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☆ Walmart Spark shoppers can remove their tips up to 24 hours after delivery. Drivers say that contributes to a problem of 'tip baiting.'
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-11 | by ( Alex Bitter | Dominick Reuter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

When he works for Walmart's Spark Driver delivery app, it happens a few times a week, he told Business Insider. They traced the problem to a Spark policy giving customers up to 24 hours to reduce or take back their tips. DoorDash's app lets customers only increase a tip or add one — lowering a tip requires calling customer service, a company spokesperson told BI. AdvertisementDrivers can wind up making far less than they expected once the 24 hours is up, a Georgia Spark driver told BI. A Spark driver there told BI his area had too many drivers and that tip baiting wasn't a significant problem.

Persons: —, Dara Khosrowshahi, Spark, Yeji Jesse Lee, it's, Uber, they've, Brock Dickens, they'd, I've Organizations: Service, Business, Google, Walmart, Drivers, BI, Detroit Locations: Indiana, San Francisco, New York City, DoorDash, Carolina, Georgia, Oregon

AdvertisementAdvertisementWalmart employees say working with anti-theft technology at self-checkouts has led to some tense confrontations with customers. The seven former and current Walmart employees Insider interviewed had direct experience with the company's anti-theft self-checkout technology. Athenia Camacho, a former Walmart employee, detailed the process in a recent TikTok video. Walmart prohibits employees from accusing customers of stealing, even if theft is suspected, the seven people who spoke with Insider said. Another Walmart employee in Missouri said she was told to approach customer confrontations with the mindset: "Don't blame the customer.

Persons: —, they're, we're, Joe Pennington, Athenia Camacho, Camacho, Jeffrey Greenberg, SAMUEL CORUM, Dominick Haar, Patti Leroy, Leroy, Dominick Organizations: Walmart, Service, Employees, Universal, Getty, SCO Locations: Arkansas, Florida, Miami , Florida, Doral, Illinois, Missouri, AFP, Southern Illinois, Kentucky

☆ Some Walmart's Spark Delivery Drivers Aren't Who They Say They Are
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-21 | by ( Yeji Jesse Lee | Alex Bitter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +13 min

Walmart's delivery platform, Spark, has tripled its delivery-driver workforce over the past year. Insider spoke to six Spark drivers across the US and a Walmart employee who works with Spark drivers. "We encourage drivers to report any concerns to Spark Driver platform driver support so we can investigate and take the appropriate action." Earlier this year, Spark drivers protested at a Walmart Supercenter in Illinois over what they described as a prevalence of drivers who use bots on Spark. Several Spark drivers said that different stores they deliver for have different policies for checking drivers' IDs before dispensing orders.

Persons: Mike Del Rio, Del Rio, he'd, he's, Del, they've, Scott Olson, it's, John David Rainey, Spark, Joseph, Gregory Carr, Yeji Jesse Lee, Jeffrey Greenberg, They're, we're, We'll, Jessica, Alex Bitter Organizations: Walmart, Service, Walmart's, US, Insider, Universal, Getty Locations: Wall, Silicon, Utah, Del Rio, New Jersey, Mississippi, Texas, Illinois, North Texas, Florida

☆ Walmart workers reveal 7 secret terms they use on the job
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-14 | by ( Yeji Jesse Lee | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Insider spoke to Walmart employees about the slang terms they use at work. According to one Walmart employee, it can happen when they have more product than what fits on the shelf. Another employee told Insider that at their store, they deliberately "plug" to make the shelves look more full if they're running low on stock. While officially, it's called OneWalmart, employees told Insider that everyone just calls it "The Wire." Meat WallThe meat wall is where Walmart stores stock their meat products — from ground beef to chicken to deli meats.

Persons: it's, It's, David J, Phillip, you'll, Jeffrey Greenberg Organizations: Walmart, Service, Privacy, Universal, Getty, Mule Walmart Locations: Wall, Silicon, Texas

☆ A Canadian cannabis company may soon own your favorite craft beer brands
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-08 | by ( Yeji Jesse Lee | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Canadian cannabis company Tilray is one of the biggest craft beer sellers in the US. On Monday, Anheuser-Busch said it was selling 8 craft beer brands to Tilray. Bud Light parent company Anheuser-Busch said on Monday that it was selling off eight of its craft beer brands to a Canadian cannabis company that's been inching into the craft beer space for quite some time now. It would make Tilray the 5th-largest craft beer company in the US, up from its 9th place ranking today, according to analysts from Jefferies. TD Cowen analysts said that craft beer sales declined 6% in 2021 and 9% last year.

