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☆ Shoplifting's biggest enablers might be the retailers themselves
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-16 | by ( Alex Bitter | Dominick Reuter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

But Walmart, Target, and other chains's own policies and practices could be worsening the problem. From conflicting policies to understaffing, retailers can make it hard for workers to prevent theft. That's because major retailers, including Walmart, Target, and others, have policies that sometimes prevent their own staff from addressing shoplifting at their stores, current and former employees told Business Insider. Among the report's recommendations for retailers: Hire enough employees at stores, and make sure they aren't constantly overworked. Do you work at Walmart, Target, or another major retailer and have a story idea to share?

Persons: —, Rhea Gordon, Gordon, Lululemon, Calvin McDonald, Santino Burrola, Thea Sebastian, Hanna Love, Sebastian, Love, everything's Organizations: Walmart, Target, Service, Business, BI, CNBC, company's, Futures Institute, Brookings Locations: North Carolina, Colorado, California, Montana

☆ Some Walmart stores are limiting self-checkout lanes just for Spark drivers and Walmart+ customers
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-04 | by ( Dominick Reuter | Alex Bitter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Read previewYou might need an app on your phone to use self-checkout during your next trip to Walmart — the lanes might be one reserved for the retailer's Spark delivery drivers or Walmart+ subscribers. Drivers with the company's Spark delivery platform told Business Insider they've seen the limited kiosks at their stores, and photos showing cordoned-off lanes have been cropping up on social media over the past few weeks. At these stores, shoppers need to use the full-service lanes unless they're buying for themselves using the Walmart app's scan-and-go feature or for someone else using the Spark app. A Spark driver in California told BI that designated lanes for Spark drivers showed up at a store there at the end of February. Requiring shoppers to log in to an account before using self-checkout could help stem some of those losses.

Persons: —, they've, Joe Pennington, Pennington, they're, abitter@businessinsider.com Organizations: Service, Walmart, Business Locations: California

☆ A viral video appears to show Walmart Spark shoppers with perishable groceries waiting for a ride in the Arizona sun
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-19 | by ( Alex Bitter | Dominick Reuter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

A viral video appears to show Walmart Spark workers leaving perishable groceries in the sun. Some Spark drivers appear to be using fraudulent identities, as Business Insider previously reported. Additionally, many Spark drivers appear to be using accounts with names other than their own. Walmart previously told BI that selling, renting, or borrowing accounts goes against its policies for Spark workers. Do you work for Walmart Spark and have a story idea to share?

Persons: —, Aaron, YouTube Aaron, Aaron said, wasn't, they've, he'd, dreuter@businessinsider.com Organizations: Walmart, YouTube, Arizona Walmart, Business, Service, Spark ., Spark Locations: Arizona, Chandler , Arizona

☆ Walmart wants to use AI to restock your fridge automatically
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-10 | by ( Alex Bitter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Walmart is starting to use AI to figure out how often you order groceries and order them for delivery. The service will soon be part of Walmart's InHome delivery, according to its presentation at CES. Walmart customers can set up deliveries of essentials at regular intervals, a service the big box chain started offering last year. The company started offering InHome delivery in 2019. Spark's gig delivery workers aren't allowed to enter customers' homes, a point of confusion for Walmart customers who think Spark contractors make InHome deliveries.

Persons: —, Whitney Pegden, Walmart InHome, Pegden Organizations: Walmart, Service, Consumer Locations: Las Vegas

☆ Walmart Black Friday crowds and chaos are a thing of the past
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-21 | by ( Alex Bitter | Dominick Reuter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

One current and two former Walmart employees told Business Insider that stores in recent years aren't bracing for chaos on the day after Thanksgiving. AdvertisementInstead of one day of sales, Walmart now offers a series of items on mark-down, from pajamas to electronics. "It's made just for Black Friday," Baker said of on-sale products that might otherwise appear similar to regularly available merchandise. AdvertisementA Black Friday sales event at a Walmart Supercenter on November 14, 2023. Advertisement"Because of my time at Walmart, because me and my husband both have done it, we just don't do Black Fridays," she said.

Persons: —, Karen Baker, Baker, Athenia Camacho, Brittany Chang, hasn't, Camacho, It's, " Baker, it's, Mario Tama, abitter@businessinsider.com Organizations: Walmart, Service, Business, Southwest . Business, Black, Southwest Locations: California, Southwest

☆ Walmart Black Friday crowds and chaos are a thing of the past — but the deals could be better than ever
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-21 | by ( Alex Bitter | Dominick Reuter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Sales are spread over multiple weeks, and shoppers are going online to snag deals instead of lining up outside a store. Former Walmart employee Karen Baker told Business Insider she worked each Black Friday in her decade with the company and described it as a "free for all." One current and two former Walmart employees told Business Insider that stores in recent years aren't bracing for chaos on the day after Thanksgiving. "It's made just for Black Friday," Baker said of on-sale products that might otherwise appear similar to regularly available merchandise. "Because of my time at Walmart, because me and my husband both have done it, we just don't do Black Fridays," she said.

