. The company later emailed workers to apologize for the snafu—and to reiterate that they had been laid off—according to a copy of the note viewed by The Wall Street Journal. A Target spokesman acknowledged the audio issue but said the email after the call was always planned. He added that the Zoom glitch didn’t prevent those in the meeting from hearing the information before the call ended.” WSJ subs.

 

Amazon Raises $15 Billion in First US Bond Sale in Three Years to Fund AI at Bloomberg/Yahoo

 

Improving Substitutions in Online Ordering at Harvard Business Review. “…it’s clear that substitution is no longer a minor irritation…As one VP of e-commerce put it: “Substitutions are killing our margins. They’re right up there with returns and delivery fees.”…Retailers that offer more expensive replacements without extra charges lose additional profit margin. According to our survey, retailers incur on average $2.66 in labor cost and lost margin for every $1 in recovered profit margin. In aggregate, these hidden substitution costs account for nearly 2% of their annual online sales…” Read more

 

The Hidden Risk When Retailers Ask for a Five-Star Review at WSJ. “In a recent study, researchers found that customers can get turned off if a business specifically asks for a positive review online. They may think the business is trying to manipulate them, and will be less likely to buy from it or recommend it in the future.” WSJ subs.

 

**A message from Comfy Sacks: Kids and adults love our foam-filled, soft, long-lasting bean bag chairs. Genius design + comfort. Made in USA. Unconditional 5-year warranty. Website | Program details: info@eyeonretail.net

 

The U.S. Postal Service has announced shipping price increases for January 2026 at USA Today

 

Ford to start selling certified used cars on Amazon at CBS. “…allows customers to browse local dealers’ pre-owned Ford vehicle selections on Amazon Autos, and complete most paperwork online. Shoppers can then schedule a time to pick up their auto in person. The program will debut in Los Angeles, Seattle and Dallas and add other locations over time…” Read more

 

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said Monday that new dietary guidelines are expected to be released next month that will end the “war on saturated fats.” The Hill

 

The ‘Rolls-Royce Of Turkey’ Is Coming To America at Forbes. “Paul Kelly’s family farm in England has been selling $500 heirloom turkeys for two generations…Kelly, 62, is now the owner of the only USDA-approved turkey plant in the U.S. that dry-plucks and hangs its birds, which many believe creates crispier skin and better flavor. Since purchasing 130 acres in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains in Crozet, Virginia a decade ago, Kelly has opened America’s first newly built turkey hatchery in years.” Read more

 

Toys ‘R’ Us Canada closes at least 38 stores this year, puts another 12 up for sale. Only 40 remain open. Financial Post

 

Cutting Ties With China Is Harder Than Companies Expected at Bloomberg. “Vietnam has 53 million workers (out of a population of 100 million), less than a tenth the size of China’s workforce, so the country simply can’t accommodate all the companies quitting its northern neighbor. And China has about 10,000 toy manufacturers, versus roughly 100 factories in Vietnam skilled enough to produce for export, according to supply chain adviser CEL Consulting. This lack of scale means less competition to bring down prices, crucial for toys, where margins typically stand in the single digits.” Bloomberg subs.

 

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Target’s Smile Policy | “We Ain’t Buying It” | How Ulta Conquered

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Target’s new 10-4 policy at USA Today. “The new policy requires employees who are within 10 feet of customers to smile, make eye contact, wave, and use friendly, approachable, and welcoming body language…” Read more

 

The Credit-Card Rule That Powers Rewards Cards Just Got Broken at WSJ. “Under terms being discussed, Visa and Mastercard would lower credit-card interchange fees, which are often between 2% and 2.5%, by an average of around 0.1 percentage point over several years, the people said. They would also loosen rules that require merchants that accept one of a network’s credit cards to accept all of them. A deal could be announced soon, the people said, and would require court approval to take effect.” WSJ subs.

 

…NRF’s General Counsel not happy at CNBC. “‘You can’t just suddenly tell more than 80% of your card customers you’re not going to take their cards,” Stephanie Martz, the NRF’s general counsel, said in an interview. “You would lose a lot of business.” Read more

 

How Beauty Behemoth Ulta Conquered the American Strip Mall at Bloomberg. “If department-store beauty counters are glass-cased, heavily staffed altars to particular brands, and Sephora feels like a candy store packed with ways to extract $40 from you without you really noticing, Ulta is more like the Home Depot of beauty, filled with every possible paint, tool, spackle and fixture imaginable.” Bloomberg subs.

