KNOXVILLE – Three Pilot Travel Center employees killed in stabbing at USA Today. “The suspect has been identified by the TBI as Idris Abdus-Salaam, a 33-year-old truck driver from Durham, North Carolina…The deputies confronted Abdus-Salaam, who was armed with a knife, in the parking lot. One of the officers fatally shot him after he refused to drop his weapon, Earhart said.” Read more

 

Teen spending takes a dive: Guys splurge on footwear, while a natural look for girls hurts makeup sales at CNBC. “Teens reported their annual spending was down 13% to $2,300 compared with spring 2019, the lowest spending level reported by teens since fall 2011.” Read more

 

Panera Bread is selling groceries as restaurant sales plummet at CNBC. “Customers are able to order breads, bagels, milk, yogurt, cream cheese and fresh produce…Panera CEO Niren Chaudhary said the chain lost half its business once its dining rooms closed.” Read more

 

Pinterest adds new “shop” tabs by Sarah Perez at TechCrunch. “The new Shop tab on Search will help users find in-stock items from retailers when they perform a search query, like “spring outfits,” “home office décor” or “kitchen remodel,” among other things. Before, users would have to scroll through a variety of search results, only some of which may have been shoppable.” Read more

 

Amazon to fire employees ‘intentionally’ violating social distancing after 2 strikes at Fox Business. Read more

 

Trader Joe’s Employees Say Virus Response Was Haphazard and Chaotic by Mary Pilon at Bloomberg. “Interviews with dozens of crew members paint a picture of a tumultuous two weeks as the company’s policies rapidly changed.” Tiered subs.

 

PriceSmart March comp sales +15.7% Press release

 

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Grocery stores turn to robots during the coronavirus by Nathaniel Meyersohn at CNN. “I strongly believe that the current health crisis will accelerate the adoption of robots in retail,” said Steven Keith Platt, research director for the Retail Analytics Council and adjunct professor at Northwestern University. “Short-term, this is to address health concerns” of workers and customers, he said. In the long term, robots in stores will stock shelves and prepare food.” Read more

 

Grocery store execs get a taste of the hard life on coronavirus front lines by Jake Edmiston at Financial Post. “Angie Kim, a senior director of finance (at Loblaw), used to be a store manager years ago, so she knows how they work. She volunteered and has since been working 12-hour days…“I do struggle every day when I wake up, like, ‘Can I do it again?’” Kim said…At Loblaw, roughly 400 corporate-level staff now work at stores.” Read more

 

Illinois working with the federal government on a plan to make online grocery delivery possible for SNAP recipients in the state at Chicago Tribune. “We can’t have a pandemic and then all of a sudden we change in a matter of days,” Odoms-Young said. “USDA is working on it, and that is really all we can ask.” Read more

 

Albertsons, UFCW seek ‘first responder’ status for grocery workers at Supermarket News. “That classification will enable those grocery workers to be prioritized for testing and personal protection equipment as the country continues to battle the spread of COVID-19.” Read more

 

…In support of this undertaking, the entities placed a full-page advertisement in the April 7 print edition of The New York Times.

 

Why NYC grocery stores that cater to the rich are struggling amid coronavirus by Lisa Fickenscher at NY Post. “That’s because the well-heeled locals have since hightailed it out of town to wait out the pandemic in roomier digs in the Hamptons or the Berkshires, grocers say.” Read more

 

Tesco defends dividend payout as warns coronavirus costs could top $1 billion at Reuters. “Tesco has defended its decision to pay investors a 635 million pound ($782 million) dividend while accepting business tax relief from the British government aimed at helping distressed retailers through the coronavirus crisis.” Read more

 

Pandemic deals blow to plastic bag bans, plastic reduction at AP. “Grocery worker unions, too, have joined the chorus. The union that represents Oregon supermarket workers is lobbying for a ban on reusable bags, and a Chicago union called for an “end to the disease-transmitting bag tax.” Read more

 

Fundraiser for critically injured Walmart security guard suspended at Montreal Gazette. “New information in the case of the Walmart security guard critically injured in an apparent instance of rage over COVID-19 shopping restrictions shows there may be more behind the incident than first reported…An online fundraiser that raised more than $160,000 for the victim’s family has also been suspended…” Read more

 

Tipsheet Extra

Grocery store customers tackle man who coughed, spit on food

Microsoft buys Corp.com domain so bad guys can’t

Amazon Dodges a Counterfeit Bullet in Europe, But What About the U.S.?

Steak-umm emerges as unlikely coronavirus misinformation watchdog

Amazon pilots disinfectant fog at Staten Island warehouse

Read Tipsheet Extra Stories

 

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