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☆ Retail theft isn't actually increasing much, major industry study finds
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-26 | by ( Courtney Reagan | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Total retail shrink grew to more than $112 billion in 2022, up from $93.9 billion the year before, according to the newest National Retail Security Survey. The metric, which accounts for various types of inventory loss including theft, damage and vendor error, generally rises as retail sales climb. External theft, which includes organized retail crime, was again reported as the largest source of shrink last year at 36.15%, but that was slightly below 37% in 2021. The NRF conducted the online survey of senior loss prevention and security executives in the retail industry. The results for 2022 include 177 retail brand respondents, which the organization said accounted for 22% of retail sales in 2022.

Persons: Duane Reade, Angela Weiss, Locker, David Johnston Organizations: Afp, Getty, Target, National Retail Federation, National Retail Security Survey, Retail Security Locations: New York City

☆ Want a Vacation Souvenir? Buy Toothpaste.
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-26 | by ( Joshua Hunt | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +3 min

To squeeze a bit more from my Mediterranean experience, I can rely a little while longer on the tube of Elmex-brand toothpaste I used to brush away all that food. I bought the toothpaste on the morning of my arrival, and spent scarcely a minute choosing Elmex over another brand. My habit of treating toothpaste as a souvenir is about celebrating rather than elevating the trivial — I’m not chasing quality, authenticity or meaning, those most overrepresented pursuits among world travelers. About a decade ago, I chose to ignore some advice I was given before moving to Japan for a study-abroad program. Japanese toothpaste, I was told, might not be to my liking, so I should pack a few tubes of my favorite brand to take with me to Tokyo.

Locations: Italy, Swiss, Naples, Vesuvius, Japan, Tokyo, American

☆ Opinion: The transformation of Kim Jong Un’s sister
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-21 | by ( Sheena Mckenzie | Cnn Opinion | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

The woman was Kim Yo Jong — younger sister of the North Korean leader and one of the country’s most important political advisors. Kim Jong Un's sister stands alongside the North Korean leader at the Vostochny Сosmodrome in the Amur region, Russia, on September 13, 2023. CNN: Of all the members of the Kim Dynasty, why did you choose to focus on Kim Yo Jong in your book? South Korean President Moon Jae-in (right) shakes hands with Kim Yo-Jong (middle), North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un's sister, in 2018. I’ve watched hundreds of hours of North Korean footage and read thousands of North Korean articles and statements in writing this book.

Persons: Kim Jong Un, Vladimir Putin, Kim Yo Jong, Kim Jong, Yoon Lee, ” Kim Yo Jong, Sung, Kim Yo, Kim, Alonso Nichols, Tufts University Sung, Kim Jong Il, Kim Jong Chol, Jong, Cleary, Kim Il Sung, Stalin, Moon Jae, ”, Joe Biden “, Lord David Alton, Kim’s, I’ve, that’s, Yoo Lee, It’s, it’s, Jang, Thaek Organizations: CNN, North, North Korean, South Korea —, Woodrow Wilson International Center, Scholars, Tufts University, Jong Un, Soviet Army, South Korea’s, Games, South, House, United Nations Locations: Pyeongchang, South Korea, North Korean, Amur, Russia, North, North Korea, Switzerland, Mt, Paektu, China, Korean, Communist, Pyongyang, Handout, United

☆ Should you scrape your tongue?
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-18 | by ( Jocelyn Solis-Moreira | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

Tongue scrapers are metal or plastic devices used to clean the surface of the tongue. Tongue scraping can help when “you have a lot of bacteria and film on your tongue,” Kosdon said. A few medical studies support the use of tongue scraping for getting rid of tongue bacteria and bad breath, but the studies were mostly small and didn’t show strong results. The few clinical trials available found a slightly greater benefit in using tongue scrapers for tongue cleaning than toothbrushing, but these effects were temporary. Consider starting in the middle rather than trying to stick the tongue scraper all the way to the back of the tongue.