Persons: Busch, Bud Light, Bud, that's, Jefferies, TD Cowen, Rafael Marchante, influencer Dylan Mulvaney Organizations: Anheuser, Service, Bud Light, Brands, Breckenridge Brewery, Point Brewing Company, Brewing Company, Redhook, Widmer Brothers Brewing, Cider Company, HiBall Energy, Jefferies, Montauk Brewing Company, SweetWater Brewing Company, Breckenridge, Reuters, US, Busch, Wall, Tilray Locations: Wall, Silicon, Canada, New York, Breckenridge Distillery, Cantanhede, Portugal, Washington

☆ 7 slang terms you'll only know if you work at Walmart
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-05 | by ( Yeji Jesse Lee | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Insider spoke to Walmart employees about the slang terms they use at work. Insider asked current Walmart employees about the words they hear at work. According to one Walmart employee, it can happen when they have more product than what fits on the shelf. While officially, it's called OneWalmart, employees told Insider that everyone just calls it "The Wire." Meat WallThe meat wall is where Walmart stores stock their meat products — from ground beef to chicken to deli meats.

Persons: it's, It's, David J, Phillip, you'll, Jeffrey Greenberg Organizations: Walmart, Service, Privacy, Universal, Getty, Mule Walmart Locations: Wall, Silicon, Texas

☆ Amazon Fresh grocery delivery gets less exclusive: Non-Prime members can now order from some stores
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-03 | by ( Yeji Jesse Lee | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

You may no longer need a Prime membership to order groceries from Amazon Fresh. Amazon said this week that non-Prime members in some cities can now order deliveries through Fresh. Earlier this week, the retail giant began allowing some customers without Amazon Prime subscriptions to order fresh produce without a membership, Bloomberg reported Wednesday. It's also tried to build out its network of Amazon Fresh stores but has struggled — leading to layoffs of hundreds of workers and an expansion pause. See below the cities where non-Prime members can get deliveries from Amazon Fresh today:

Persons: It's, — Organizations: Amazon, Bloomberg, Service, Foods Locations: Wall, Silicon, San Francisco, Boston, Denver, Colorado

☆ Attention Walmart Shoppers: You may soon be hit with a slew of ads while shopping
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-02 | by ( Yeji Jesse Lee | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Walmart is expanding its in-store advertising, as first reported by CNBC. One analyst said that we may be at an "inflection point" for in-store advertising opportunities. While Walmart is expanding its third-party advertisements in stores, it has shown ads through digital screens, TVs, and self-checkout registers for years. Retailers, like Walmart, are beginning to look to their physical stores as ways to bring in more advertisement revenue. Though in-store advertising "remains a nascent market segment," shoppers should be "thought of as 'eyeballs' for brands to reach," the report said.

Persons: there's, Andrew Lipsman, Lipsman Organizations: Walmart, CNBC, Service, Target, Kroger, Intelligence, CNBC . Retailers, Insider Intelligence Walmart, Walmart Radio, Walgreens, Costco Locations: Wall, Silicon

☆ Amazon will soon let you order Doritos and Diet Coke from Whole Foods along with your organic kale
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-02 | by ( Yeji Jesse Lee | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Currently, customers have to order separately from Amazon Fresh, Whole Foods, and Amazon.com. Amazon would like to make it possible to order these kinds of snacks and beverages along with a Whole Foods order. But for now, don't expect to see Doritos or Diet Coke, or other products with these banned ingredients in store. Starting August 2, non-members in select cities in the US will be able to order Fresh groceries to their doorsteps — a service that was limited to only Prime member holders previously. "We will accomplish this by more intentionally bringing together Amazon Fresh, Whole Foods Market, Amazon Go, Amazon Style, and Global Specialty Fulfillment under one global leadership team."

Persons: Coke, Tony Hoggett, Amazon's, Hoggett, Tayfun Organizations: Bloomberg, Amazon, Foods, Service, Tesco, Anadolu Agency, Getty Images Bloomberg Locations: Wall, Silicon

☆ Amazon will soon let you order Doritos and Diet Coke along with your order from Whole Foods
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-02 | by ( Yeji Jesse Lee | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Currently, customers have to order separately from Amazon Fresh, Whole Foods, and Amazon.com. Amazon would like to make it possible to order these kinds of snacks and beverages along with a Whole Foods order. But for now, don't expect to see Doritos or Diet Coke or other products with these banned ingredients in stores. Starting Wednesday, nonmembers in some US cities will be able to order Fresh groceries to their doorsteps — a service that has been limited to Prime members. "We will accomplish this by more intentionally bringing together Amazon Fresh, Whole Foods Market, Amazon Go, Amazon Style, and Global Specialty Fulfillment under one global leadership team."

