China’s Shoppers May Boycott U.S. Brands on Singles’ Day at Bloomberg via Fortune. “More than three-quarters of Chinese consumers surveyed said they’ll reconsider buying from American companies during the Singles’ Day shopping event on Nov. 11…“U.S. brands can expect some disruption because of the consequences of the US-China trade war on consumer sentiment,” the report said.” Read more

 

Mastercard SpendingPulse: U.S. retail sales excluding automobiles to grow 3.1% from Nov. 1 to Dec. 24. That’s compared to 5.1% growth during the same period in 2018. at CNBC. Read more

 

Walmart’s Strategy When Wading Into Culture Wars: Offend Few by Michael Corkery at NY Times. “Interviews with more than a dozen Walmart executives, former executives, company advisers and regulators show that the retailer’s approach to public policy issues is more nuanced than a desire to simply do the right thing. When Walmart said it would remove e-cigarettes from its shelves in September, vaping critics praised the move as validation of their health concerns. But Walmart’s decision was partly driven by concerns that the retailer would be stuck with excess inventory if more regulators began to outlaw vaping, executives say.” Tiered subs.

 

Barneys to begin store closing sales soon “The liquidation sale is expected to last for a limited time only as the firms work to quickly sell through all inventory during the upcoming holiday season. Gift cards may be redeemed until November 7th, 2019.” Press release

 

Newsweek – America’s Best Customer Service 2020 Awards for Retailers:

#1 Home Goods: The Container Store

#1 Home Improvement: True Value

#1 Outdoor: L.L.Bean

#1 Pet: Petsense

Full list

 

Amazon and JPMorgan to roll out new health insurance plans as part of Haven joint venture by James Thorne at GeekWire. Read more

 

Under Armour says US investigators are probing its accounting practices at Wall Street Journal. “…the Justice Department and the Securities and Exchange Commission are examining the sportswear maker’s revenue-recognition practices and whether it shifted sales from quarter to quarter to make them appear stronger.” WSJ subs.

 

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Walmart appears to be gaining ground against Amazon at CNBC. “The frequency of people buying items on Amazon six times or more per month has dropped to 40% this year from 80% in 2017, according to surveys by First Insight…55% said they prefer to shop at Walmart versus Amazon, up from about 47% a year earlier.” Read more

 

Kroger memo touts a ‘new brand’ and says ‘all will be revealed soon’ by Hayley Peterson at Business Insider. “The memo says “all will be revealed” on November 6, which is one day after Kroger plans to hold an investor meeting in New York…Our old approaches aren’t working,” states the memo, which was circulated internally…” Read more

 

Amazon unveils Small Business Academy to help third-party sellers bolster e-commerce presence by Nat Levy at GeekWire. “Amazon said the next seminar will be in December, but it didn’t give a location. Through grants, Amazon is supporting digital business classes launching in February at community colleges in Houston; Boston; Coeur d’Alene, Idaho; Elyria, Ohio; Fresno, Calif.; and Lakewood, Colo.” Read more

 

Disney Store is the latest retailer hit with an ADA lawsuit over Braille gift cards at Fast Company. Read more

 

Beauty Giant Coty Tries On a Smaller Size by Sharon Terlep at Wall Street Journal. “The maker of CoverGirl cosmetics, Clairol hair dye and OPI nail polish is abandoning a revival plan centered on adding businesses and spitting out new products. The new strategy: shrink, pay down debt and undo a failed makeover of one of its biggest brands.” WSJ subs.

 

California’s Prop 47 leads to rise in shoplifting, thefts, criminal activity across state by Barnini Chakraborty at Fox News. “…black-market dealers frequently cross state lines because they know California will go easy on them if caught. “They know what they’re doing. They will bring in calculators and get all the way up to the $950 limit,” Michelin told Fox News, adding that “one person will go into a store, fill up their backpack, come out, dump it out and go right back in and do it all over again.” Read more

 

Tipsheet Extra

Lead in some Canadian water worse than Flint

The best department store restaurants for dining while shopping

Amazon now sells movie tickets in India

100 c-store owners rally in Boston for sensible tobacco regulations

Unraveling the Secret Origins of an AmazonBasics Battery

Read Tipsheet Extra Stories

 

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