Walmart to offer workers college degrees in health and wellness at CNBC. “…employees pay just $1 a day for an education…(Walmart’s) 1.5 million U.S. workers will now be able to pursue career diplomas for pharmacy technicians and opticians, through the Penn Foster online college. Also, seven bachelor’s degrees in health science, health and wellness and health-care management/administration will be offered through Purdue University Global, Southern New Hampshire University, Bellevue University and Wilmington University.” Read more

 

AutoZone Q4 comp sales +3.0% “For the fiscal year ended August 31, 2019, sales were $11.9 billion, an increase of 5.7% from the prior year.” Press release

 

How Starbucks Got Its Buzz Back by Beth Kowitt at Fortune. “Roz Brewer, chief operating officer of Starbucks, is not by nature a coffee person. In fact, when she joined the company two years ago, her caffeination vehicle of choice was tea (green and iced, thank you). Some might think that her apathy toward java could pose a problem…But since taking the job, Brewer has methodically worked toward earning her barista bona fides…” Read more

 

Old Navy Is About to Sail Away From Gap Inc.—and Into Some Choppy Waters by Phil Wahba at Fortune. “Old Navy employees heading into their San Francisco headquarters on a recent Monday were greeted almost the second they walked in with some bluntly candid customer feedback. “The lines are way too long & your customer service reps are not helpful at all,” griped one shopper. “If I get served one more Old Navy ad on YouTube …” lamented another. The complaints, taken from Old Navy’s social media feeds, whizzed high above staffers’ heads in vivid red type…” Read more

 

Best Buy expands lease-to-own program, joining growing number of retailers by Kavita Kumar at Star Tribune. “(Corie) Barry, who became CEO of Best Buy in June, plans to discuss the lease-to-own program, as well as Best Buy’s overall strategy going forward, at an investors meeting in New York on Wednesday. Best Buy’s partner in the program is Progressive Leasing, which handles similar programs for other retailers…” Tiered subs.

 

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Microsoft helps retailers battle Amazon with new AI and IoT tools for Dynamics 365 by Matt Levy at GeekWire. Read more

 

Costco senior VP Steve Pappas retires after 50-year career in retail by Lyndsey Cambridge at The Grocer. “…he will continue to work on European projects for Costco until January 2020 when he plans to return to the US to live after a 13-year stint residing in the UK. The Grocer understands Louie Silveira has taken on Pappas’ role. Silveira previously held the role of vice president and country manager of Taiwan.” Read more

 

Express, Inc. announces promotion of Matthew Moellering to President “Mr. Moellering joined Express in 2006…(He) served as Interim President and Interim Chief Executive Officer of Express from January 2019 to June 2019.” Press release

 

75 Best Large Workplaces for Women (Wegmans #3, Publix #11, Burlington #39, Sheetz #58, Cumberland Farms #73) List

 

Publix SVP of Real Estate and Facilities Jeff Chamberlain to retire Press release

 

‘Duty-free’ airport shopping: The pricing puzzle by Ed Perkins at Chicago Tribune. “Airports with highest duty-free prices, overall, are Santorini, Sydney, and Zurich; prices at Santorini, Accra, and Athens are high for liquor; at Bangkok, Zurich, and Madrid for cosmetics; at Bangkok, Vienna, and Accra for fragrances, and at Sydney, London/Heathrow, and Paris for tobacco.” Tiered subs.

 

Fresh blow for Marks and Spencer as finance chief quits at Financial Times. Read more

 

‘Maniac’ drives SUV through Schaumburg, IL mall at ABC 7. “Almost hit a bunch of kids on a little train,” said witness Anthony Uchick, who was inside the mall at the time. “Crashed into Forever 21 and his front bumper ended up being in front of where Forever 21 is.”…”All of a sudden I see the car coming through. I was about 10 feet away from the door. I was pretty scared at the same time,” said Frank Alegria.” Video/Read more

 

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Read Tipsheet Extra Stories

 

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