Walgreens, Duane Reade to pay New York $500G fine after probe found chain overcharged customers by Kenneth Lovett at NY Daily News. “Walgreens also referred to some products as “Smart Buy” or “Great Buy” even when the advertised price was the same as the original retail prices charges. The probe also found Walgreens and Duane Reade offered up “Last Chance” or “Clearance” items but in reality some of the products remained at a reduced price for as much as eight to 10 months.” Read more

 

Ulta CEO’s 2015 pay package nearly triples to $18.5 million by Lauren Zumbach at Chicago Tribune. “That’s triple the roughly $6.2 million (CEO Mary Dillon) earned in 2014. Dillon” Read more

 

Jim Walton, Mike Duke to exit Wal-Mart Stores board of directors, board shrinks from 15 to 12 by Kim Souza at The City Wire. “…as part of the board’s succession planning, it has nominated Helen and Sam Walton’s grandson, Steuart Walton, for election to the Walmart board.” Read more | Press release

 

LL Bean Takes a Jab at Fast Fashion in First Work Under New CEO by Adrianne Pasquarellli at Ad Age. “When did we stop valuing things to get better over time? When did disposable become our default?” a voice-over asks in the commercial. “At LL Bean, we didn’t stop and we never will.” See the TV spot / Read more

 

NY Times: ‘Whole Foods Effect’: When Small Food Makers Get the Call to Go Big by Amy Haimerl. “…the first batch they delivered to Whole Foods grew mold…possibly reputation-destroying black mold. “It was awful,” said Sue Conley, who started the company with her partner, Peggy Smith. “We hadn’t primed our new aging rooms, so other bacteria were competing with the fluffy white mold. It was a big mess.” But Whole Foods was patient…” Read more

 

SimilarWeb: Most Popular Retail Apps (Amazon #1, Walmart #7) See the top 10 list via Internet Retailer

 

Hudson’s Bay Company invests in new comms team amid international expansion by Sean Czarnecki at PR Week. “It promoted Andrew Blecher to SVP of corporate communications and PR to lead the unit…Blecher started his career in PR at Saks Fifth Avenue about 15 years ago.” Read more

 

Amazon to add 1,000 jobs in sixth Texas fulfillment center by Maria Halkias a Dallas Morning News. Read more | Press Release

 

What is Seamless Shopping? Q&A with CEO Doug McMillon via Walmart Blog. See the video / Read the Q&A

 

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Amazon Doesn’t Consider the Race of Its Customers. Should It? by David Ingold & Spencer Soper at Bloomberg. “The most striking gap in Amazon’s same-day service is in Boston, where three ZIP codes encompassing the primarily black neighborhood of Roxbury are excluded from same-day service, while the neighborhoods that surround it on all sides are eligible.” Read more

 

Wal-Mart CEO pay rises slightly to $19.8 million via Street Insider. “Greg Foran, head of the U.S. business, saw his total compensation fall to $11.5 million from $19.5 million, as his stock awards were cut by more than half.” Read more

 

BJ’s Wholesale Club Introduces New Pick Up & Pay Service via Yahoo Finance. Read the release

 

Upscale Shopping Centers Nudge Out Down-Market Malls by Suzanne Kapner at WSJ. “Almost all of the 40 stores that Macy’s closed last year were in “B” or “C” malls, according to Green Street…” Read more (subscription)

 

Report: 75% of the baby products purchased online occur on Amazon, Walmart and Target by Stefany Zorban at Internet Retailer. See the sales breakout / Read more

 

Amazon.com Inc is making its own version of best-selling items and companies aren’t happy by Spencer Soper at Bloomberg via Financial Post. “…Rain Design’s experience shows how Amazon is using insights gleaned from its vast Web store to build a private-label juggernaut that now includes more than 3,000 products — from women’s blouses and men’s khakis to fire pits and camera tripods. The strategy is a digital twist on one used for years by department stores and big-box chains to edge out middlemen and go direct to consumers.” Read more

 

At Neptune Home Depot, inspiration in aisle 16 by Jerry Carino at Asbury Park Press. “He’s extremely impressive,” Gonzalez said. “He’s awesome with customers. They love him. Every other customer who comes in here shakes hands with him.” As they should. Kevin Woolley is a walking, talking reminder that life deals us the cards but we choose how to play them. A brief encounter with him offers a major dose of perspective.” See the video / Read more

 

Tipsheet Extra Stories

Mom’s Open Letter to Woman Who Shamed Her for Buying Baby Formula in Target Has Been Shared 30K Times

Study: Stores employing beautiful staff may be hampering sales

Walmart Exec Wins 2016 North Pole Marathon

Sales of Mosquito Repellent Soar Ahead of U.S. Zika Outbreak Threat

Bentonville Film Festival organizers hope it becomes Arkansas’ South by Southwest

Read Tipsheet Extra Stories

 

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