Persons: Jocelyn Solis, Moreira, Michael Kosdon, “, ” Kosdon, you’re, Alice Boghosian, Boghosian, Kosdon, It’s, ” Boghosian, “ It’s, ” Organizations: CNN, American Dental Association Locations: New York, Manhattan

☆ Meet the genius behind Japan's viral 'barely useful' inventions, who designs over-the-top contraptions for oddly specific needs — and earns a living doing it
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-08 | by ( Matthew Loh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Kazuya Shibata, 27, is a Japanese engineer who makes what he calls "barely useful" inventions. The "Gorgeous Show Box" is meant to do exactly what its name implies — make something supposedly boring seem, well, gorgeous. He quit his job in 2021, and has since devoted himself to making "barely useful" creations. So far, the "Gorgeous Show Box" has been used to present medicine, whiskey, and other products, Kazuya said. "It's very difficult to come up with ideas that are 'just barely useful,'" Kazuya admitted.

Persons: Kazuya Shibata, they've, it'll, Kazuya, Kazuya Shibata's, Kazuya tinkered, I've, doesn't, Kazuya's, he's, Steve Jobs, unexpectedness Organizations: Service, Capcom, Apple Locations: Japanese, Wall, Silicon, Hiroshima, Japan

☆ The ruble is failing — and now more Russians are cutting back on buying basic goods like food and toothpaste as prices jump
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-30 | by ( Natalie Musumeci | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

The value of the Russian ruble continues to fail, forcing Russians to cut back their spending. A recent survey found that more Russians are reducing their buying of basic goods like food. Earlier this month, the Russian ruble plunged to a 16-month low against the US dollar. "Against the backdrop of the current economic situation and rising prices, Russians are trying to save money," said Romir senior director Ksenia Paizanskaya. Earlier this month, the Russian ruble plunged to a 16-month low against the US dollar, the currency's lowest level since Russian President Vladimir Putin launched his invasion of Ukraine February 2022.

Persons: Ksenia Paizanskaya, Vladimir Putin, Janis Kluge, Kluge Organizations: Russian, Service, Russia, German Institute for International and Security Affairs, Washington Locations: Russian, Wall, Silicon, Ukraine

☆ Op-ed: Why the world needs more oil, not less
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-30 | by ( His Excellency Haitham Al Ghais | Opec Secretary General | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

If oil vanished today, these and many other vital products and services that use oil or its derivatives would vanish too. The World Energy Report for 2022, published by the UK-based Energy Institute and consulting firms KPMG and Kearney, noted that fossil fuels constituted 82% of global energy in 2022. This is comparable to OPEC's latest world oil outlook and represents a similar level to 30 years ago. The bottom line is that it is possible to invest heavily in renewables while continuing to produce the oil the world needs today and in the coming decades. Similarly, in the EU, vehicles using petrol or diesel still accounted for around half of all car sales in 2022.

Persons: BEV, BEVS Organizations: Transportation, Energy, Energy Institute, KPMG, Kearney, Toyota Prius, U.S . National Automobile Dealers Association, EU Locations: U.S, China, Paris

☆ Investor Sarat Sethi says don’t chase this rally, but you can buy these safe stocks
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-10 | by ( Pia Singh | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Chasing the market higher is a bad idea right now, and investors should turn to safe-haven sectors instead, investor Sarat Sethi warned. "I think as an equity investor, one needs to be really careful here and not chase some of these rallies, especially for stocks that are looking for lower discount rates." Stocks rose on the back of the data, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average trading more than 400 points higher at its session peak. Haleon and pharmaceutical giant Johnson & Johnson were also mentioned by Sethi. Johnson & Johnson is down 2% in 2023 but has risen more than 3% in August.

