“Wall Street Guy Goes To Wal-Mart To Mock Protesting Workers” by Hayley Peterson at Business Insider.  “He asked Wal-Mart patrons whether they supported higher wages for the retailer’s workers, and then demanded that they prove their allegiance by giving him 15% of whatever they spent at Wal-Mart that day. He claimed the money would go to Wal-Mart workers.  “Would you contribute 15% of the price of that TV for the Wal-Mart workers?”  The man declined.  “But they are counting on you to pay higher prices!” Schiff yelled.  The video was clearly edited, but in every case, the shoppers declined to donate money.”  See the Video / Read more

 

“Walmart Loves Beyonce’s New Album (And Has Fun Poking Target in the Eye)”  by Keith Caulfield at Billboard.  “Walmart, will be carrying “Beyonce” and it should be in their stores by the end of the week.  Walmart is “happy to be able to carry her album and support all physical music,” says Walmart spokesperson Sarah McKinney…Billboard estimates that iTunes is the largest seller of music in the U.S., with about a 41% share of the market in 2012. Walmart had 10%, while Amazon (9%) and Target (5%) were the third and fourth-largest sellers, respectively.”  Read more

 

“Target Takes Social Media Hits for Not Stocking New Beyoncé Album (but @TheCosby defends!)” at Twitchy.  “Some are suggesting that racism is at play, and possibly sexism as well.”  Read the Tweets

 

“Costco Settles Lawsuit for $8 Million:  Females Passed Over for GM Jobs Could Collect up to $300,000” by Angel Gonzalez at Seattle Times.  “Costco Wholesale has tentatively agreed to pay $8 million and change its promotion procedures to settle a long-running lawsuit that alleges it failed to give female employees an equal shot at management jobs.  In the proposed settlement, the Issaquah-based retailer agreed to establish an $8 million fund to compensate women in the lawsuit.”  Read more

 

“Whole Foods goes local in Brooklyn, gentrifying area near Superfund site” by Beth Cowitt at Fortune.  “Much of the produce will be as local as it gets — supplied by the 20,000 square foot greenhouse on the building’s roof. When it’s fully up and running in a year, it will be the first commercial-scale, fully operational greenhouse atop a retail outlet.”  Read more

 

“Amazon May Get Its First Labor Union in the U.S.” by Brad Stone at Bloomberg.  “According to John Carr, a spokesman for the IAMAW, Amazon and the union have now reached an agreement to go forward with this election. It will be held on Jan. 15 in a conference room at the Delaware facility; only members of the group of 30 technicians will be allowed to vote.”  Read more

 

“Who’s Buying Costco Stock?  Not the Insiders – They’re Selling” by Ben Alberstadt at Dividend.com via Next iPhone News. “Insider buying is best served when the company we’re looking at has seen transactions within the past six months. Over the latest six-month time period, Costco Wholesale Corporation has experienced zero unique insiders buying, and 11 insider sales.”  Read more

 

“Holiday Apparel Sales Weak; 40% Off is the New 20%” by John Ewoldt at Star-Tribune.  “Apparel, usually considered the reliable star for every holiday shopping season, is dimming almost as badly as during the recession of 2008, said Simeon Siegel, an analyst at Nomura Equity Research…Target slashed 40 percent off all regularly priced apparel and accessories in a select group of 89 stores in northern California during Thanksgiving weekend, according to Amy Koo, an industry analyst at Kantar Retail.”  Read more

 

“Online Retailer Faces Lawsuit After Fining Couple $3,500 For Negative Review” by Hayley Peterson at Business Insider.  “Jen Palmer contacted RipoffReport.com to remove her post, but the website told her there is a $2,000 charge for taking down reviews. When the Palmers didn’t pay Kleargear.com the $3,500 fee within 30 days, the company contacted credit bureaus, which dinged their credit score, the lawsuit says.”  Read more

 

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