 

Levi’s to sell $300 jeans in more stores to tap growing demand for premium denim at Reuters. “Launched in Asia earlier this year, and in around two dozen stores in Europe and the U.S. since September, the Blue Tab range of higher quality jeans and shirts is part of an ongoing push to broaden the Levi’s brand and attract more women.” Reuters subs.

 

What America’s Longest-Tenured Employees Say About Work—Then and Now at WSJ. “Jacqueline Graf at Target…Age: 80…Cash registers punched holes into paper tape to record sales; the tape would then be sent to headquarters each day and fed into a computer to analyze sales…At the time, Target stores still had wig departments and a restaurant that served three meals a day.” WSJ subs.

 

China’s ‘Singles’ Day’ shopping festival a gauge of Beijing’s effort to get consumers to spend more at AP. “A lot of people have been complaining that the discounts (this year) are not very strong,” said Yaling Jiang, an independent Chinese consumer analyst, adding that she observed a stronger sense of “consumer fatigue.” Read more

 

Target is lowering prices on 3,000 food, beverage and essential items Press release

 

Anti-Trump groups urge holiday boycott of Amazon, Home Depot, Target over DEI backtrack at USA Today. “The “We Ain’t Buying It” nationwide economic pressure campaign is launching ahead of the holiday season “to demonstrate to corporations that there are consequences for not standing up loudly for freedom and core democratic principles of fairness, justice and liberty,” Black Voters Matter, Indivisible and Until Freedom said in a statement.” Read more

 

Rising Pirate Attacks Off Somalia Endanger Key Trade Route at Bloomberg. “Instability in Yemen and the Horn of Africa is fueling a resurgence in maritime piracy off Somalia…At least three recorded incidents have taken place off the Horn of Africa nation this month alone.” Bloomberg subs.

 

Building Homes for Heroes, Lowe’s, and Town of Mooresville to Break Ground on First-Of-Its-Kind Veterans Community Press release

 

Italian Pasta Is Poised to Disappear From American Grocery Shelves at WSJ. “Trump administration is set to impose duties of 107% on Italian pasta imports…The Commerce Department acted after a long-running probe into pricing practices for the product…” WSJ subs.

Target’s Sloppy Stores | Inflation Friday | Meta: 10% of Ads Scammy

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Target’s sloppy stores are wearing on shoppers, and its turnaround could hinge on cleaning them up at CNBC. “The company is now rolling out a new approach that designates only some of its stores as locations where employees pick and pack orders in cardboard boxes to ship to customers’ homes. Other stores have stopped fulfilling those orders entirely. The company has expanded that plan to 36 markets as of the end of October, more than half of its 60 markets, after a successful pilot in the Chicago area, said Gretchen McCarthy, chief supply chain and logistics officer. It plans to expand that further in 2026.” Read more

 

Shein Eyes $2 Billion Profit in 2025 Despite US Tariff Headwinds at Bloomberg. “…(Shein) is also forecasting mid-teen percentage growth in sales, according to people familiar with the matter…it appears that the company’s price hikes have passed the tariff burden to shoppers, protecting its bottom line.” Bloomberg subs.

 

Wayfair Tests Smaller Format Store in Columbus, Ohio Press release

 

Inflation is so bad Americans are counting on Black Friday just to afford groceries and everyday essentials at Fortune/AOL. “…one in four consumers say they plan to use Black Friday only for everyday essentials…consumers don’t really trust most Black Friday discounts are authentic…84% of shoppers believe retailers inflate prices ahead of the sales to exaggerate discounts.” Read more

 

Canada Goose Q2 total revenue +1.8% Press release

 

Shipping giant Maersk raises outlook, CEO says global trade proving more resilient than feared at CNBC. “Maersk said it expects global container market volumes to grow by around 4% in 2025, up from its prior forecast of between 2% to 4%. (CEO) Clerc said it appears as though talk about the death of globalization has been “quite premature.” Read more

 

**A message from Comfy Sacks: Kids and adults love our foam-filled, soft, long-lasting bean bag chairs. Genius design + comfort. Made in USA. Unconditional 5-year warranty. Website | Program details: info@eyeonretail.net

 

REI names T-Mobile’s Tara Darrow communications head at PR Week. “Before joining T-Mobile in 2017, Darrow worked at Nordstrom for over seven years…putting her crisis expertise to work dealing with the Trump administration after the chain removed Ivanka Trump’s clothing line.” Read more

 

Warby Parker Q3 net revenue +15.2% Press release

 

Amazon sends legal threats to Perplexity over agentic browsing at TechCrunch. “Amazon has told Perplexity to get its agentic browser out of its online store…After warning Perplexity multiple times that Comet, its AI-powered shopping assistant, was violating Amazon’s terms of service by not identifying itself as an agent, the e-commerce giant sent the AI search engine startup a sternly worded cease-and-desist letter…” Read more

 

Meta is earning a fortune on a deluge of fraudulent ads, documents show at Reuters. “Meta projected 10% of its 2024 revenue would come from ads for scams and banned goods, documents seen by Reuters show. And the social media giant internally estimates that its platforms show users 15 billion scam ads a day.” Reuters subs.

