Costco September comp sales (ex. gas & f/x) +7.6% : US +8% / Canada +4.9% / Other Int’l +7.7% / Digitally-enabled +19.1% “…net sales of $30.02 billion for the retail month of September, the five weeks ended October 4, 2026, an increase of 13% from $26.58 billion last year.” Press release

 

Amazon is cutting fewer than 1,000 white-collar jobs, mainly in its stores division Fox News | Reuters (subs.)

 

When CEOs Brag About Price Hikes, She’s Listening at Bloomberg. “Lindsay Owens and her think tank are getting traction by blaming the likes of Instacart and Walmart for voters’ tight budgets…The team’s biggest success to date came…when it helped recruit more than 400 mystery shoppers in four American cities to buy groceries on Instacart. The app charged some volunteers prices as much as 23% higher than others…” Bloomberg subs.

 

TikTok Quietly Gutted Its Advertising Rules. Scams Have Exploded Ever Since. at Forbes. “Upwards of 100,000 new advertisers a day that previously would have been immediately banned were instead allowed to remain…“We can’t do anything about it. We have to idly sit by and continue to watch people get scammed and get their money stolen,” said one of the TikTok insiders.” Forbes subs.

 

CNBC/NRF Retail Monitor – September 2026 “…core retail sales (excluding restaurants in addition to auto dealers and gas stations) was $453.1 billion in September, up 0.27% month over month and up 3.73% year over year…Led by an 8.41% gain in electronics and appliances, sales were higher year over year in all categories except furniture and home furnishings, which were down 2.7%.” Press release | Download report

 

Walmart’s Open Call event hosts 125 prospective suppliers at Talk Business. “Walmart and Sam’s Club buyers held 160 meetings, most of them in the afternoon (Oct. 7). With three hours to go, Walmart had given out 34 of its golden tickets to companies…” Read more

 

Can Bergdorf Goodman Return to Its Golden Age? at NY Times. “Half of Bergdorf Goodman’s sales come from customers who spend more than $10,000 at the store each year, and many spend more than 10 times that. The retailer’s 40 highest-volume sales associates account for about $200 million of its annual sales…Sales through associates and personal shoppers are up 5% this year.” NY Times subs.

 

lululemon appoints Maggie Gauger as President & Chief Product Officer and Joseph Godsey as Chief Operating Officer “Searches are underway for a Chief Brand Officer, Chief Communications Officer, and Chief Technology Officer.” Press release

 

…Lululemon poaches Athleta CEO as new chief product officer CNBC

 

Walmart Express Pickup will expand nationwide in the coming weeks (currently available at 500 stores) Press release

 

Sam’s Club pumpkin merchant talks shop at Progressive Grocer. “Doug Cahoon: …the most common item also bought with pumpkins is a rotisserie chicken…as the temperatures across the United States have become hotter in September, about 70% of the retailer’s total pumpkin sales now happen in October.” Read more

 

How to find out if Amazon thinks you have ‘flat buttocks’ at TechCrunch. “I stumbled upon a page of assumptions that Amazon has made about me based on my purchases and I’m literally speechless,” an Amazon customer, @fangirlinmegan, wrote on Threads. “I mean it ain’t wrong but damn did you have to call me out like that?” Read more

 

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