Costco June comp sales (ex. gas & f/x) +6.9% / Membership fees increase “…effective September 1, 2024, it will increase annual membership fees by $5…Executive Memberships in the U.S. and Canada will increase from $120 to $130 …the increases will impact around 52 million memberships, a little over half of which are Executive.” Press release

 

…is Amazon Prime next? at GeekWire

 

PepsiCo, After Years of Price Hikes, Sounds an Alarm on Consumer Spending at WSJ. “Shoppers are now less interested in buy-one-get-one-free promotions and want lower price points for single items, Caulfield added. Yet even as some consumers search for lower-priced products, PepsiCo’s healthier snack and soda options remain popular, Caulfield said. Those include Pepsi Zero Sugar, PopCorners and the Simply line of snacks.” WSJ subs.

 

Houston residents could be without power for a week at ABC 13. “On Wednesday night, CenterPoint Energy came up with a rough projection to restore 1.1 million homes, projecting 400,000 customers by Friday night and 350,000 by Sunday night. Another 400,000 customers could remain offline past Sunday…” Read more

 

Ammo vending machines debut in grocery stores at USA Today. “(CEO) Magers argues that keeping the ammo in 2,000-pound machines behind steel – and dispensing them only to verified shoppers – makes the rounds far more secure than buying them at gun shops. Thieves can pocket rounds like a “loaf of bread off the shelf,” he said, and online sellers only verify ages by requiring someone to put a check mark in a box.” Read more

 

Walmart is opening five automated distribution centers at CNBC. “Walmart has already built and tested the first of the five automated distribution centers for fresh food in Shafter, California. It recently opened the second one in Lancaster, Texas, which is near Dallas. It plans to open the three others in Wellford, South Carolina; Belvidere, Illinois; and Pilesgrove, New Jersey.” Read more

 

…See inside one of the high-tech refrigerated warehouses powering Walmart’s grocery dominance at Business Insider. Read more/Pics

 

Amazon’s carbon footprint shrank 3% last year — but AI-driven climate challenges loom at GeekWire. “Microsoft and Google both marked significant increases in their carbon emissions last year, with Microsoft’s footprint growing 20% and Google’s expanding 13%. They both pointed to higher energy use to power AI operations and data center construction…” Read more

 

Big Lots to close 35 to 40 stores this year amid ‘doubt’ the company can survive at USA Today. “The company also said it had “substantial doubt” about the ability of the company to continue operation, leading to speculation of a potential bankruptcy filing. The document did not disclose the locations at which stores would be closing.” Read more

 

Here’s how Amazon helps consumers avoid e-commerce scams at Chain Store Age. Q&A

 

‘Tens of thousands’ in losses after burglars sawed hole through roof of Bluffton Best Buy at The Island Packet/Yahoo. “In a “Mission: Impossible”-style operation, a group of burglars stole a fortune’s worth of electronics from the Best Buy store in Bluffton on a late night over the holiday weekend. The unidentified thieves reportedly sawed holes in the building’s roof so one suspect could descend into the store, accessing multiple security cages full of pricey products.” Read more

 

The Buckle, Inc. June comp sales down 5.7% Press release