 

Dick’s teams with Paige Bueckers, Bryson DeChambeau, CeeDee Lamb & Draymond Green in Holiday spots Press release

 

J.D. Power 2025 U.S. Mattress Satisfaction Study Press release

 

Amazon Inks iHeartMedia Deal for Programmatic Ads, Expanding Push Into Audio at Variety. “The expanded partnership with iHeartMedia comes after Amazon landed a similar pact with Spotify covering programmatic ad inventory. Amazon DSP also provides access to inventory in Amazon Music.” Read more

 

Tapestry, Inc. Q1 revenue +13% / Coach +22% / Kate Spade -8% Press release

 

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Kroger/Instacart AI Test | McMillon @ HBR | France Shein Threats

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Instacart Debuts White-Label AI Shopping Chatbot in Enterprise Push at Bloomberg. “The company said Tuesday that its AI shopping assistant will be offered as part of its white-label e-commerce service, which powers the online shopping sites for some grocery chains like Sprouts Farmers Market Inc. and Publix Super Markets Inc. The chatbot will be tested on Sprouts’ website and app over the coming months, Instacart said in a statement on Tuesday. It will also be available on Kroger Co.’s iPhone app, it said.” Bloomberg subs.

 

Sex Dolls, Boycotts, Protests: Furor in France as Shein Opens Paris Store at WSJ. “The escalation comes ahead of the planned opening Wednesday in BHV Marais, an iconic yet struggling Parisian department store…Dozens of brands pulled their items from the department store’s shelves, while employees have protested outside the building’s entrance. The state-owned Bank of Territories pulled out of talks with Société des Grands Magasins, owner of BHV Marais, to buy the building.” WSJ subs. / AP

 

Walmart boss warns of AI shake-up at HBR event Daily Mail. “Speaking at a Harvard Business Review event Monday, McMillon said the company was going on ‘the offense’ with AI…’Every job we’ve got is going to change in some way – whether it’s getting the shopping carts off the parking lot, or the way our technologists work, or certainly the way leadership roles change,’ McMillon said.” Read more

 

USDA tells grocery stores: No special discounts for SNAP recipients at The Hill. “National Grocers Association (NGA) Vice President David Cutler confirmed to The Hill Monday that the email was sent to grocers…notice states that unless a store has a waiver allowing it to bypass the program’s equal treatment requirement, “offering discounts or services only to SNAP paying customers is a SNAP violation.” Read more

 

The Amazonification of Whole Foods Is Finally Here at WSJ. “A new feature lurks in the backroom of a Whole Foods Market in suburban Philadelphia: the ShopBots, a group of robots that fetch Tide Pods and Pepsi for shoppers who aren’t fully satisfied by Whole Foods’s selection of organic kale and craft beer…In a separate trial in Chicago…Amazon has cleared the coffee shop and seating area of the city’s flagship Whole Foods, installing in its place a 3,800-square-foot grocery kiosk called Amazon Grocery filled with brands like Kraft Mac & Cheese and Chips Ahoy.” WSJ subs.

 

Publix Q3 comp sales +3.4% Press release

 

Nintendo reports zooming sales and profit on its hit Switch 2 machine at AP. “Nintendo’s net profit jumped 85% in April-September from the year before, as its sales more than doubled following the launch of its hit Switch 2 console in June…” Read more

 

Amazon’s new subsea internet cable Fastnet will connect Maryland’s Eastern Shore with County Cork, Ireland at CNBC. “Without subsea you’d have to rely on satellite connectivity which can work,” (Rehder) said. “But satellite has higher latency, higher costs and you just can’t get enough capacity or throughput to what our customers and the internet in general needs.” Read more

 

Kroger asks customers for exact change during penny shortage at Cincy Enquirer/USA Today

 

Prepared pasta sold at major grocers tied to 6 deaths, over 2 dozen illnesses at Fox Business. “As of Oct. 30, 27 people across 18 states have been infected with listeriosis, with 25 going to the hospital. Six people have died, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)…” Read more

 

Target employees say messy layoffs are latest signal of culture shift Minneapolis Star Tribune subs.