Persons: Coke, Tony Hoggett, Amazon's, Hoggett, Tayfun Organizations: Bloomberg, Amazon, Foods, Service, Tesco, Anadolu Agency, Getty Images Bloomberg Locations: Wall, Silicon, nonmembers

☆ Walmart is discounting its Walmart+ membership for customers on government assistance. Here's how to apply.
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-20 | by ( Yeji Jesse Lee | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Walmart said on Thursday that it would offer its Walmart+ membership at half price to some customers. The number of Amazon Prime memberships dropped for the first time last year, according to one estimate. Amazon still had around 168 million Prime members in the US and 200 million members globally at the end of 2022. A Walmart spokesperson declined to provide membership statistics for Walmart+ or to comment on projected enrollments in the half-price program but said that about a quarter of its current Walmart+ members rely on EBT payments. Here's how to applyBoth current and new Walmart+ members can apply for the discounted rate by verifying their eligibility on Walmart's website.

Persons: Vermont Sen, Bernie Sanders Organizations: Walmart, SNAP, Service, Privacy, Paramount, Amazon, WIC, Medicaid Locations: Wall, Silicon, Vermont

☆ You can now find Costco-style low prices for generic prescription drugs at Kroger in a partnership with Mark Cuban's online pharmacy
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-20 | by ( Alex Bitter | Yeji Jesse Lee | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Kroger is working with Mark Cuban's Cost Plus Drugs to offer some prescriptions at its pharmacies. Cost Plus customers can now pick up their drugs at one of 2,000 Kroger pharmacies. Patients who get their drugs through Cost Plus Drugs can now pick them up at one of 2,000 stores operated by Kroger, Cost Plus tweeted on Wednesday. He started Cost Plus in 2022. Cost Plus Drugs buys drugs directly from the manufacturer and ships them to patients at a 15% markup plus pharmacy fees.

Persons: Kroger, Mark Cuban's, Mark, — Mark, It's Organizations: Service, Kroger, — Mark Cuban, Plus Drug, Dallas Mavericks NBA, Costco, Walmart, Albertsons, Intelligence Locations: Wall, Silicon, Ralph's, Cuban

☆ Meet Nancy Walton Laurie, the Walmart heiress whose $300 million yacht got spray-painted by climate activists
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-17 | by ( Yeji Jesse Lee | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

Nancy Walton Laurie is the daughter of Walmart cofounder James "Bud" Walton. The 361-feet long yacht is worth an estimated $300 million and is called the "Kaos," It includes a swimming pool, cinema, spa, and aquarium, according to Yacht Bible. It also belongs to one of the wealthiest women in the world, Walmart heiress Nancy Walton Laurie. After activists spray-painted the stern of the yacht, they held up a sign that read "You consume others suffer." Here's what you need to know about Nancy Walton Laurie.

Persons: Nancy Walton Laurie, James, Bud, Walton, Nancy Organizations: Walmart, Service, Twitter Locations: Ibiza, Spain

☆ I've been delivering hundreds of Amazon packages for Prime Day. It's hot and the job is draining. I don't think I'll do this again.
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-15 | by ( Yeji Jesse Lee | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Around Amazon's Prime Day, delivery drivers are faced with long shifts and mountains of packages. He described what it's like working Amazon's massive Prime Day sale, which took place on July 11 and 12. I don't think it's as bad as it could be, but I mean, I'm just speaking for myself. I think it's a nice touch, but I mean, I don't think it's anything major, you know? I just don't think for the amount that we get paid, that the work is really worth it sometimes.

Persons: didn't, We've, we're, I've, I'm, We're Organizations: Service, Amazon Locations: Wall, Silicon, New York

☆ Amazon reveals the top-selling item during its Prime Day extravaganza: Temptations cat treats.
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-14 | by ( Yeji Jesse Lee | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

A Numerator analysis found that cat treats were the top-selling item during Prime Day 2023. Numerator said that this year, the typical Prime Day shopper was a high-income suburban woman between the ages of 35 and 44. On top of being a long-time Prime member, she had been aware of Prime Day before shopping its sales and had participated in Prime Day shopping in previous years. The top five best-selling items during Prime Day, in order, were: Temptations Cat Treats, an Amazon Fire TV Stick, Liquid I.V. Most households placed at least two orders during this year's Prime Day and spent around $155.67 total during the two days.

