“Get Ready for Christmas Creep:  Walmart Starts Highlighting Hot Holiday Gifts” by Ashley Rodriguez at Ad Age.  “Walmart held an event for more than 100 long-lead magazine and gift guide editors on Wednesday to showcase what it expects to be top sellers this holiday season…In the past, Walmart pitched media outlets to make it in to their holiday gift guides, which usually close in July. This year, the retailer stepped up its game by gathering the media for a private event…it’s still holding its Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals close to the vest. “We have to keep some secrets,” said Jaeme Laczkowski, director of media relations.”  Read more

 

“What’s better for grocery delivery: Google, Instacart or Postmates?” by Joseph Pisani at AP via San Jose Mercury News.  “Google Shopping Express: The biggest downside is that the company doesn’t deliver meats, fish, fruits and other perishable groceries yet, even though it delivers from stores that sell them, including Target, Fairway and Costco. (You need to have a membership to order from Costco.)…Instacart: You can order from Costco even if you don’t have a membership for the warehouse club.”  Read more

 

“Wal-Mart not concerned about cannibalization with small-store expansion” by Kim Souza at The City Wire.  “How close is too close for Wal-Mart to put a Neighborhood Market to its cash cow supercenters? The retail giant said Thursday (June 19) that one to two miles outside a supercenter is the minimal distance guideline for placing Neighborhood Markets.”  Read more

 

“Jeff Bauman returns to work at Costco a year after losing both legs in Boston bombings” by Lydia Warren at Daily Mail.  “In a post on his Facebook page, the 28-year-old is pictured wearing a name tag and smiling alongside two colleagues as he stands behind a cash register while lightly holding his crutches. A caption on the photo, which was posted on Wednesday evening, reads: ‘Jeffrey back at work today! W/Mike & Maya @#Costco!’ ”  See the pics / Read more

 

***A message from Orchard Road Canning Co. – Energize Home Canning Sales with Millennials and Young Canners.  The home canning category continues to grow, but where will the next growth spurt come from?  Young female canners are the future of the category and there is untapped potential within this segment.  Orchard Road targets young females with a simple and elegant glass jar design and unique package graphics that feature authentic food-filled jars.  See the package design. See the sell sheet.  www.orchardroadcanning.com.  Contact info@shiftmarketinggroup.net for more information.

 

“Dinner meeting gone sour:  Carl Icahn calls for immediate sale of Family Dollar” by Jen Wilson at Charlotte Bus. Journal.  “Referencing a dinner discussion with Levine on Wednesday, Icahn noted “a strong difference of opinion as to the future of our company” and said that “it is imperative that Family Dollar be put up for sale immediately.”  Read more

 

“Family Dollar’s Carefully Worded Response”  “Members of Family Dollar’s Board and management team recently met with Mr. Icahn, and, as we expressed in the meeting, we are always open to constructively communicating with our shareholders with the shared goal of enhancing value.”  Read the release

 

“Here’s the story behind Kroger’s big Q1 earnings gain” by Steve Watkins at Cincinnati Bus. Courier.  “The company expects 12 percent to 15 percent profit growth this year, and same-store sales should rise 3 percent to 4 percent. That’s up from its prior guidance of 2.5 percent to 3.5 percent.”  Read more

 

“Man Pinched By Scorpion In Box Of Bananas At Pittsburgh-Area Wal-Mart” by Christine D’antonio at KDKA 2 CBS. “I yanked my arm out and flung it, and this scorpion flopped to the ground,” he said. “I was standing there in disbelief looking and there was another shopper there and people started to converge, and sure enough it was a scorpion.”…The man says Wal-Mart did offer to pay for his medical bills.”  See the video / See the critter / Read more

 

“Pier 1 posts a 26% drop in profits”, comp sales +6.3%” by Maria Halkias at Dallas News.  “Store sales and profits were “disappointingly soft” and the company discounted more than anticipated, CEO Alex Smith said….It’s not clear whether this is a “sea change of customer behavior or a temporary phenomenon,” he said.”  Read more

 

“Top Five Things Heard in Walmart Management Presentation at Jefferies Global Consumer Conference” at Seeking Alpha.

* Previously we had a number of algorithmic exercises we were asking our associates to go through in order to make sure we have the right product in the right place. We just quite honestly, we got down to the basics and basically went back to simplifying it.

* Walmart2Walmart money transfer program:  We’ve only been out now for about a month and a half and we’ve been able to drive about $7 million worth of savings to those customers already, so as we call it, it’s saving money on money.

* What’s really important here is that Savings Catcher is really an opportunity for us to build a deeper level of trust with our customers

* How close small format stores should be to Supercenters:  “What we’ve determined is that it’s important to be outside of that one to two miles of a Supercenter.”

* Drive – Grocery Pickup:  Within this depot it will have access to about 10,000 items. Many of those items are driving the majority of the volume in the neighborhood market…but also it includes anything in our overall the counter market also. The beautiful thing about this is it’s the same everyday low pricing.

Read the full transcript

 

***

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