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☆ 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

☆ Why cities want to ban new drive-thrus
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-24 | by ( Nathaniel Meyersohn | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

Magnets of traffic and congestion, drive-thrus discourage walking, public transit use and visits to neighboring businesses. A host of cities and regions want the sprawl to stop: Atlanta lawmakers will vote this summer on whether to ban new drive-thrus in the popular Beltline area. Minneapolis; Fair Haven, New Jersey; Creve Coeur, Missouri; Orchard Park, New York, and other cities have banned new drive-thrus in recent years. Experts say pedestrian safety can be improved by tightly managing access along arterial roads and locating drive-thrus away from them. Cities push backAtlanta City Councilman Jason Dozier proposed a bill this year to block new drive-thrus around the Atlanta Beltline, a pedestrian trail along a 22-mile railroad corridor.

Persons: Creve, ”, David Dixon, Jack, Wendy’s, Sweetgreen, Taco Bell, Leonard Ortiz, Eric Dumbaugh, David Paul Morris, Dixon, Stantec, Jason Dozier, Dozier’s, “, ” Dozier, Marilyn Nieves, iStockphoto, Levi Thatcher, Charlotte, Keba Samuel Organizations: New, New York CNN, Starbucks, Smithsonian, Companies, MediaNews, Orange, Register, Florida Atlantic University, “, CNN, Bloomberg, Atlanta City, Atlanta, Atlanta Beltline, Sugar House, Sugar, Transportation, Charlotte Planning, Charlotte City Locations: New York, Atlanta, Minneapolis, Fair Haven , New Jersey, Creve Coeur , Missouri, Orchard, , New York, Southern California, Long, Pittsburgh, Mesa , Arizona, “, ”, California, Santa Ana , California, driveways, Atlanta’s, Salt Lake City, Charlotte, WCNC

☆ Catastrophe-proof and dirt cheap — Home Depot's $44,000 DIY tiny house underscores America's obsession with small living
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-14 | by ( Laurin Meyer | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

In Germany, the trend towards tiny houses is associated with financial risks due to the peculiarities of German law. And it seems that Americans are also thrilled about the hardware store house. Excessive regulations and requirements hinder tiny houses in GermanyNevertheless, the demand for tiny houses is also growing in Germany. "It is easier to build your tiny house according to the individual building regulations of the selected property than to first build the tiny house and then look for a plot of land," explains the German Tiny House Association. Furthermore, it is often generally expensive to find a suitable place for one's own tiny house.

Persons: —, Nature, Zillow Organizations: Service, Home Depot, Twitter, Tiny House Association . Locations: Germany, United States, California, Oklahoma

We used a professional device called a sound level meter to record the decibel levels of common sounds and environments. According to the World Health Organization, average road traffic noise above 53 dB or average aircraft noise exposure above about 45 dB are associated with adverse health effects. This chart shows how many people in the United States may be exposed to various outdoor noise levels, on average. Scientists believe that pronounced fluctuations in noise levels like this might compound the effects on the body. Nighttime noise shows similar inequities.

Persons: D’Lo, Jackhammers clack, San Diego —, Reagan, George Jackson, Mendenhall, Carolyn Fletcher, Ron Allen Organizations: Bankers, San Diego, thunders, Massachusetts General Hospital, World Health Organization, Department of Transportation, Queens, High Tech Middle School, San Diego International Airport, dBs, Noise, Environmental Protection Agency, Occupational Safety, Health, European Union Locations: San, Bankers Hill, San Diego, Greenpoint , Brooklyn, Brooklyn, D’Lo, Miss, Mississippi, New York City, California, New Jersey, Massachusetts, United States, U.S, Point Loma, Swiss, Paris, Berlin, Switzerland

☆ Many Walmart shoppers will soon see new packaging as retailer tries to cut waste
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-01 | by ( Melissa Repko | In Melissa-Repko | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

—‎‏ Shoppers who click the "buy" button on Walmart 's website and pick up items curbside will soon spot a difference: new packaging. "It's about making sustainability the everyday choice for our customers," said Jane Ewing, Walmart's senior vice president of sustainability. Walmart wants to reduce packaging as online sales become a bigger part of its business. Other retailers are trying to cut down on packaging and cater to customers who care about sustainability, too. Amazon has also used more made-to-fit packaging after investing two years ago in CMC, a company that makes the packaging machine.