Persons: Echo Organizations: Service, Amazon's, Amazon, Shoppers, Prime Locations: Wall, Silicon

☆ Walmart customers kept accidentally buying $49 Walmart+ memberships at self-checkout, forcing the company to abruptly yank a promotion
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-12 | by ( Yeji Jesse Lee | Dominick Reuter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

The company has been pushing discounted memberships during its Walmart Plus Week event. The membership offer was part of Walmart Plus Week, the retailer's answer to Amazon's Prime Day. Just like the Amazon program, Walmart Plus Week is about not just sales, but driving new members to sign up for the service, which normally costs Walmart shoppers $98 a year. A push to grow Walmart+Walmart has pushed to grow its Walmart+ membership base for some time now. Are you a Walmart employee or a shopper with a story to share?

Persons: Dominick Reuter, Yeji Lee Organizations: Walmart, Service, Privacy, Paramount, Amazon, Wisconsin Walmart Locations: Wall, Silicon, Wisconsin, Texas

☆ Free shipping as we knew it is over
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-11 | by ( Yeji Jesse Lee | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Most online shoppers have come expect free shipping, according to a recent survey. It says companies like Macy's and Abercrombie & Fitch have raised their free shipping minimums online. Free shipping "wasn't going to last, and finally the party is over," Satish Jindel, president of shipping data company ShipMatrix, told the Journal. According to data from shipping technology firm Shippo, nearly two-thirds of Americans said they wouldn't buy something online without free shipping. "Having some type of free shipping option is now a permanent expectation," Krish Iyer, vice president of strategic partnerships at shipping software company Auctane, told Insider earlier this year.

Persons: Fitch, Narvar, Satish Jindel, minimums, Krish Iyer Organizations: Service, Privacy, Wall Street Journal, Retailers, Abercrombie, Amazon, Amazon Prime, Insider Intelligence, Carriers, UPS, FedEx, DHL Locations: Wall, Silicon, Narvar

☆ Amazon has lost market share for the Prime Day shopping holiday it invented. Walmart is setting itself up for a bigger slice of those sales.
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-10 | by ( Yeji Jesse Lee | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Walmart once again is looking to compete directly with Amazon's Prime Day. In previous years, the company held "Rollbacks and More" events in July to compete with Prime Day, and last year Walmart launched a summer savings event called Walmart+ Weekend which took place just before Amazon Prime Day. Walmart is holding a summer savings event called 'Walmart Plus Week' between July 10 and 13, around the same time as Amazon's Prime Day. "Amazon's Prime Day market share will continue to slip, dropping from 62.0% in 2018 to an expected 59.6% in 2023," the report said. Roots of Walmart-Amazon Prime Day rivalryThe yearly battle over customers between Walmart and Amazon's Prime Day could date as far back as 2015.

Persons: Andrew Lipsman, Lipsman, Marc Lore, Jason Del Rey Organizations: Walmart, Amazon's, Service, Amazon, Intelligence, Insider Intelligence, Target, Jet, Target Circle Locations: Wall, Silicon, Amazon

Since 2015, Prime Day sales have risen to more than $7 billion and could top $8 billion this year. Now in its ninth year, Amazon's annual Prime Day has become a fact of American life — a quasi-holiday that retailers of all types pile into. Protestors in New York raising awareness of Amazon facilitating ICE surveillance efforts coinciding with Amazon Prime Day 2019. How Prime Day is goingLast year, Amazon drove more than $7 billion in sales through its Prime Day sales, according to Insider Intelligence. The number of Amazon Prime account holders has ballooned too, with nearly 175 million people using Amazon Prime in the US today — around two-thirds of the country's population — according to a report by Insider Intelligence.

Persons: Michael M, Jack Ma's Alibaba, Diego Piacentini, Jeff Bezos, Brad Stone, Bezos, Execs, Stone, Meagan Wulff Reibstein, Wulff, Kevin Hagen, Brian Olsavsky, Rafael Henrique, Scott Olson, Andrew Lipsman, Lipsman, — Organizations: Amazon Prime, Companies, Amazon, Intelligence, Insider Intelligence, Workers, Walmart, Getty, Target, Target Circle, Black, Prime Locations: China, Tokyo, London, Paris, Munich, Japan, Europe, New York

☆ Nike's biggest threat is coming from young brands like Hoka and On Running
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-03 | by ( Yeji Jesse Lee | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Emerging brands like Hoka and On are beginning to compete against sneaker giant Nike. Analysts say they're concerned Nike's over-distribution is leading to "lifestyle sneaker fatigue." In four years, Hoka and On spent the equivalent of what Nike spends in two weeks. "Running has been a competitive battlefield lately with more and more brands joining the market," Donahoe said, but Nike saw 10% growth for its running footwear business over the past year, he added. "There is no newness coming out of Nike," Sam Poser, an analyst at Williams Trading said earlier this year.

