Walmart tests a giant tower that acts like a vending machine for online orders by Hayley Peterson at Business Insider. “When a customer orders something online for in-store pickup, the customer gets an order number. When the person arrives at the tower, he or she enters the order number into the machine. Then the machine spits out the customer’s package the way a vending machine can do with a bottle of Coke.” Read more

 

Amazon Third Quarter Sales up 29% to $32.7 Billion Press release

 

…Amazon shares tumble as rising expenses weigh on online retailer by Hannah Kuchler at Financial Times. “(Amazon) forecast operating income of as little as zero next quarter.” Read more

 

…Amazon sees potential for up to 2,000 grocery stores in U.S. over next decade by Todd Bishop at GeekWire. “That’s the word from Business Insider, which says it has viewed internal Amazon documents outlining a plan to start with a 20-location pilot for Amazon Fresh-branded grocery stores in areas including Seattle, Las Vegas, New York, Miami and the Bay Area. Half the pilot stores will be drive-up locations for picking up online orders, while the other half will be traditional stores where shoppers can browse for items.” Read more | Business Insider article

 

Woman awarded $70M in Johnson & Johnson cancer suit via NY Post. “She was diagnosed with ovarian cancer in 2012. The suit accused Johnson & Johnson of “negligent conduct” in making and marketing its baby powder.” Read more

 

How Halloween Stores Conquered America by Patrick Clark & Polly Mozendz at Bloomberg. “Marver, now 73, didn’t have any special love for the Oct. 31 holiday, but he was a self-described “maniac” for the business. He called his stores Spirit Halloween in a riff on his original store—called Spirit Women’s Discount Apparel—and expanded throughout California and much of the Southwest. Fifteen years after he’d launched his first store, the chain had grown to nearly 60 pop-ups, and Marver was fending off acquisition offers from larger companies…” Read more

 

Best Buy Taps Don Rickles, Bobby Flay for Holiday Campaign by Adrianne Pasquarelli at Ad Age. “Best Buy will run a total of 15 spots—five of which will be on broadcast TV—in a mix of 30-and-15-second clips. Like last year’s holiday effort, also by Grey, the push will be largely digital. Mr. Barnes noted that the campaign will include some longer-length videos with Mr. Rickles for social media.” See spots / Read more

 

Ex-Sam’s Club Executive to Join Boxed.com as Chief Merchandising Officer Press release

 

PICS – P&G pumps up employees with ‘bod pod’ at new HQ fitness center by Barrett J. Brunsman at Cincinnati Business Courier. 19 pics / Read more

 

**A message from the 2017 Philadelphia Gift Show – See emerging artists, regional specialties, and gift, home décor, and color trends! Get a sneak peak in our Product Spotlight, and see our list of unique exhibitors. Sweetening the pot, this all-category gift show runs concurrently with the Philadelphia National Candy, Gift & Gourmet Show. See it all January 6-9, 2017, at the Greater Philadelphia Expo Center, in Oaks, PA.  Register now | Website

 

Amazon tops 300,000 employees by Todd Bishop at GeekWire. “Amazon’s headcount is already four times the size of Google parent Alphabet’s nearly 70,000 employees.” Read more

 

UPS expects 14 percent rise in holiday shipments by Kelly Yamanouchi at AJC. Read more

 

FCC bans internet providers from tracking web surfing by Claire Atkinson at NY Post. “The Federal Communications Commission on Thursday drove a stake through the heart of the $77 billion online ad business, barring Comcast, Verizon and other internet service providers from automatically tracking consumers while they surf the Web.” Read more

 

Lowe’s Appoints Michael P. McDermott Chief Customer Officer Press release

 

New York AG Eric Schneiderman forces Amazon delivery firm to pay $100G settlement by Denis Slattery at NY Daily News. “Cornucopia cheated workers by docking them for lunch breaks that were never received due to back-to-back deliveries. The company also withheld “call-in pay,” which must be paid when employees report to work but are sent home.” Read more

 

Amazon Prime Finally Arrives in China by Michelle Toh at Fortune. “Starting Friday, 11 years after the membership option was launched by the tech and e-commerce giant, Chinese Prime users will be able to get free shipping on orders for overseas products with a minimum purchase for 200 yuan (US$29.50).” Read more

 

Australia: Aldi slashes the price of sausages and sunscreen ahead of the warmer months at Daily Mail. “(Aldi’s) preemptive strike more than a month before summer begins is a permanent 29 per cent price drop on more than a dozen items.” Read more

 

Build-A-Bear Q3 Comp Sales -2.2% Press release

 

Barneys publishes first book in 93-year history at Luxury Daily. ““Barneys New York,” published by Rizzoli, looks at the retailer’s impact on the city of New York and the fashion industry through a mix of photographs and quotes from famous fans of its stores.” Read more

 

Jeff Bezos backs biotech startup developing anti-aging therapies by Clare McGrane at GeekWire. Read more

 

Halloween Candy Sales Are Sending Good Economic Signals by Julie Verhage at Bloomberg. “In fact, the team expects spending on Halloween candy to experience the strongest increase since 2011, rising 5.5 and hitting $3.8 billion. In 2014 and 2015, spending on Halloween candy was up 5 percent and 1.7 percent, respectively.” Read more

 

Tipsheet Extra Stories

Austin: Home Depot files police report after someone spray paints racist comments

Pics from Omaha area’s second Costco store opening

Coca-Cola names a new CIO

Former Amazon ‘bar raiser’ offers insight into hiring process

Walmart, Target Likely to Obliterate Dying Kmart in Toys This Holiday Season

Read Tipsheet Extra Stories

 

QUICK-SUBSCRIBE to Eye on Retail Tipsheet here