Persons: Jane Ewing, Walmart's Organizations: Walmart, U.S, Target Locations: BENTONVILLE, Ark, U.S

☆ McDonald's and Chick-fil-A are tracking your location to make sure your fries are perfectly crispy when you come collect your mobile order
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-29 | by ( Grace Dean | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

McDonald's and Chick-fil-A are tracking the locations of customers who place mobile orders. McDonald's introduced a geofencing feature to its app in March. Restaurant Business reported that McDonald's geofencing technology alerts a restaurant when a mobile order customer is three minutes away. It includes an order-ahead lane where customers can drive up and retrieve mobile orders from a conveyer belt, dedicated parking spots for delivery drivers, and pick-up shelves where customers can collect orders. Chick-fil-A has also tested an express drive-thru lane exclusively for mobile orders, allowing them to skip the traditional drive-thru line.

☆ To Fight Rats, N.Y.C. Restaurants Will Have to Put Trash in Containers
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-18 | by ( Emma G. Fitzsimmons | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

In the latest front in New York City’s fight against the proliferation of trash and rats, city officials plan to require restaurants and bodegas to set out trash in containers instead of bags. The move would address one of New York’s ubiquitous, age-old eyesores: the heaps of smelly trash bags filled with restaurant food scraps and liquids that remain at curbside for hours at night, providing easy targets for rats until commercial haulers arrive. “We want people to understand that bags on the street attract rats, and we need everyone to do their part — residents, businesses and the city — to get the black bags of rat food off the streets,” Ms. Tisch said. The rule would apply to a wide range of businesses that produce most of the city’s food waste: catering companies, food manufacturers, restaurants, food wholesalers and retail food stores. They would be required to put trash at the curb in “rigid receptacles with tight-fitting lids.”

☆ Target will report earnings before the bell. Here's what to watch
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-17 | by ( Melissa Repko | In Melissa-Repko | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

A customer is seen in the parking lot of the Target store at the Paxton Towne Centre near Harrisburg. Target will report fiscal first-quarter earnings before the bell as pricier groceries, rising mortgage rates and summer vacations weigh on wallets. On Tuesday, Home Depot's quarterly results sent a troubling signal as retail earnings season gained steam. The home improvement retailer, which missed on revenue and lowered its forecast, could be a warning sign about Target's quarterly results, too. Target missed earnings expectations for three consecutive quarters before eking past its own lowered forecast in the holiday quarter.

☆ How a fleet of smart technology recycling trucks could help minimize waste
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-16 | by ( Sponsor Post | Created Wm With Insider Studios | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

"It comes down to clarity," said Brent Bell, vice president of recycling, WM. At WM, we are using technology to help remove the guesswork and educate our customers, so more materials can be captured and used again." Here's how Smart TruckSM works: When WM trucks collect recyclables from customer bins, cameras and sensors scan the materials and capture real-time video of the contents. WM"During our Smart TruckSM pilot, we found the technology and connected educational efforts reduced recycling contamination by more than 20%," said Pam Jansen, a WM director who oversees the Smart TruckSM program. Smart TruckSM and WM's investments are expected to help.

I used to love thrifting, but the disabled tax means that's not a viable choice for me due to long COVID. But I'd never heard of the disabled tax, or, as some disabled people have reclaimed it, the "crip tax." The disabled tax affects all disabled people differentlyLike the pink tax, the disabled tax isn't charged by governments, but by society itself. The disabled tax manifests in unique ways for all disabled people. Before long COVID, I'd long prided myself for a frugality that helped my family live well even on just one income.

☆ Target rolls out curbside returns as retailers hope convenience will boost sales
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-26 | by ( Melissa Repko | In Melissa-Repko | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +8 min

The company hopes convenient perks like curbside returns will boost customer loyalty and jolt sales. Neither company would quantify the use of curbside pickup or returns, but Walmart said it has seen nearly double the volume of customers using curbside returns from its launch across the chain last fall compared with this month. At Target's investor day in late February, Citibank analyst Paul Lejuez asked if the retailer would ultimately miss out on purchases by adding curbside returns. He said allowing curbside returns also helps the retailer get unwanted items back on the sales floor faster and lowers the cost of mail-in returns. For Target, curbside returns could serve as a differentiator and a complement to the merchandise mix it sells, Hoyler said.

