A glitch stalled checkout lines at Target stores worldwide Saturday at AP News. “After an initial but thorough review, we can confirm that this was not a data breach or security-related issue, and no guest information was compromised at any time,” Target said.” Read more

 

…TARGET SAYS SUNDAY OUTAGE NOT RELATED TO SATURDAY – Target customers report issues checking out for second day after weekend outage at CNBC. “Target spokesperson said the company’s payment processor, NCR, experienced issues at one of its data centers. As a consequence, Target was unable to process card payments at some stores for about 90 minutes. The spokesperson said the issue was not security related and was not connected to the outage on Saturday.” Read more

 

Two years in, Amazon has hardly launched a revolution at Whole Foods by Sarah Halzack & Shira Ovide at Bloomberg via LA Times. “Amazon’s lack of imagination at Whole Foods is something we’ve seen repeatedly as the e-commerce giant experiments with physical stores. Amazon’s bookstores aren’t that different from conventional shops. Its 4-star knickknack stores are Hallmark gift stores crossed with Brookstone.” Read more

 

Man killed by off-duty officer in California Costco was ‘mentally challenged,’ cousin says at NBC News. “Police in the city of Corona, 47 miles from Los Angeles, have said French allegedly “assaulted” the off-duty Los Angeles officer “without provocation” inside a Costco store there. The officer, who has not been identified, was holding a young child and shopping with his family, police said.” Read more

 

…LAPD investigates officer’s actions in Costco shooting at AP News. “The shooting prompted a stampede of frightened shoppers, some who fled the store as others sought cover inside. Witnesses reported seeing an argument between two people near a freezer section when shots rang out at least six times.” Read more

 

Amazon shutters Instagram-inspired shopping feed Amazon Spark by Sarah Perez at TechCrunch. “Amazon Spark had been a fairly bland service, if truth be told. Unlike on Instagram, where people follow their friend, interests, brands like they like, and people they find engaging or inspiring, Spark was focused on the shopping and the sale.” Read more

 

Walmart outpaces Amazon in drone patent race by Martin Coulter at Financial Times. “(Walmart) has filed 97 new drone patents with the World Intellectual Property Organisation since July 2018, according to research by accounting firm BDO. In the same period, Amazon registered 54 product ideas. The year before, Walmart submitted 57 patents compared to Amazon’s 54.” Read more

 

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Walmart grocery is now offering a $98 per year “Delivery Unlimited” option by Sarah Perez at TechCrunch. Read more

 

Ocasio-Cortez criticizes Amazon’s Bezos for paying workers ‘starvation wages’ at Fox Business. “When you have a very large workforce and you underpay every single person and then you also participate in taking billions of dollars of government subsidies, that could be part of it,” Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., told ABC’s “This Week” on Sunday, regarding how she believes Bezos attained his wealth.” Read more

 

Mexico blamed Walmart’s size, access to rivals’ data in blocking app deal by Daina Beth Solomon at Reuters. “Cornershop operates in Mexico and Chile, promoting the app as providing delivery of “groceries to your front door in one hour” from retailers including Costco Wholesale Corp, Chedraui and Walmart…Walmart had struck a deal to buy the popular app for $225 million.” Read more

 

Chewy soars as much 86% after IPO pricing at $22 per share at CNBC. Read more

 

Amazon Game Studios confirms reorganization, reportedly cutting ‘dozens’ of developer jobs by James Thorne at GeekWire. “Amazon Game Studios currently only markets one game title, “The Grand Tour Game,” which is based on the Amazon Prime show of the same name and features the former stars of long-running British car series “Top Gear.” Read more

 

Lord & Taylor President Vanessa LeFebvre Exits at Footwear News. Read more

 

Forget the Mall, Shoppers Are Buying Gucci at Airports by Jaewon Kang & Sharon Terlap at Wall Street Journal. “For the first time last year, Estee Lauder Co. generated more revenue at airports globally than at U.S. department stores…” WSJ subs.

 

Phoenix police chief apologizes to family for the ‘unacceptable behavior’ of officers who threatened to shoot them after ‘their daughter, four, stole a $1 Barbie doll’ from a Family Dollar store at 12 News NBC. Video/Read more

 

A mysterious sickness has killed nearly 100 children in India. Could litchi fruit be the cause? by Joanna Slater at Washington Post. “Indian television channels showed scenes of unresponsive children lying several to a bed at a hospital in Muzaffarpur. When Indian Health Minister Harsh Vardhan visited the area on Sunday, he was trailed by angry and grieving relatives.” Tiered subs.

 

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