Walmart, other US retailers import fewer Christmas goods ahead of tepid holiday season at Reuters. “Walmart…has slashed Christmas imports deeply, shipping at least 340,000 kilos of products described as “Christmas” goods into the U.S. in the 12 months ending Sept. 30…The retailer shipped in almost three times more product, at least 980,000 kilos, in the prior 12 months through Sept. 30, 2023, the import data shows. In the same 12 months of 2022, Walmart imported more than 1.9 million kilos…” Reuters subs.

 

Key ports on Canada’s West Coast, including its largest container port in Vancouver and the Port of Prince Rupert, were shut down by a labor strike on Monday at CNBC. “Approximately 20% of U.S. trade arrives in the Canadian ports of Vancouver and Prince Rupert…would have the most significant impact on imported goods destined for markets in the western U.S., according to Jena Santoro, senior manager of intelligence solutions at Everstream Analytics.” Read more

 

Publix Q3 comp sales +3.4% Press release

 

Amazon begins delivering certain products via drone in Phoenix at TechCrunch. “Starting today, Amazon customers in the West Valley Phoenix Metro Area have access to a drone-deliverable selection from Amazon’s catalog, including household, beauty, office, health, and tech supplies. Products must weigh 5 pounds or less to be eligible; Amazon says about 50,000 are available at launch. Customers should expect to receive items in an hour max, according to Amazon — delivered direct from the take-off site in Tolleson.” Read more

 

Kroger to pay nearly $1.4 billion to settle opioid lawsuit claims at The Hill

 

Many retailers offer ‘returnless refunds.’ Just don’t expect them to talk much about it at AP. “Optoro, a company that helps streamline returns for Best Buy, Staples and Gap Inc., has observed retailers assessing the lifetime value of a customer and extending returnless refunds as a type of unofficial, discreet loyalty benefit, according to CEO Amena Ali…Amazon said it offers returnless refunds on a “very small number” of items as a “convenience to customers.” Read more

 

Dollar Tree, Inc. CEO Rick Dreiling has stepped down from his position “Michael C. Creedon Jr., Chief Operating Officer, has been appointed Interim Chief Executive Officer while Edward (Ned) J. Kelly, III, Lead Independent Director, has been elected Chairman. The Board is conducting a search process to identify a permanent CEO…” Press release

 

Retailers brace for DEI blowback in lead-up to election, holiday shopping season at CNBC. “In late September, the Retail Industry Leaders Association hosted its annual summit for corporate communications professionals. This year, the event was tied together with RILA’s Diversity Equity & Inclusion Leaders Council, which led some retailers to be concerned about the optics of attending, according to a person who was present and spoke with participants who expressed reservations.” Read more

 

How Californians came to embrace a tough-on-crime initiative at Politico. “The initiative’s likely passage this week, as two of California’s most prominent progressive prosecutors could see themselves booted from office, will ratify a change in attitude from voters who nationwide say they are worried about crime.” Read more

 

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It Took 3 Years to Convince Costco to Buy Her Snacks—That Was the Easy Part at WSJ. “Less than two weeks before the agreed-upon delivery date, Dennis still hadn’t secured the financing needed to begin production of her peanut-and-corn mix. With the clock ticking, she crafted an email. “The good news is that both the boxes and bags arrived this week,” Dennis wrote her Costco buyer. “However, I have experienced some funding challenges along the way which has delayed the purchase of the corn and peanut.” Dennis hit send and anxiously waited for a reply.” WSJ subs.

 

Warren, Schiff, Lawmakers Call for Probe of Albertsons and Other Giant Grocery Chains for False Advertising Press release

 

The Mysterious Fees Inflating Your Grocery Bill at WSJ. “Launching a new flavor for an existing product? There’s a fee for that. Running a promotion at retail? Distributors charge for that, too. If distributors buy too much and products expire before hitting store shelves, they can deduct spoilage fees. But if food makers short an order, aiming to avoid spoilage charges, distributors can ding them for that…” WSJ subs.

 

America has a shoplifting epidemic. The thieves aren’t who you think. at DNYUZ. “A lot of the one-off shoplifters I talked to steal from Whole Foods with a very clean conscience. “No, I don’t feel bad about stealing from Jeff Bezos,” one 20-something occasional shoplifter in Washington, DC, told me. Her loot of choice is passion fruit, which she rings up as a cheaper item — bananas. She’s even memorized the code: 4011.” Read more

 

WI: A $1.5 million state grant will help finance road work to serve a new Kwik Trip DC in DeForest − where rival c-store operator Buc-ee’s request for public funds remains stalled at Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

 

People Are Hooked on Costco Hearing Aids, and This Is Why at WSJ. “Costco has amassed more than a 16% share of the U.S. hearing-aid market, says Abram Bailey, founder of hearingtracker.com…“There’s nothing that comes close to the pricing you get at Costco,” says Bailey…Costco doesn’t disclose the revenue of its hearing-aid business but says it sells up to five times as many hearing aids per store, on average, than its competitors.” WSJ subs.

 

IKEA will pay 6 million euros to East German prisoners forced to build their furniture at CNN. “Prisoners were producing furniture for IKEA…as recently as the 1970s and 1980s…The former East Germany was occupied by the Soviet Union from 1949 until 1990, which installed a rigid communist state known as the German Democratic Republic, or GDR.” Read more

 

Whether 7-Eleven Is Bought or Not, C-Store Consolidation Looms at WSJ. “The industry is so fragmented in the U.S. that the 10 largest chains still hold less than a fifth of market share. In recent years, consolidation has been slow and steady, but that could be set to change…Even if combined, 7-Eleven and Couche-Tard’s market share wouldn’t be overwhelming at roughly 12%. Antitrust authorities are still likely to take a skeptical view of the deal…” WSJ subs.