☆ I increased a property's value by $78,000 with DIY renovations that cost under $2,000. See the before-and-after pictures, plus how I stayed on budget.
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-25 | by ( Salina Jivani | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

A friend asked for Juliff's help to refresh her London apartment on a tight budget of under $2,000. Here's how she increased the home's value by $78,000, as told to Salina Jivani. During this time, my husband and I decided to sell our apartment in London and purchase anotherOur apartment sold in January 2021, but our purchase fell through. Upon hearing our dilemma, a close friend reached out to another person in her network who had an empty apartment in London. Once the remodeling was over, my friend got the apartment appraisedThe real-estate agency valued the home at $78,000 more than before.

☆ Recycling plastic can be a little confusing. Here's what the numbers inside the recycling symbol mean
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-22 | by ( Lindsey Jacobson | In | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Plastics labeled with a number 1 are about 20.9% likely to be reprocessed, according to the Greenpeace report. It is still important to know the difference between the types of plastics, since municipalities handle each type of plastic differently. This type of plastic film is often collected separately from plastics labeled 1 and 2. Polystyrene, or PS, is labeled number 6 and can be used to make takeaway containers, coffee cups, insulation and disposable coolers. Finally, plastics labeled number 7 are a mixture of various types of plastics.

☆ Rodents beware: New York City hires first 'rat czar'
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-12 | by ( Joseph Ax | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/3] A rat jumps into a puddle in the snow in the Manhattan borough of New York City, New York, U.S., December 2, 2019. REUTERS/Carlo Allegri/File PhotoApril 12 (Reuters) - New York City's unending war on rats has a new commanding general. Mayor Eric Adams on Wednesday announced that Kathleen Corradi, an education department employee, has been appointed New York’s first-ever "rat czar," part of Adams’ effort to combat a growing rodent population in the county’s most populous city. She previously oversaw rat mitigation efforts in the city’s public schools. The size of the city’s rat population is unknown.

☆ America's Parking Addiction Hurts the Economy, Drives up Housing Costs
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-04 | by ( Jeral Poskey | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +10 min

A society committed to housing and feeding its people will ensure plenty of land is dedicated to homes and farms. According to the builder WGI, the average parking stall in the US costs $27,900 to build, more than the cost of many new compact cars. The money and resources dedicated to parking could be used for other purposes, but breaking our country's reliance on parking has been difficult. Parking accounted for about 27% of per-unit costs, regardless of whether the resident owned a car or not. Better transportation, better land use, better citiesEfforts are underway to finally rid America of its unhealthy devotion to parking.

☆ London's priciest townhouse just listed for $74 million. Here's what's hidden beneath it
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-03 | by ( Ray Parisi | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +9 min

Will PryceOne of the most expensive townhouses in London listed Monday for 60 million pounds (about $74 million). The home's subterranean level includes a swimming pool that spans 39 feet and a pool deck furnished with daybeds. Below the townhouse residences are subterranean parking spots that eliminate the need for on-street parking. Here's a closer look around — and under — London's newest $74 million listing, which is being sold fully furnished. This can be achieved on a subterranean level because the rear garden is one level below street grade.

☆ Target workers say the company's deference to customers can go too far: 'Sometimes the guest is wrong'
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-31 | by ( Dominick Reuter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Target prides itself on being an extraordinarily customer-centric retailer, but some shoppers push that too far, according to workers. At Target, where shoppers are referred to as "guests," one worker in Texas said that motto would be right at home. That's kind of the culture that we have at Target," the worker said, a sentiment echoed by workers from four more states who spoke with Insider. "I don't think guests realize just exactly how they're coming across to us and how privileged it all feels," the Oklahoma worker said. If you are a Target worker who would like to share your perspective, please get in touch with Dominick via email.

☆ Sam’s Club Adding Distribution Centers to Speed Up Online Fulfillment
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-28 | by ( Liz Young | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +4 min

Sam’s Club is expanding its supply-chain network as it looks to build on recent e-commerce sales growth by speeding up order fulfillment while cutting shipping costs. Sam’s Club said its plan is to shrink the average distance between its supply-chain facilities and its stores and members. Sam’s Club said it is designing its new stores to have more space for curbside pickup and delivery orders. The first new Sam’s Club fulfillment center is expected to open near Atlanta in the third quarter of this year. Mr. Godsey said Sam’s Club will employ the same number of people it would have without automation so it can handle more volume.

