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.

 

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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

 

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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.

Target +Alpine Villages | Old Navy +Beauty | Boot Barn 1200?

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Target: Early Black Friday & Alpine Villages “…each of Target’s…stores will transform into nostalgic Alpine Villages filled with festive décor…(and) will have weekend events in each store throughout the season…Target’s three-day Early Black Friday Sale is back Nov. 6-8.” Press release

 

Advance Auto Parts Q3 comp sales +3.0% Press release

 

How a lapse in SNAP benefits could affect consumers and retailers at CNBC. “On average, a SNAP beneficiary spends $832 per month on groceries, 20% more than a non-SNAP shopper…Hanus estimates a high-single digit percent of Walmart’s sales are related to SNAP, while Dollar General and Dollar Tree are in the mid-single digits.” Read more

 

Sprouts Farmers Market Q3 comp sales +5.9% Press release

 

Gap Bets on New ‘Vibe’ and ‘Thrill’ Fragrances to Lure Gen Z at Bloomberg. “Gap Inc. is making its biggest foray into the beauty category in years with the launch of Old Navy Beauty Co. in some stores this week. The line, which includes hair and body mists, has brightly colored packaging with zeitgeisty names such as Vibe and Thrill and scents called juicy pear and seductive vanilla. They were created with Robertet, the French fragrance company also behind Sol de Janeiro — one of the hottest brands in beauty.” Bloomberg subs.

 

Boot Barn Q2 comp sales +8.4% / Store count potential increased to 1,200 stores “CEO: We now also believe we can operate 1,200 stores across the United States, an increase from our prior estimate of 900, which is more than double our current footprint.” Press release

 

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eBay, Inc. Q3 revenue +9.0%  Press release

 

Xi agreed to buy 25 million metric tons of soybeans annually for next 3 years, Bessent says at AP. “…will start by purchasing 12 million metric tons of soybeans from the U.S. between now and January.” Read more

 

Etsy, Inc. Q3 revenue +6.1% Press release

 

Only 12% of U.S. adults favor the current system of daylight saving time at AP

 

A Dollar General store boarded up its windows and doors, citing fears of looting if SNAP benefits end (but then backtracked) at The Columbus Dispatch. “In times of need, Columbus doesn’t put up walls — or boards — we rally to support one another,” said Mayor Andrew Ginther…” Read more

 

CVS Q3 total revenue +7.8% Press release

 

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Amazon -14K | Wayfair +8.1% | Mag Mile Fight

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Amazon laying off about 14,000 corporate workers as it invests more in AI at CNBC. “This generation of AI is the most transformative technology we’ve seen since the Internet, and it’s enabling companies to innovate much faster than ever before (in existing market segments and altogether new ones),” Beth Galetti, SVP of people experience and technology at Amazon, wrote. “We’re convinced that we need to be organized more leanly, with fewer layers and more ownership, to move as quickly as possible for our customers and businesses.” Read more

 

Wayfair Q3 total net revenue +8.1% Press release

 

PayPal to launch digital payments feature inside ChatGPT at Quartz/Yahoo

 

The Fight to Restore Chicago’s Magnificent Mile to Its Glory Days at WSJ. “The area is still a far cry from its peak period about 15 years ago, when the vacancy rate was 7%. The rate today is about 25%…But it is finally moving in the right direction, down slightly from 2023 when the number of empty storefronts peaked at 26%…Lower rents have also helped. Prices have fallen about 24% on Michigan Avenue since 2019…” WSJ subs.

 

Children’s clothing company Carter’s to close 150 stores Press release

 

Yes, weirdly hot Santa is back at Target at USA Today. “According to Target’s news release, last year, more than 70 million people viewed a previous video on TikTok of #TargetSanta inside a store. Shortly after, his fanbase dubbed him “Hot Santa.” Read more

 

Bed Bath & Beyond Inc. Q3 net loss narrowed to $4.5 million, a 93% improvement YoY Press release

 

Walmart’s Whoville-Inspired Ads Tackle Holiday Chaos With Cheer at Adweek. “In the ads, the retailer positions itself as a stress reliever, as Mindy Lou Who, the Grinch, and other Whos find the perfect gifts on Walmart’s app…The campaign includes 50 “WhoKnewVille” executions…developed by Publicis Groupe agencies including Fallon, Leo NY, the Community, Contender, and Digitas.” Read more/Video

 

…Walmart Announces 2025 Black Friday Deals Events Press release

 

What it’s like to wear Amazon’s new smart glasses for delivery drivers at GeekWire. “The best thing about them is being hands-free,” Pangan said…Without needing to look down at a handheld device, he can keep his eyes up and stay alert for potential hazards…In initial tests, Amazon has seen up to 30 minutes of time savings per shift.” Read more

 

Texas attorney general sues Tylenol company over autism claims at The Texas Tribune/Yahoo

 

Macy’s Employs Warehouse Robots to Speed Up Deliveries at WSJ. “At the $640 million, 2.5 million-square-foot building in China Grove, N.C., near Charlotte, robots pick clothes, shoes, cosmetics and home goods for online orders and to restock stores…Sean Barbour, the company’s senior vice president of supply chain, said the building fulfills orders in less than a day on average, compared with about a day and a half to two days previously.” WSJ subs.

