"Wal-Mart Feels Pinch From China Austerity Campaign" by Laurie Burkitt at WSJ. "The Chinese government’s push to clean up excessive consumption at its state-owned enterprises has hit overall consumer confidence and retail, Mr. (Scott) Price said in an interview Sunday on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation CEO Summit. “The austerity campaign was broad-based,” he said. “It wasn’t limited to the luxury market.” Read more (Subscription)   "Wal-Mart: Online rivals can’t sway Chinese moms" by Leslie Shaffer at CNBC. "Wal-Mart's rival in the U.S., Costco, is among the competitors wading into China via e-commerce, but the world's largest [...]

  "Target's new elves have a story to tell" by Sabrina Korber at CNBC. "The partnership between the companies began eight weeks ago, when Cornell approached Shechtman at the boutique. She had no idea who he was. "I was wearing sweatpants when I met Brian," she told CNBC. "I was embarrassed at the time, but maybe I should wear sweatpants more often." See the video / Read more   "Whole Foods gets pushback on new store from Hollywood elites" by Michael Theis at Austin Bus. Journal. "The report centers around the passing this week of a Malibu, California, ballot measure [...]

  "Amazon Is Testing Taxis for Deliveries" by Greg Bensinger at WSJ. "Amazon.com Inc. this fall tested package delivery by licensed cab in San Francisco and Los Angeles using taxi-hailing mobile app Flywheel, according to people familiar with the matter. Amazon is studying the broader use of taxis as delivery vehicles, the people said...The Flywheel deliveries were typically done in the early morning when the cabs had fewer fares and were less likely to be noticed by customers and competitors, said the people familiar with the matter." Read more (Subscription)   ...Drivers are picking up multiple packages that are all [...]

  "Target to Shutter 11 Stores" by Kavita Kumar at Star-Tribune. "It also swatted away an investment firm trying to buy shares on the cheap and started selling tchotchkes made by 3-D printers, latching on to one of the hottest things in high-tech...The 11 stores will be shuttered by Feb. 1, around the end of Target’s fiscal year. In May, it also closed eight stores." Read more   ...the List of Stores Target is Closing.  See the list of 11   "Berkeley, CA Passes Nations First Soda Tax" by Laura Mandaro at USA Today. "More than three-quarters of the votes [...]

  "CVS Q3 Front-End Sales Down 4.5%" "Front store same store sales would have been approximately 480 basis points higher if tobacco and the estimated associated basket sales were excluded from the three months ended September 30, 2014 and 2013." Read the release   "Target quietly testing mobile payment app to rival Apple Pay" by Kavita Kumar at Star-Tribune. "Eddie Baeb, a spokesman for the Minneapolis-based retailer, confirmed that a group of Target’s headquarters employees has been trying out the CurrentC app in a couple of dozen Target stores around the Twin Cities. “Right now, it’s in a very early test phase,” [...]

  "How Alibaba Plans to Help U.S. Exporters" at WSJ. "MR. BERMAN: What U.S. small business products would make sense in the Chinese market? MR. MA: Last year we helped Washington state. We sold 150 tons of cherries. We sell Alaska seafood. We sold 80 tons of nuts to China. There are so many farm products here that can be sold to China; because of the pollution, people cannot have good quality products." Read the full interview (Subscription)   Trending: Who is Alex from Target? by Emilee Speck at Orlando Sentinel. "The red-shirted Target employee can now add internet-famous to [...]

  "Wal-Mart Weighs Matching Online Prices" by Shelly Banjo at WSJ. "Wal-Mart executives are discussing whether to go ahead with the price-matching program, which would expand its one for local brick-and-mortar competitors, according to spokeswoman Deisha Barnett. Under consideration is how much Wal-Mart might lose if the program were to go nationwide, people familiar with the matter said." Read more (Subscription)   "Black Friday Deals Start Saturday" by Krystina Gustafson at CNBC. "Although many consumers plan to extend their Halloween celebrations past Friday, Wal-Mart on Saturday will shift its focus from orange and black to red and green, when it kicks off [...]

  "Target Lays Off 80 at HQ" by Kavita Kumar at Star-Tribune. "In addition to the layoffs, another 40 open positions at Target will not be filled, said Molly Snyder, a company spokeswoman. “We routinely evaluate our business to ensure we are positioned for profitable growth,” Snyder said in a statement. “As we open fewer general merchandise stores nationwide and focus more on smaller formats, we have made the decision to centralize our architecture, construction, engineering and facilities management teams to best meet the needs of the business going forward.” Read more   "How Home Depot CEO Frank Blake kept [...]