Persons: —, TD Cowen, John Donahoe, Donahoe, Locker, Sam Poser Organizations: sneaker, Nike, Analysts, Service, Williams Trading

☆ A Walmart delivery driver said his weekly earnings dropped from $1,500 to $200 due to competition from bots — and it's a growing problem, workers say
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-30 | by ( Alex Bitter | Yeji Jesse Lee | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Chicago area gig workers who use Walmart's delivery platform Spark say bots are a growing issue. They say users who deploy bots make it harder for them to make enough money on the platform. It's unclear exactly how prevalent bots are on Walmart's Spark platform. Workers who fill orders for multiple apps, from Instacart to DoorDash, have used — and complained — about bots for years. Gig workers can set bots to claim specific orders, such as those with delivery addresses close to them.

Persons: —, Nancy Marcos, Eric Guzman, it's Organizations: Drivers, Walmart, Chicago Tribune, Service, Tribune, Workers Locations: Chicago, Illinois, Cicero , Illinois, Cicero, Bedford Park, Forest, Instacart

☆ T.J. Maxx's small presence on the web is giving Shein and Temu a big advantage
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-30 | by ( Yeji Jesse Lee | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Analysts said that rivals like Shein and Temu pose "major threats" to brands like T.J. Maxx. Certain brands can't be searched for directly by name on T.J. Maxx's online store. E-commerce is just a small part of TJX's businessShein and T.J. Maxx share a similar customer base. A representative for TJX declined to comment when Insider asked about the growing competition from companies like Shein and Temu and whether TJX plans to expand its online presence. Customers said that they liked shopping at T.J. Maxx because the brand offers good value for money and a chance to hunt for good deals.

Persons: Maxx, —, John Klinger, Calvin Klein, Gucci —, Ernie Herrman, TJX's Herrman Organizations: Service, UBS, TJX's, Nike, TJX, Customers, Maxx Locations: Maxx, Sierra, COVID

☆ See inside Coach Airways, where you can shop for clothes and sip on coffee inside a converted Boeing 747
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-28 | by ( Yeji Jesse Lee | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: 1 min

The concept store is called Coach Airways. The project took two years, and the store opened to the public earlier this month at the Freeport A'Famosa Outlet in Malaysia. Coach Airways at Freeport A’Famosa Outlet

Organizations: Airways, Coach Airways Locations: Freeport, Outlet, Malaysia

☆ See the 12 major retailers most likely to take a hit when people start repaying their student loans
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-27 | by ( Yeji Jesse Lee | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

The investment banking firm found that more than a third of student debt holders' discretionary dollars go to the three retail giants. "The impending resumption of student loan payments could be a headwind to consumer spending ahead," the note said. Consumers with student debt spend around 18.58% of their discretionary spending at Amazon alone, according to consumer data company Numerator. Interest on student loan debt will start to accrue again in September, after a long pause that started at early in the pandemic. Meanwhile, the US Supreme Court is expected to rule this week on President Joe Biden's plan to cancel up to $20,000 in student debt.

Persons: —, Jefferies, Ross, Joe Biden's Organizations: Jefferies, Walmart, Target, Service, Amazon, Costco, UBS

☆ A TikTok craze has people stealing dishes and glasses from restaurants, and it's revealing a long history of sticky-fingered diners
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-24 | by ( Yeji Jesse Lee | Nancy Luna | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Restaurant owners say the trend shows just how often things go missing at their establishments. Restaurant owners told Insider that customers who deploy the five-finger discount have been around for as long as they can remember but TikTok has given people an opportunity to share their exploits. "I actually have to stock them in my apartment," he told Insider. Some restaurant owners are trying to look at the bright side. Occasionally, he said, he's even seen people post videos of house parties where, in the background, he can see partiers drinking out of one of his bar's glasses.

Persons: —, Chris Klemens, Klemens, , Andrew Rigie, Chapman, Wil Dee, Dee, Mathias Van Leyden, Loulou, he's, Petit, Dee hadn't, Van Leyden, they're, Sands, Fritz Brogan, Brogan Organizations: Service, New, Hospitality Alliance, Orange County, Food & Wine, Mission, Royal Sands Social Locations: New York, Orange, Southern California, Orange , California, Manhattan, Washington, DC

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