☆ Costco is mandating that its tech employees work in the office at least three days a week, internal memo shows
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-28 | by ( Ashley Stewart | Dominick Reuter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Costco wants its tech employees to work from the office at least three days a week beginning in January, according to a memo viewed by Insider. Starting January 2, individual contributors and supervisors must work from the office a minimum of three days, managers must work in the office a minimum of four days, and directors and above must work on site full-time, Costco Chief Information Officer Terry Williams told employees in an email. Costco has a similar policy for other corporate employees, but allowed for flexibility for IT employees until now. Another tech challenge for the company is its continued reliance on archaic warehouse management software for inventory management, which several employees have told Insider is a frequent source of frustration. The company doesn't specify how many of those employees are corporate, nor how many work in IT.

Persons: Terry Williams, Richard Galanti, Galanti, Dominick Reuter Organizations: Costco, IT, Apple, Sam's, U.S Locations: Issaquah, Washington

☆ Costco is telling Instacart shoppers: Stop lurking in the parking lot while you wait for orders
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-06 | by ( Alex Bitter | Dominick Reuter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Some Costco locations are asking Instacart workers to wait outside of their parking lots. "I'm sure there are some people who are doing dumb stuff in parking lots," one commenter on the Reddit post said. Instacart does not require shoppers to wait in a store's parking lot to be eligible for an order. "Shoppers who are shopping an active batch may utilize the Costco parking lot," Instacart said. "Access to batches extends beyond each Costco parking lot," the company said.

Persons: —, we're, Instacart, Alex Bitter, Dominick Reuter Organizations: Costco, Costco doesn't, Walmart, Target, Service, Shoppers, dreuter Locations: Los Angeles

☆ Luxury retail workers earn about $45,000 per year to sell handbags and jewelry that can cost more than their take-home pay
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-30 | by ( Dominick Reuter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Luxury brands are increasingly having trouble finding and retaining talent for high-touch sales roles. Entry-level associates earn about $35,000 base pay per year, plus about $10,000 commission. On average, luxury retail sales associates earn about $35,000 base pay per year, plus about $10,000 commission, per Glassdoor data. A job at Gucci required three years of luxury fashion experience and the ability to "maintain an active, accurate, neat and organized client book," per BoF. Do you work in luxury retail?

Persons: —, salespeople, Sandy Sholl, there's, Teddy Bear, Jessica Cloutier, Nordstrom's, Cloutier, Neiman Marcus, Sukeena Rao, Dominick Organizations: Service, Target, Walmart, MadaLuxe, Business, Gucci, SMCP, Saks Fifth Locations: Costco, Patagonia

☆ Walmart and Target employees reveal the most dangerous parts of working in retail, from towers of boxes to armed customers and inattentive drivers
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-12 | by ( Dominick Reuter | Ben Tobin | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Front-line retail workers face a variety of workplace hazards both inside and outside their stores. "There are a lot of dangerous aspects to working retail," said a Walmart employee of eight years who works at a store in Minnesota. In a statement to Insider, Walmart said, "The safety of our customers, suppliers, and associates is a top priority. Insider spoke to a dozen current and former Walmart and Target employees nationwide to understand the dangers that retail workers face on the job. Three Walmart employees and a former Target executive team lead told Insider about incidents with customers wielding guns.

☆ Viral TikTok shows a Target San Francisco store going to extreme measures to deter shoplifters, with an entire aisle locked up
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-25 | by ( Dominick Reuter | Ben Tobin | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

A TikTok video showing an aisle of items including toothpaste and razors under lock and key has gone viral. News outlets cited it as further evidence of "a shoplifting crisis that has crippled retailers" in San Francisco. A recent study found low-cost items in the health and beauty section are a top target for retail thieves. The new TikTok video only shows one aisle and the rear of the store, and a Target spokesperson told Fox News that other aisles were not so heavily protected. "We're taking proactive measures to keep our teams and guests safe while deterring and preventing theft," a Target spokesperson said in a statement to Insider.

☆ Walmart is closing a batch of stores in 2023 — here's the full list
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-15 | by ( Ben Tobin | Dominick Reuter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

Walmart will close five stores in four states: Illinois, Wisconsin, New Mexico, and Florida. The company is also winding down its two remaining pickup locations in Illinois and Arkansas. The recent closures follow a trend of Walmart closing a handful of stores across various states each year, with the company saying that the stores are "underperforming" without providing specifics. In addition, the retail giant is ending its nine-year experiment with two pick-up only locations in Illinois and Arkansas. SE, AlbuquerqueWisconsin:10330 W. Silver Spring Dr, MilwaukeeDo you shop at one of the Walmart stores above and want to share your thoughts?

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