☆ Soon you'll be able to return Target purchases without getting out of your car
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-28 | by ( Dominick Reuter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Target is rolling out a new drive-up returns service this spring, reaching nearly 2,000 stores this summer. The new feature uses the same mobile app that powers the company's popular curbside pickup option. E-commerce delivery and curbside pickup options have made it almost dangerously easy to buy stuff without having to go too far out of your way. Plus, the introduction of curbside pickup has only led to more visits to stores, not fewer, and the company sees this as extending that trend. The move also drives more engagement with the Circle membership program and the Target app, both of which are critical to the company getting more useful insights about individual preferences and shopping behavior.

☆ Target leans into 'affordable joy' and its cheap chic reputation as sales slow
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-28 | by ( Melissa Repko | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

An increased number of mannequins feature clothing and shoes throughout the remodeled Target store in Orange, California. It also intends to expand a network of hubs to make it cheaper and faster to get online orders to customers. Target plans to offer more items at lower price points, such as $3, $5, $10 and $15. "Given value is absolutely top of mind right now, being able to deliver affordable joy differentiates us in the marketplace," CEO Brian Cornell said. "And that's a clear advantage in the near term and remains our focus over the long term."

☆ Pizza brands like Domino's and Papa John's are struggling as Americans shy away from delivery — and attempts to lure customers back are falling short
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-25 | by ( Bethany Biron | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: 1 min

Domino's began offering coupons, or what they referred to as "tips," for customers who picked up their own pizzas using curbside delivery. The promotion, which debuted in February 2022, came after the company announced its first same-store sale decline in a decade. Domino's is offering carside delivery. Mary Meisenzahl/InsiderSource: Insider, Insider

☆ Target bets on e-commerce by investing $100 million in hubs to speed up delivery
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-22 | by ( Melissa Repko | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Target said Wednesday it will spend $100 million to build a larger network of supply chain hubs to speed up and lower the cost of delivering online orders. The retailer plans to have at least 15 of the facilities, dubbed sortation centers, by the end of January 2026. But, she added, the delivery hubs will help Target better meet customers' needs, whether they're shopping online, in stores or using curbside pickup. It has opened sortation centers across major markets in Minnesota, Texas, Colorado, Illinois, Georgia and Pennsylvania. In the coming year, she said Target expects to deliver 50 million packages through the sortation centers — up from 26 million packages in 2022.

☆ We're married Delta pilots with two young kids. Here's how we've navigated our careers together and our top 10 travel tips for couples.
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-16 | by ( Hannah Towey | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +10 min

Delta pilots Brent and Kelly Knoblauch first met as interns in 2010. Kelly: Brent and I first met in 2010, when I was still in college at the University of North Dakota. And then I think almost a year to the day, Kelly was also hired as a pilot back at Delta. Being able to see what you're seeing, what you're hearing, what you're suspecting, and just being open about that. Kelly: It actually went really well.

☆ Why Dick's Sporting Goods succeeded where Sports Authority failed
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-08 | by ( Darren Geeter | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

The most significant player in the space, Dick's Sporting Goods, controls an estimated 14.2% of the market, the most by a single company. Dick's Sporting Goods was founded in 1948 by 18-year-old Dick Stack who had just $300 in his pocket when he opened his first store. In the 1990s, the company expanded its offerings to include more sports, outdoor equipment, apparel and footwear, and by 1996, there were 50 Dick's Sporting Goods stores. While Dick's Sporting Goods was expanding, its archrival Sports Authority was on the verge of collapse. Dick's Sporting Goods' momentum continued well into 2021 as the company set new records.

☆ Dick's Sporting Goods made a big bet on e-commerce. Here's how it's paying off
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-08 | by ( Darren Geeter | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailDick's Sporting Goods made a big bet on e-commerce. Here's how it's paying offDick's Sporting Goods controls an estimated 14.2% of the $76.2 billion sporting goods market in the United States. In 2021, the company posted a record annual revenue, hitting $12.3 billion, and its net income tripled thanks to its timely pivot during the pandemic toward e-commerce sales and curbside pickup. But in 2018, Dick's was a different story. That year, after the Parkland, Florida, mass shooting, the company overhauled its gun sales policies and reported a loss of $250 million.

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