Walmart expands fashion focus with new private clothing label for men and women at CNBC. “Walmart is launching Free Assembly, a private label of men’s and women’s clothing, which will sell online and in stores…Walmart has a new opportunity to grab market share from apparel retailers like J.C. Penney that have filed for bankruptcy protection and others, such as Kohl’s and Macy’s, that have seen sales drop.” Read more

 

Tropical Storm Beta forecast to make landfall Monday in hurricane-weary Gulf Coast at USA Today. “No longer expected to gain hurricane strength, forecasters also decreased estimated rainfall totals from Beta early Monday, saying in a U.S. National Hurricane Center advisory that up to 15 inches of rain could fall in some areas. That’s down from earlier predictions of up to 20 inches.” Read more

 

Amazon won’t confirm latest rumors of mid-October Prime Day at The Verge. “An Amazon spokesperson told The Verge in an email, however, that the company hasn’t made any announcement regarding the exact timing of the event. “We can confirm PD will take place in Q4,” the spokesperson says.” Read more

 

75 Best Large Workplaces for Women – Target #3 at Fortune. “Wegmans #6, Publix #29…” Ranked list

 

Retailers anxious about socially distant Black Friday rush at NY Post. “We have found that people are willing to wait in line for 11 minutes — but not much longer than that,” (Pandora President) Keswani said…(Pandora) has set up 6-foot kiosks outside 10 of its stores…The kiosks are filled with bestsellers and gift sets that customers can buy without coming inside the store or waiting in line. A Pandora employee is stationed at the kiosk to handle the transaction.” Read more

 

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Consumers take retailers to court over unused gift cards at Fox Business. “Gift-card holders filed proposed class-action claims on Friday in the bankruptcy cases of Lord & Taylor and Sur La Table Inc., seeking priority status for those stuck holding potentially unusable gift cards. At the same time, the law firms representing them are planning to request that the U.S. Trustee, the U.S. government’s bankruptcy watchdog, appoint official consumer committees in the same bankruptcy cases.” Read more

 

In a pandemic, even discount grocer Save A Lot offers grocery delivery, curbside pickup at St. Louis Post Dispatch. Read more

 

Why people are flocking to ugly produce during the pandemic at CNN. “In early 2020, the five-year-old online grocery startup (Imperfect Foods) was delivering about 100,000 food boxes a week. By May, that weekly figure had doubled. From June to August, weekly orders have remained at about 200,000 to 210,000 per week. On average, order sizes have doubled year over year.” Read more

 

Over 2000 Foot Locker stores to become voter registration sites at The Hill. Read more

 

Saks Fifth Avenue CEO: Department stores have failed customers. Here’s how to fix them at Fast Company. “Delivery cycles, all born iteratively through the 20th century, simply never evolved to meet the consumer’s on-demand lifestyle. We see it across the industry: winter boots available in August, fall sweaters on shelves in May, and summer shorts arriving in February. Items everyone needs, but not available when they want them.” Read more

 

Chinese e-commerce retailer JD.com is planning to spin off its health unit and list it on the Hong Kong stock exchange at Reuters. Read more

 

How CEO Gary Friedman Built Restoration Hardware Into RH, a Luxury-Brand Juggernaut at Adweek. Adweek subs.

 

Costco nixes sales of Palmetto Cheese 3 weeks after owner calls BLM ‘terror’ group at Myrtle Beach Online. “However, Henry said in a statement that Costco often rotates its variety of products and is hopeful Palmetto Cheese will return to its stores.” Read more

 

Tipsheet Extra

Taiwan plant hunters race to collect rare species before they are gone

Sony apologizes for PS5 preorders mess, promises more stock over ‘next few days’

Grocery vet rejoins TJX board

Kroger teams with visual AI company Everseen to transform the customer experience

REI Co-op introduces new own brand bikes, preps new shoes

Read Tipsheet Extra Stories

 

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