 

Former Bud Walton homesite to become botanical garden at Talk Business

 

DoorDash offers emergency response to SNAP crisis at The Hill. “With food assistance benefits set to run out starting Saturday, DoorDash…said it would waive merchant fees for food banks, food pantries and community organizations with whom it partners…” Read more

 

Office equipment from former Zulily HQ in Seattle donated to Goodwill at GeekWire

 

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T.Supply +3.9% | Dick’s Kills Dick’s | UK Shoplift +13%

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Tractor Supply Q3 comp store sales +3.9%  “Net Sales Increased 7.2%…Comparable Average Transaction Growth of 2.7%…Gross profit increased 7.7%” Press release

 

As many retailers shrink their footprints, Dick’s Sporting Goods goes big at CNBC. “The retailer is building more sprawling “House of Sport” stores, which typically come in at 120,000 to 150,000 square feet, more than double the 50,000 for its traditional locations…“We needed to build the concept that will kill Dick’s Sporting Goods,” Edward Stack…told CNBC in an exclusive interview…” Read more/9:19 video

 

Time: The Best Inventions of 2025 Full list

 

Amazon introduces ‘Blue Jay’ warehouse robot that performs multiple tasks at once at CNBC. “Blue Jay combines “what used to be three separate robotic stations into one streamlined workplace that can pick, sort, and consolidate in a single place”…Amazon is testing Blue Jay at one of its warehouses in South Carolina. So far, the company has observed that the system is able to pick, pack, stow and consolidate “approximately 75% of items we store at our sites.” Read more

 

Walmart CFO set to join Microsoft board at GeekWire

 

Shoplifting Offenses Rise 13% as UK Retailers Battle Crime Wave Bloomberg subs.

 

An armed gang of shoplifters is terrorizing NYC supermarkets at NY Post. “Every time they come in, they are stealing about $800 worth of Dominican salamis,” Efrain Castro, who owns a Fine Fare in Upper Manhattan, told The Post…They say it’s pointless to call the authorities when the same offenders get freed after repeatedly being charged with low-level offenses – if at all.” Read more

 

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Walmart pauses job offers to workers needing H-1B visas after Trump’s $100,000 fee at USA Today

 

Alibaba prices AI glasses at $660 to rival Meta and launches ChatGPT challenger at CNBC. “The glasses and chatbot product highlight an increasing area of focus for Alibaba — AI that is aimed at consumers.” Read more

 

Walmart promotes execs to top financial roles at Talk Business. “Dwayne Milum, 50, was appointed senior vice president and controller of Walmart Inc….He succeeds David Chojnowski, who will be senior vice president and treasurer.” Read more

 

Amazon unveils AI smart glasses for its delivery drivers at TechCrunch. “When a driver parks at a delivery location, Amazon says the glasses automatically activate. The glasses help the driver locate the package inside the vehicle and then navigate to the delivery address.” Read more

 

Smart beds flipped out during the AWS outage, and so did their sleepy owners at Washington Post/MSN. “As the outage caused cloud servers to fail, people reported being awoken in discomfort by beds that locked in an upright incline, became unbearably warm, blinked flashing lights or even sounded a wake-up alarm.” Read more

 

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NY Times Hits Amazon | Bible Sales +36% | Trading Cards +103%

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Inside Amazon’s Plans to Replace Workers With Robots at NY Times. “…interviews and a cache of internal strategy documents viewed by The New York Times reveal that Amazon executives believe the company is on the cusp of its next big workplace shift: replacing more than half a million jobs with robots.” NY Times subs.

 

ChatGPT Should Make Retailers Nervous at WSJ. “…easy comparisons and direct checkout could hurt retailers’ customer loyalty and take away add-on sale opportunities. It could also dent retailers’ important ad revenue. Of the roughly $59 billion that companies are expected to spend on U.S. retailers’ ad business this year, more than 60% is tied to search placements on those retailers’ sites and apps, according to a report from Emarketer. “If discovery moves upstream to universal AI assistants, ad budgets could follow,” according to the firm’s report.” WSJ subs.

 

…Walmart’s deal with ChatGPT should worry every ecommerce small business at Fortune. “In electronics alone, buyers ask 50% more questions before purchasing than in any other category. When retailers deploy AI shopping agents for these complex products, they’re seeing 25% engagement rates and conversion lifts 10 times higher than traditional website experiences…Your website will still exist a decade from now. But it won’t be the only transaction engine. It will be your brand showcase, your content hub, your trust-building destination.” Fortune subs.

 

Smucker vs. Trader Joe’s, Lululemon vs. Costco: Fight Over Brands Goes to Court at WSJ. “We’ve had generations, baby boomers and older, who really looked at private brands as a second-rate item,” said grocery consultant Phil Lempert. “It doesn’t have a stigma with Gen Z or millennials at all.” WSJ subs.

 

Bible sales surged 36% in September, compared with a year earlier at Fox News

 

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REI communications leader Halley Knigge exits company PR Week subs.

 

Walmart’s Annual Thanksgiving Meal Returns — Serving 10 people for Less than $4.00 Per Person Press release

 

Pokémon, sports trading card boom boosts Target, Walmart ahead of holiday season at CNBC. “Strategic trading card sales — which exclude sports — are up 103% year-to-date through August, while non-strategic card sales, which tend to be collectible pop culture or sports cards, are up 48%, according to market research firm Circana. Target’s trading card sales are up nearly 70% year-to-date, with annual revenue from the category expected to top $1 billion.” Read more

 

CardVault by Tom Brady to Open in Dallas at American Airlines Center Press release

 

The Vitamin Shoppe names Kate Vukelich as EVP & Chief People Officer “She most recently served as Chief Revenue and Chief People Officer at Everlane…Prior to Everlane, Ms. Vukelich spent 12 years at Walmart…” Press release

 

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