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☆ 1,000 dollar stores are closing. These cities have revolted against them for years
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-15 | by ( Nathaniel Meyersohn | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

But critics of Family Dollar and other dollar store chains’ business practices like Hall-Harper say the closures highlight the risks of communities relying too heavily on dollar store chains. Hall-Harper has led Tulsa’s effort to restrict the growth of the three major dollar store chains — Family Dollar, Dollar Tree and Dollar General — in the predominately Black area of North Tulsa. Dollar General said it regularly hears from communities and customers asking it to bring a Dollar General store to their hometown. Backlash to dollar storesDollar General, Dollar Tree and Family Dollar have spread rapidly since the Great Recession, opening more than 15,000 small stores. US regulators reached a settlement last year with Dollar Tree over hazardous conditions in Dollar Tree and Family Dollar stores.

Persons: Vanessa Hall, Harper, “ I’ve, —, ”, Dollar, Critics, Blaine Griffin, Meijer, Stacy Mitchell, ” Mitchell Organizations: New, New York CNN, CNN, Dollar, Tulsa, Institute of Local, Chicago City, University of Toronto, UCLA, United States, Local, Research, University of Georgia, Cleveland City, Walmart, Target, Agriculture Department, Institute for Local, Federal Trade Commission, FTC, Kroger, Albertsons Locations: New York, Tulsa , Oklahoma, North Tulsa, Tulsa, Tulsa ; Cleveland ; New Orleans, Birmingham , Alabama, Fort Worth , Texas, Akron , Ohio, United, Cleveland, Chicago, Baltimore

☆ Opinion | The Promises and Problems of Buying Local
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-29 | by ( Peter Coy | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

You can crisscross North Dakota from Fargo to Bismarck to Minot and never see a Walgreens, Rite-Aid or Walmart pharmacy. With narrow exceptions, a 1963 state law prohibits drugstores that aren’t majority-owned by a pharmacist. (CVS Health, whose predecessor company was already in the state in 1963, is grandfathered in.) It has withstood multiple challenges in court, repeal efforts in the stage Legislative Assembly, and even a statewide ballot initiative. North Dakota, by the way, also has a public bank and a state-owned flour mill, both founded shortly after World War I, so it’s kind of different.

Persons: Stacy Mitchell Organizations: Rite, Aid, Walmart, CVS Health, Institute for Local, Reliance Locations: Dakota, Fargo, Bismarck, Minot, Portland , Maine, North Dakota

☆ Dollar store chains would be prohibited from opening stores within one mile of each other if a proposed Chicago law passes
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-23 | by ( Alex Bitter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Read previewChicago is the latest city to consider limiting the number of dollar stores. AdvertisementSome have followed the path of the Chicago proposal, enacting laws limiting the opening of new dollar stores. One community in Southern Michigan pushed back on a proposed Dollar General store but ultimately approved the store after the company sued. Dollar Tree and Dollar General have responded by opening more stores with space for produce and refrigerated foods. AdvertisementDo you work at a Dollar General, Dollar Tree, or Family Dollar store and have a story idea to share?

Persons: —, Matt O'Shea, O'Shea, Dollar Organizations: Service, Chicago City Council, Chicago Sun, Times, WTTW, Business, Fortune, Sun - Times, Consumer, Institute for Local Locations: Chicago, Stonecrest , Georgia, Southern Michigan

More than 9 million merchants sell their wares on Amazon's marketplace and also supply it with steady streams of revenue. Amazon collects advertising fees for touting their products, fulfillment fees for delivery in addition to less specific "sellers' fees." Some merchants welcome the potential of relaxed seller and advertising charges, while others worry that completely dissolving Amazon's advertising services would harm their ability to reach shoppers. The FTC found that the company's fulfillment fees increased approximately 30% between 2020 and 2022. Dieterle relies on Amazon's fulfillment and advertising services to boost merchandise sales.

