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☆ Locked-up merchandise is turning off shoppers at CVS, Walgreens, and other big drugstores
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-11 | by ( Alex Bitter | Dominick Reuter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Read previewDrugstores like CVS, Walgreens, and Rite Aid have long been the spots where you can pick up essentials like a can of soup or some Tylenol in addition to your prescriptions. Another appears to show a Rite Aid store with an even wider selection of locked-up merchandise, including tortilla chips and microwavable ramen. Rite Aid did not immediately respond to a request for comment. She said she even avoids taking orders that involve shopping at one particular Walgreens store due to all the locked-up goods there. Do you work at CVS, Walgreens, Rite Aid, or another drugstore chain and have a story idea to share?

Persons: —, that's, Neil Saunders, Saunders, Duane Reade, Walgreens execs, Tim Wentworth, GlobalData's Saunders, dreuter@businessinsider.com Organizations: Service, Walgreens, Rite, Business, Global, CVS, Rite Aid, Companies, Walmart, Target Locations: Brooklyn , New York, Nevada

☆ Americans aren't spending like they used to, and it's forcing a reckoning for companies from Starbucks to Whirlpool
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-31 | by ( Alex Bitter | Dominick Reuter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Read previewShoppers are slowing down spending on everything from burgers to dishwashers, and that's bad news for a growing number of companies. While inflation has since cooled, Americans are still stuck with higher prices for many of the things they buy. Shoppers are slowing down food spending — even at grocery storesThe spending slowdown has hit restaurant chains, which have launched new deals to get customers in the door. Over the past two years, income growth has helped consumer spending beat expectations, Jefferies analyst Corey Tarlowe said in a note on Monday. One bright spot in consumer spending: Cruises, which are seeing record demand.

Persons: —, McDonald's, Burger, Taco, Jefferies, ETIENNE LAURENT, Laxman Narasimhan, It's, Dirk Van de, Van de, Andrew M, Watterson, Michael Liersch, Wells, Corey Tarlowe, Horacio Villalobos, dreuter@businessinsider.com Organizations: Service, PepsiCo, UPS, Business, Shoppers, Burger King, Taco Bell, Starbucks, Getty, Walmart, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Unilever, Whirlpool, Airlines, Jefferies, Costco Locations: Pellegrino, North America

☆ Gen Z's latest hot club is Costco
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-05 | by ( Alex Bitter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Read previewOne of Gen Z's biggest tools for fighting persistently high food prices: Sharing a big cart of groceries — and potentially a membership card — from Costco or Sam's Club with roommates or family. Costco and Sam's Club might be happy for the new customers, but they're likely less eager about those who share membership cards to make the purchases. Wholesale retailers like Costco and Sam's Club have long appealed to consumers who shop for big families or parties. But some single people say a Costco membership makes sense for them thanks to benefits like savings on gas. Are you a shopper or employee at Costco or Sam's Club with a story idea to share?

Persons: —, Z, Devak Nanda, Nanda, abitter@businessinsider.com Organizations: Service, Costco, Sam's, Wall Street, Business, Sam's Club, Walmart, of Illinois, Champaign, Devak Locations: of Illinois Urbana

☆ 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 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.

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