"Home Depot No. 5 on J.D. Power Home Improvement Retailer Satisfaction rankings" by Jacques Couret at Atlanta Business Journal.  "The Home Depot Inc. ranked fifth place on the J.D. Power 2013 Home Improvement Retailer Satisfaction Study.  The Atlanta-based home improvement giant scored 747 (out of 1,000) in the study, which was below the industry average of 758.  Ace Hardware topped the list, followed by Menard’s, Lowe’s and True Value."  Read more:  https://www.bizjournals.com/atlanta/news/2013/06/05/home-depot-no-5-on-jd-power-home.html   "Costco Same-Store Sales +5% in May " (Co. Press Release).  "For the thirty-nine weeks ended June 2, 2013, the Company reported net sales of $77.13 billion, [...]

  "Amazon Plans Major Move Into Grocery Business" at Reuters via CNBC.  "Amazon.com is planning a major roll-out of an online grocery business that it has been developing for years, targeting one of the largest retail sectors yet to be upended by e-commerce, according to two people familiar with the situation...Amazon now plans to expand the business outside Seattle, starting with Los Angeles as early as this week and the San Francisco Bay Area later this year...If the new locations go well, the company may launch AmazonFresh in 20 other urban areas in 2014, including some outside the U.S., said [...]

  "Walmart offers fresh produce guarantee to shoppers"  "Walmart is able to cut the time it takes to get produce into stores by buying directly from growers and relying on its own distribution centers and trucking systems. It has produce experts working with farmers in key growing regions and aims to double its sales of locally grown produce by December 2015."  Read more:  https://www.reuters.com/article/2013/06/03/us-walmart-grocery-produce-idUSBRE9520OM20130603   "Costco's Growth Engine Keeps Purring Fueled By New Memberships" at Forbes.  "While the retailer added 2.3 million members in 2009, more than 4 million customers signed up in 2011. Over 1.6 million new members joined [...]

   "Home Depot makes a one-time exception so it can get in on the oil boom" by Sam Black at Minn./St. Paul Bus. Journal.  "How urgently does The Home Depot want to get into the oil-boom area in western North Dakota?  Consider that for the first time in the company's history, Home Depot is converting an existing building into a retail store."  Read more:  https://www.bizjournals.com/twincities/blog/opportunity_north_dakota/2013/05/home-depot-headed-to-williston-nd.html   "New Reward Program Habits May Cost Consumers Money" by Kelli Grant at CNBC.  "But consumers aren't quite as loyal — they're active in just 44 percent of those programs, a drop of 4.3 percent [...]