Costco’s CEO will step down in January at AP. “He’ll be succeeded by the company’s president, Ron Vachris, who has been with Costco for more than 40 years…Vachris started with Costco as a forklift driver…Jelinek will remain with the company through April in an advisory role and will continue as a member of Costco’s board.” Read more

 

Amazon will start testing drones that will drop prescriptions on your doorstep, literally at AP. “…customers in College Station, Texas, can now get prescriptions delivered by a drone within an hour of placing their order. The drone, programed to fly from a delivery center with a secure pharmacy, will travel to the customer’s address, descend to a height of about four meters — or 13 feet — and drop a padded package.” Read more

 

Walmart beefs up its third-party marketplace at CNBC. “It was summer in Las Vegas — the temperature hit nearly 110 degrees that late August day — but Christmas was on everyone’s minds. While Santa Claus wandered around during an invitation-only conference, businesses that sell items on Walmart’s website attended how-to sessions and swapped advice. Walmart leaders gave third-party marketplace sellers an early gift, too: Waiving extra fees for storing merchandise during the peak season…” Read more

 

Bezos-Backed Convoy Is Winding Down Its Freight Business at WSJ. “…has been hurt by crumbling freight demand over the past year, is exploring selling off teams, software or intellectual property, according to a person familiar with the matter. Convoy, which matches loads to available trucks, is one of the largest in a slew of technology-driven companies that have started up in the past decade looking to make freight marketplaces more efficient.” WSJ subs. 

 

Walmart requiring all suppliers to move to Luminate data service at Talk Business. “Walmart is requiring all of its suppliers to subscribe to its Luminate data service beginning in October…will phase out its Decision Support System (DSS) app in the Retail Link portal and will no longer be available as of March 1, 2024.” Read more

 

Inside Wegmans’ first ever Manhattan store at Daily Mail. “For Sharon Singer of New Jersey, October 18 was a double-whammy: not only was it her 62nd birthday but also the opening of Manhattan’s first Wegmans. Singer and more than a hundred fellow ‘Wegmaniacs’ were lined up eagerly along Broadway in Lower Manhattan on Wednesday morning, awaiting the opening of its much-anticipated new store.” Read more/Pics

 

….More Wegmans opening pics via NY Post

 

Walmart Heir’s Bet on Formula One Shows Racing’s Allure for Billionaires at Bloomberg. “Rob Walton’s investment in McLaren Racing adds fuel to a boom that has sent the value of F1 teams soaring.” Bloomberg subs. 

 

WSJ reviews Costco Men’s Clothing Slide show/WSJ subs.

 

3BL ranks U.S. companies on ESG transparency and performance (Target #25, Best Buy #80) Top 100 list

 

Amazon unveils ‘Sequoia’ warehouse robotics system and starts testing Agility’s Digit robot at GeekWire “Amazon announced a new robotic system dubbed Sequoia, designed to let employees pick and place products in their ergonomic “power zones,” eliminating the reaching and squatting common in its current approach.” Read more

 

Macy’s Launches New Digital Fashion Platform – mstylelab Press release

 

Inside Amazon’s Rivian electric van: A greener, quieter ride — and a sliding door fit for Star Trek at GeekWire. “The coolest feature in the cab is the bulkhead door that accesses the cargo area…which opened with the push of a touchscreen button. It also opens automatically when the van is put in park. Maybe that’s why a driver once told me that he felt like he was driving a spaceship.” Read more/Pics/Video

 

Target COO John Mulligan to retire in 2025 Chain Store Age

 

Amazon adds social shopping features, including a way to ask friends for product feedback at TechCrunch. “The feature, dubbed “Consult-a-Friend,” lets shoppers send a message to people whose advice they want to receive. This message includes a link to the new experience where friends can react to the product shown using emojis and optionally add commentary.” Read more