"Target Expands Subscription Products & Adds Add'l 5% Discount (15% of Online Orders for Baby Items Come from Subscriptions)" by John Ewoldt at Star-Tribune.  "To attract even more shoppers, Target has added a new 5 percent discount on all subscription orders on top of the 5 percent discount for Redcard credit card holders. Shipping is free on subscription orders with or without a Redcard. If an item is on sale when ordered, customers get the sale price too.  While the new service is a time saver for harried consumers, it’s also a discreet way to order products that some [...]

  "Costco CFO Richard Galanti Confirms 'Secret Codes', but 'It's no Secret Agent Thing' " by Lou Carlozo at Reuters.  "Galanti cautions against reading too much into the price codes, as Costco's margins are low enough (in the 10-11 percent range) that a shopper might have more advantage buying a newer item at the ".99" full price. "The question is, do you want something at the end of its season or at the beginning of a new season?" he asks."  Read more   "Walgreens: Chinatown Egg Sale Causes 'Riot' " by Rob Nagle at San Fran Examiner.  "Walgreens was offering [...]

  "The Sad, Slow Death of America's Retail Workforce" by Derek Thompson at The Atlantic.  "According to data obtained by The Atlantic from EMSI, the retail industry gained about 49,000 jobs between 2001 and 2013, which means it grew by exactly 0.32 percent. Which means it didn't grow."  Read more   "Costco Shoppers Find Alternative in Zaycon" by Angel Gonazalez at Seattle Times.  "Some bulk buyers of fresh beef products, seeking relief from a big spike in meat prices, have found an alternative to Costco, with drive-through access instead of a crazy parking lot.  Dozens of cars queued up on [...]

  "Ow, Canada: U.S. retailers get the cold shoulder" by Anne D'Innocenzio & Charmaine Noronha at AP via Seattle Times.  "Target’s tough time in Canada isn’t unique.  Big Lots is closing its 78 Canadian stores, which it bought just two years ago...Best Buy announced last year it was closing 15 of its 260 stores in Canada and cut about 5 percent of its workforce in the country as it tries to revamp its strategy.  Even Wal-Mart Stores, which have been entrenched in Canada for more than two decades, have seen sales falter."  Read more   "Lowe’s CEO Niblock gets 50% [...]

  "Wal-Mart Cries Foul on China Fines" by Laurie Burkitt & Shelly Banjo at WSJ.  "In the U.S. and most other countries, it is usually manufacturers, rather than retailers, that have primary responsibility for the quality of the products they sell, whether it is ketchup or dried beef. But in China, the manufacturers "aren't accountable...(Walmart's) pushback runs counter to what experts say is the safer strategy—keep your head low—for foreign companies in China: "It's not something you see often in China." Read more   "Walgreens urged to leave US to gain tax benefit" by Ed Hammond at Financial Times.  "At a [...]

  Family Dollar's Weak Sales = Wave of Negative Dollar Store Press...   "Dollar stores feeling pain from low-income squeeze" by Anne D'Innocenzio at AP via Seattle Times.  "Family Dollar CEO Howard Levine told investors on a call that the poor weather led to numerous store closings, disruptions in merchandise deliveries and higher-than-expected utility and maintenance expenses. But, he said, shoppers’ financial constraints and a discount-driven holiday season also played a role."  Read more   "Fortune:  Dollar Stores Face Tough Times" by Claire Zillman.  "The middle- to upper-class consumer, making $75,000 to $80,000 a year traded down in 2009, 2010, [...]

  March Sales:   "Costco comparable March sales up 5%, beat forecast" at MarketWatch.  "Growth was strongest in the U.S., where comparable sales climbed 6%. International sales rose 4%. Analysts polled by Thomson Reuters expected same-store sales growth of 3.5%."  Read more   "Costco Net Sales +8% in March"  Read the release   "Family Dollar Comp Sales -3.8% in March; Will Close 370 Stores"  "Lastly, we intend to slow new store growth beginning in fiscal 2015 to improve our return on investment. We are confident that these steps will position Family Dollar to deliver stronger returns for our shareholders,” concluded [...]

  "Interbrand Releases the 2014 Best Retail Brands Report (Target #2, H.Depot #3, Costco #13)"  "Walmart maintains its #1 spot on Interbrand's 2014 Best Retail Brands list, and even with a 6% decline in brand value it preserves an enormous margin over the next closest brand. Four brands increased their brand value by more than 25% this year: Macy's, Whole Foods, Amazon and Cabela's." See the Top 50 list   "Forbes on Interbrand: 'Walmart Stumbles' " by Barbara Thau.  "According to Interbrand’s 2014 rankings, Walmart is more than $100 billion more valuable than Target, a distant second on the North [...]