Persons: Mike Segar, Rick Dieterle, Dieterle, Lindsay Windham, Bryan Croft, Croft, Big, Jason Hince, Hince, Stacy Mitchell, Arriana McLymore, Matthew Lewis 私 Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Merchants, U.S . Federal Trade, Big Tech, Amazon, FTC, Taco Brands, Union, HC Brands, Big Crazy Buffalo, Facebook, Google, Big, Institute for Local Locations: Manhattan, New York City, Rights RALEIGH, North Carolina, Buffalo, Raleigh , North Carolina

☆ Amazon is facing a lawsuit from the FTC and 17 US states. They say it's stifling competition and keeping prices high.
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-26 | by ( Associated Press | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Amazon is facing an antitrust lawsuit from the Federal Trade Commission and 17 states. The suit claims Amazon is leveraging its power to inflate prices and overcharge small sellers. The FTC has been gathering evidence for months to show how Amazon disadvantages sellers. Some of the agency's allegations in the Amazon case mirrors those made in a separate lawsuit last year by the state of California. The federal complaint follows other actions the FTC has taken against Amazon in the past few months.

Persons: —, biasing, Lina Khan, Khan, FTC's Khan Organizations: Federal Trade Commission, FTC, Service, Court, Western, of, Amazon, Institute for Local, Essentials . Booksellers, of Justice, Big Tech, Yale, District of Columbia, Amazon Prime Locations: of Washington, California

☆ A Dollar General developer sued a Michigan town after it said 'no' to one of the chain's stores
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-19 | by ( Alex Bitter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Residents in Nottawa Township, Michigan, prevented a Dollar General store from opening in their town. But Dollar General is opening the store anyway after its developer sued the town. Dollar General is one of the fastest-growing retailers in the US and on track to have 20,000 stores. But the developer, Midwest V LLC, who was working on behalf of Dollar General, responded by suing the town. Dollar General is among the retailers opening the most new stores in the US.

Persons: would've, MLive, Nottawa's, Galen Geigley Organizations: Service, Midwest, LLC, Dollar, Institute for Local, Reliance, Institute Locations: Nottawa Township , Michigan, Wall, Silicon, Michigan, Nottawa Township, Southern Michigan, Indiana, Mexico

☆ How the 'water bed effect' is costing you at the grocery store
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-30 | by ( Alex Bitter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

But that habit creates a "water bed effect," putting pressure on small grocers, an NYT opinion says. For the food industry, the consequences of the water bed effect have included consolidation and less competition, Mitchell wrote. Walmart commanded about one-quarter of US grocery sales in 2021, according to Euromonitor. The subject of grocery consolidation was a concern to small grocers before the most recent merger proposal. Independent grocers represent up to one-third of US grocery sales, according to a 2021 estimate from the National Grocers Association.

☆ Why Walmart is closing half its stores in Chicago
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-12 | by ( Nathaniel Meyersohn | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

Walmart announced Tuesday that next week it will close four poor-performing stores out of the eight it operates in Chicago. Now, it's closing four Chicago stores. Walmart said its remaining four Chicago stores “continue to face the same business difficulties,” but it believes closing these four will give the others the best chance of staying open. There were fears that Walmart and other businesses would leave Chicago, but Walmart pledged to stay and invest in the city. Some retailers have also cited higher levels of theft and other crime in their city stores.

☆ Amazon gave 'small business' and 'Black-owned business' badges to companies that were neither, report says
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-04 | by ( Aaron Mok | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Amazon reportedly gave some sellers "Small Business" badges even though they were large companies, The Information reports. "Black-Owned Small Business" badges were also reportedly given to companies that aren't Black-owned. Amazon gave "Small Business" badges to sellers that are "multinational corporations with thousands of employees," The Information reported. Likewise, Amazon reportedly also gave "Black-Owned Small Business" badges to companies that were not actually Black-owned, The Information reported. And products from grass-fed beef jerky firm Chomps were given the Black-owned business badge even though its founders Pete Maldonado and Rashid Ali are not Black.

