Tag Archives: retail

CA Sues Walmart Over “Illegal” Disposal Of E-Waste

The Verge reports: The California attorney general and 12 state officials filed a lawsuit against Walmart, saying it allegedly illegally disposed of electronic and hazardous waste, compromising local landfills. California Attorney General Rob Bonta alleges in a statement the company violated state environmental laws with their practices, and the waste included materials like lithium and alkaline batteries, insect killer sprays, …

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AP: Holiday Sales Rose At Fastest Pace In 17 Years

The Associated Press reports: Holiday sales rose at the fastest pace in 17 years, even as shoppers grappled with higher prices, product shortages and a raging new Covid-19 variant in the last few weeks of the season, according to one spending measure. Mastercard Spending Pulse, which tracks all kinds of payments including cash and debit cards, reported Sunday that holiday …

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Apple Reinstates Face Mask Rule At All US Stores

The Hill reports: Apple will require customers to wear masks at all U.S. stores as COVID-19 cases rise, the company said Tuesday. “We regularly monitor conditions and we will adjust our health measures in stores to support the wellbeing of customers and employees,” an Apple spokesperson said in a statement to multiple news outlets. “Amid rising cases in many communities, …

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Dollar Store Chain To Sell Most Items At $1.25

CNN Business reports: Dollar Tree will soon be $1.25 tree. The company — one of America’s last remaining true dollar stores — said Tuesday it will raise prices from $1 to $1.25 on the majority of its products by the first quarter of 2022. The change is a sign of the pressures low-cost retailers face holding down prices during a …

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Target: We Will No Longer Be Open On Thanksgiving

The Associated Press reports: Target will no longer open its stores on Thanksgiving Day, making permanent a shift to the unofficial start of the holiday season that was suspended during the pandemic. To limit crowds in stores, retailers last year were forced to turn what had become a weekend shopping blitz into an extended event, with holiday sales beginning as …

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NJ Starbucks Staffer Tests Positive For Hep A, Company Urges Thousands Of Customers To Get Vaxxed [VIDEO]

USA Today reports: An employee at a Starbucks in New Jersey tested positive for hepatitis A and was around co-workers and customers while contagious. The news prompted the restaurant to urge thousands of patrons to receive hepatitis A shots. Hepatitis A is one of several hepatitis viruses, which can cause inflammation and affect liver function, often caused by ingesting contaminated …

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CVS To Close 900 Stores As Pandemic Upends Traffic

CNBC reports: CVS Health said Thursday that it will close about 900 stores over the next three years, as it adjusts to shoppers who are buying more online. The company announced in a news release that it will focus more of its efforts on digital growth and turning its stores into destinations that offer a range of health-care services, from …

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Apple Settles Lawsuit Over Staff Bag Checks For $30M

Gizmodo reports: After years of fighting it out in court, Apple Store employees in California will finally get paid for the time the company spent checking their bags for possible stolen products while they were off the clock. The payout: roughly $30 million. The class action lawsuit covers the company’s 52 stores in California was filed in 2013 by two …

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US Retail Federation Forecasts Record Holiday Sales

Yahoo Finance reports: U.S. holiday sales could rise over 10% this year, a trade body said on Wednesday, as major consumer goods makers and retailers work to prevent supply chain disruptions from leaving shelves empty of in-demand toys and games. The National Retail Federation (NRF) forecast sales to increase between 8.5% and 10.5%, to between $843.4 billion and $859 billion, …

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National Retailers Launch “As Seen On TikTok” Sections

The Associated Press reports: TikTok, an app best known for dancing videos with 1 billion users worldwide, has also become a shopping phenomenon. National chains, hoping to get TikTok’s mostly young users into its stores, are setting up TikTok sections, reminiscent of “As Seen On TV” stores that sold products hawked on infomercials. At Barnes & Noble, tables display signs …

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Five SF Walgreens To Close To Due “Organized” Thefts

The San Francisco Chronicle reports: Walgreens will close five more San Francisco stores, a company spokesperson confirmed Tuesday, citing ongoing organized retail crime as the reason. “Organized retail crime continues to be a challenge facing retailers across San Francisco, and we are not immune to that,” said Walgreens spokesperson Phil Caruso. “Retail theft across our San Francisco stores has continued …

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Costco To Limit Purchases Of Toilet Paper And Water

The New York Times reports: Last year, a frantic run on toilet paper that left store shelves bare across the United States became a symbol of the panic that seized Americans in the early days of the coronavirus pandemic. Now, at least one big-box retailer is trying to prevent a repeat of that frenzy as the Delta variant has driven …

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Walgreens To Join CVS In $15/Hour Starting Wage

From Walgreens’ corporate blog: Walgreens is further investing in its hourly team members who provide trusted care and services in communities across the U.S. Walgreens will increase the starting hourly wage for all team members to $15.00 an hour, taking effect in phases beginning in October of this year and are expected to be fully implemented by November 1, 2022. …

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WSJ: Amazon To Open Meatspace Department Stores

The Wall Street Journal reports: Amazon.com Inc. plans to open several large physical retail locations in the U.S. that will operate akin to department stores, a step to help the tech company extend its reach in sales of clothing, household items, electronics and other areas, people familiar with the matter said. The plan to launch large stores will mark a …

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Target Reinstates Mask Rule For Staff At Some Stores

Just in via press release: The health and safety of our guests and team members have been Target’s top priority throughout the pandemic. Target will continue to recommend face coverings for unvaccinated team members and guests at all stores across the country. Effective Tuesday, based on the CDC’s updated guidance, we’ll require face coverings for our team members and strongly …

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Apple Reinstates Mask Requirement At Most US Stores

The Verge reports: Apple will be requiring customers and staff at most of its more than 270 US retail stores to wear masks even if they are vaccinated, according to a new Bloomberg report, bringing back a requirement that had been removed starting in June. The change goes into effect Thursday. “After carefully reviewing the latest CDC recommendations, and analyzing …

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Google Opens Its First Retail Store In Manhattan

The Verge reports: After years of pop-up experiments, Google is finally dipping its toes in the physical retail waters with its first store, located underneath its offices in the Chelsea neighborhood in New York City. It will primarily feature Google’s own hardware products, including Pixel phones, Nest smarthome gadgets, Fitbits, and assorted other devices. There will also be a selection …

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Mall Operator With 100+ Locations Files For Bankruptcy

Bloomberg News reports: Washington Prime Group Inc., a real estate investment trust that operates enclosed malls and strip centers across the U.S., filed for bankruptcy after the Covid-19 pandemic drove away shoppers. The Chapter 11 filing in Houston lets Washington Prime stay in business while it restructures its debts in a deal that it reached with certain creditors, according to …

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Retailers Scramble To Unload Glut Of Hand Sanitizers

The New York Daily News reports: As the pandemic wanes, US retailers are frantically moving to clear excess hand sanitizer. After frantically stocking up on disinfectants last year, consumers have largely stopped buying them, partly because the CDC now says that there is minimal risk of getting COVID-19 by touching surfaces. That’s a big headache for stores that have anti-germ …

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Walmart Drops Face Mask Rules For Fully Vaccinated

CNBC reports: Walmart said Friday that customers who are fully vaccinated against Covid-19 will not need to wear a mask in its stores, unless one is required by state or local laws. In a memo sent to employees, the country’s largest retailer and employer said the change in its mask policy takes effect immediately at Walmart stores and its membership …

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