“Former Walgreen CFO sues company for defamation over forecast error” at Chicago Tribune. “Former Walgreen Co. Chief Financial Officer Wade Miquelon sued the drugstore operator on Thursday, alleging company executives defamed him in news reports that blamed him for errors in its earnings forecast. Miquelon sued Walgreen in a state court in Chicago claiming that Chief Executive Officer Gregory Wasson and director Stefano Pessina, the company’s biggest shareholder, had made “false and disparaging” comments about him in a report by the Wall Street Journal, court documents showed.” Read more

 

“Traffic Stop Near Houston May be Break in Home Depot Data Breach Case” at ABC 13 News. “During a search of their vehicles, police found criminal devices that, after a preliminary investigation, were determined to be related to the Home Depot data breach…The Patton Village police chief said he can’t give out any more information but is planning on a press conference later next week.” See the video / Read more

 

“I Tried It: Kroger’s online ordering and pickup service” by Steve Watkins at Cincinnati Bus. Courier. “The service costs $4.95 per order, although it’s waived for first-time users. “As it is now, I don’t think it would be worth the time and energy to use it,” Robin said after we completed the process. “I wouldn’t pay to use it. I could see some benefits if you were in a hurry and knew exactly what you wanted, but I like to browse in the store and see my options, and sometimes I don’t know what I want.” Read more

 

“eBay’s Same-Day Delivery Experiment Is Essentially Dead” by Jason Del Rey at Recode. “On yesterday’s earnings call with analysts, eBay’s CEO John Donahoe was asked for an update on the eBay Now service, which lets shoppers order goods from local big-box stores via an app and get the goods delivered to them that very day. “There is an enormous amount of money that’s going to be spent in same-day delivery, and I don’t think that’s going to be — that’s not essential to our core, target consumer,” Donahoe said.” Read more

 

“AmazonFresh makes East Coast debut in Brooklyn Friday” by Jay Greene at Seattle Times. “The New York version of Fresh will be available initially in Park Slope, a well-to-do, family-friendly neighborhood. The company said it plans to expand to other Brooklyn neighborhoods “soon.” Read more

 

Fox Business: “Christmas Comes Early for Hunting Retailers” by Matthew Rocco. “Current food trends may be contributing to the increase. Curcuruto noted how the popularity of organic and natural foods is driving a wider group of people to the woods. After all, free-range meat is sold at a premium in grocery stores.” Read more

 

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“America’s Ebola Preppers Go Shopping for Clorox” by Claire Suddath at Businessweek. “According to both the CDC and the Association for Professionals in Infection Control & Epidemiology, only hospital-grade, EPA-approved cleaners should be used on areas contaminated with Ebola. Surprisingly, that includes some household products made from companies such as Lysol and Clorox. Lysol has updated its website with a flashy graphic and easy-to-find information about its products’ effectiveness against Ebola.” Read more

 

….Clorox Sales Jump 28% in Last  Four Weeks by Jack Neff at Ad Age. “Hand sanitizer sales were up nearly 8% for the four weeks ended Sept. 7, according to retail data from IRI, a reversal from a 2% decline for the 52 weeks ending then and better than the declines or low-single-digit increases seen for other types of soap.” Read more

 

“Amazon.ca sells four times as much as its biggest online rivals in Canada” by Hollie Shaw at Financial Post. “The report from BMO Capital Markets estimates the Seattle-based online shopping giant captures up to 7% of Canada’s $21.6-billion in e-commerce sales, a vastly bigger market share than other retailers who sell online, and more than four times larger than the next-in-line players, Costco.ca (1.6%) and Walmart.ca (1.5%).” Read more

 

Washington Post: “Why the poor pay $4,150 for a $1,500 sofa” by Chico Harlan. “She couldn’t buy via a layaway plan; Wal-Mart offers that option only during the holiday season. Perhaps she could have saved up the money on her own, but whenever she has tried to do so, her stash has been wiped out to handle daily needs. “Rent-to-own was basically all we could do,” Abbott, 33, said.” Read more

 

“Dollar General Coughs Up $4M To End Background Check Suit” by Aebra Coe at Law 360. “Discount retail chain Dollar General has agreed to pay $4 million to settle a proposed class action claiming it didn’t properly notify more than 200,000 job applicants they would be screened by background checks, a Virginia federal court filing revealed Wednesday.” Read more (Subscription)

 

HuffPo: “Walmart Yanks Ammo From Shelves Of Stores Near Ferguson” by Alexander C. Kaufman. “If there is a history of violence and looting and other activity that are going on or things that are putting associates and customers at risk — then yes, decisions can be made based on those circumstances,” Walmart spokesman Brian Nick told KMOV.” Read more

 

“Family Dollar CEO Howard Levine eligible for $6.4M in compensation this fiscal year” by Jennifer Thomas at Charlotte Bus. Journal. “The plan includes provisions tied to termination or change in control of the company — which would be significant as Family Dollar is slated to be acquired by Dollar Tree Inc. in a transaction valued at $8.5 billion.” Read more

 

NY Times: “Walmart Workers Demand $15 Wage in Several Protests” by Hiroko Tabuchi & Steven Greenhouse. “On Thursday, organizers of a group called Our Walmart took to the streets in New York, Washington and Phoenix to draw attention to their campaign to change labor practices in retailing and other low-wage industries like fast-food restaurants.” Read more

 

“Whole Foods CEO to Baltimore crowd: Big business doesn’t have to be hated” by Sarah Meehan at Baltimore Bus. Journal. “Business is hated,” he said during a lecture at Loyola University of Maryland on Wednesday evening. But, he added, it doesn’t have to be that way.” Read more

 

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