☆ TikToker shows people how to live off Dollar Tree groceries that cost $35 a week as Americans flock to dollar stores for cheaper food
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-09 | by ( Mary Hanbury | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

More people are shopping for food at dollar stores as inflation bites and food prices soar. Dollar Tree Dinners, a TikTok page run by Rebecca Chobat, shows shoppers how to cook on a budget. Chobat says it's possible to eat a varied weekly diet using $35 worth of Dollar Tree groceries. According to a recent report from Coresight Research, Dollar Tree, and Dollar General ranked in the top five retailers from which consumers bought food in 2022. Dollar Tree stores have mostly sold non-perishable items in the past.

☆ If the Biden administration doesn't step in to block the $25 billion Kroger-Albertsons merger, it will be devastating for shoppers and grocery-store workers — while the rich shareholders will get rich
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-23 | by ( Paul Constant | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Last month, Kroger announced a $25 billion deal to merge with grocery chain Albertsons. During the pandemic last year, local city councils in Long Beach and Seattle passed "hero pay" laws requiring grocery stores to pay their public-facing workers $4 extra per hour. Last month, Kroger announced a $25 billion deal to merge with Albertsons, another major national grocery chain. In the press release announcing the merger, Kroger promised that the consolidation would result in lower prices for customers and better compensation and benefits for workers. But the larger Kroger-Albertsons merger is still on track to conclude in 2024, unless the Biden administration steps in to stop it.

☆ Amazon's retail business is scrounging for spare change ahead of a tough holiday sales season by asking sellers for lump sums of cash and limiting inventory
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-16 | by ( Katherine Long | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

The company has also instituted inventory and restock limits on third-party sellers. Amazon's representative said the new restock limits were intended "to ensure a successful holiday season." "Restock limits are designed to create more capacity for sellers who are using space efficiently," the person added. Another seller said he estimated that in two weeks he wouldn't have any more inventory left in Amazon warehouses because of Amazon's inventory and restock limits. Amazon sellers have said they are feeling increasingly squeezed by the e-commerce giant's fee structures.

☆ What would a Kroger-Albertsons merger mean for grocery prices?
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-17 | by ( Nathaniel Meyersohn | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

A Kroger-Albertsons merger could reshape the grocery industry. The companies say they will divest hundreds of stores in areas where they overlap to win regulatory approval. Albertsons has higher prices than Kroger and other grocers, analysts say, and they predict Kroger will try to reduce Albertsons prices to be more competitive against discount chains like Aldi. Antitrust advocates say the merger would force out competition and concentrate power among the largest chains, driving up prices. A Kroger-Albertsons merger would spark a fresh wave of mergers and acquisitions as companies seek to keep up, analysts predict.

☆ How Amazon’s big private-label business is growing and leaving small brands to protect against knockoffs
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-12 | by ( Katie Schoolov | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +10 min

Peak Design CEO Peter Dering compares his company's Everyday Sling Bag to the Amazon private label version at his San Francisco headquarters on September 6, 2022. A selection of some of Amazon's 118+ private label brands as of October, 2022. Then there are specialty firms that only do private labels, and some store brands have their own devoted manufacturing facilities. By comparison, private labels make up a whopping 77% of Aldi's sales, followed by Trader Joe's at 59% and Wegmans at 49%. A variety of Amazon's private label goods are shown on September 29, 2022.

☆ Amazon dominates the $113 billion smart home market — here's how it uses the data it collects
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-28 | by ( Katie Schoolov | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +12 min

Then in 2019, it paid $97 million for a mesh Wi-Fi system called Eero to help connect multiple smart devices in the home. Amazon's Eero mesh WiFi systems are shown inside the Amazon smart lab in Seattle, Washington, on September 9, 2022. Amazon's Ring Video Doorbell 4 is shown at the Amazon smart home lab in Seattle, Washington, on September 9, 2022. Or you may have actually told Alexa, 'Alexa, I'm leaving,' and to switch on your alarm system, for example," Koopmans said. Amazon's Smart Thermostat is shown inside the Amazon smart lab in Seattle, Washington, on September 9, 2022.

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