Persons: Sarat Sethi, Sethi, Dow Jones, Freeport's, Johnson Organizations: Reserve, Dow Jones Industrial, Johnson, GSK, Janssen Pharmaceuticals, Food and Drug Administration Locations: Freeport, McMoRan

☆ A supermarket experimented with AI to generate meal ideas for leftovers. It suggested drinking bleach and eating ant-poison sandwiches.
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-10 | by ( Joshua Zitser | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

A New Zealand supermarket chain created a meal-planning bot using AI. Other users reported being recommended a "fresh breath" mocktail containing bleach and a "bleach-infused rice surprise," according to The Guardian. The bot even recommended ant-poison-and-glue sandwiches, as well as "methanol bliss" — made with methanol, glue, and turpentine. When Insider attempted to input the same hazardous ingredients into the bot, a message read: "Invalid ingredients found, or ingredients too vague. But while the potentially deadly recipes may be out, the supermarket's bot still recommended some unusual creations, including a "toothpaste beef pasta."

Persons: PAK'nSAVE, — Organizations: Service, Guardian, FMCG Locations: Zealand, Wall, Silicon

☆ Procter & Gamble sales rise slightly, fueled by higher prices
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-28 | by ( Amelia Lucas | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

But the company released a gloomy outlook for its fiscal 2024 sales that fell short of Wall Street's estimates. For fiscal 2024, P&G is forecasting that its revenue will grow 3% to 4%, lower than Wall Street's expectations of 4.5% sales growth. For roughly two years, P&G has been raising prices on its products to mitigate higher commodity costs. In fiscal 2024, P&G expects its volume will start increasing again, and prices will only rise 1% to 1.5%. The division, which includes Oral-B and Pepto-Bismol, scared off North American customers with its higher prices, according to P&G.

Persons: Gamble, Andre Schulten Organizations: Procter, Refinitiv, G, Asia Pacific, Gillette Locations: Compton , California, U.S, United States, Europe, Asia, Pacific, China

☆ Colgate-Palmolive bumps up annual sales, profit forecasts on strong pricing
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

July 28 (Reuters) - Colgate-Palmolive (CL.N) raised annual organic sales and profit forecasts on Friday, banking on price hikes and resilient demand for its self-care and pet nutrition products. "Strong investment levels should continue in the back half of the year as we work to deliver balanced organic sales growth." Colgate-Palmolive also topped Wall Street estimates for second-quarter sales and profit. Colgate-Palmolive expects annual organic sales to grow between 5% and 7%, compared with previous forecast of 4% to 6% growth. Organic sales for the Hill Pet Nutrition brand, which contributed 22% to company's sales, grew 10.5% in the quarter, driven by demand in the U.S. and Europe.

Persons: Noel Wallace, Juveria, Shilpi Majumdar Organizations: Colgate, Palmolive, Consumer, Procter & Gamble, Nutrition, Thomson Locations: North America, U.S, Europe, Bengaluru

☆ 'Shark Tank' investor Kevin O'Leary warns of more regional bank failures as the Fed presses ahead with interest-rate increases
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-28 | by ( Zahra Tayeb | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

"Shark Tank" investor Kevin O'Leary has warned of more regional bank failures as the Fed keeps raising interest rates. "You keep squeezing the toothpaste tube, you keep rolling it up, you keep raising rates, and you know things are going to break," he said. The Fed announced a quarter-point rate rise on Wednesday in a bid to cool inflation down to 2%. The collapses of Silicon Valley Bank, Signature Bank, and First Republic, have shown the damage higher interest rates have done to smaller US lenders. "We've started to see the cracks, the Titanic has not [sunk]," O'Leary said of the bank collapses.

Persons: Kevin O'Leary, Jerome Powell, We've, " O'Leary Organizations: Fed, Service, Federal Reserve, CNBC, Valley Bank, Signature Bank, First Locations: Wall, Silicon, First Republic, United States

☆ Rail freight from Canada to U.S. continues to drop after ports strike
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-27 | by ( Lori Ann Larocco | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

Last week, total rail volume from Canada to the U.S. was down 12%, according to The Association of American Railroad's latest rail traffic report for the week ending July 22. This was an improvement given the first full week of the strike saw a 46% decrease in rail trade from Canada, and the second week suffered a 36% decrease. Rail traffic from Canada into the U.S. had a third-straight weekly drop as a result of the on-again, off-again strike at the West Coast Canadian ports. When the first strike ended on its thirteenth day, delays for rail containers were estimated at 39 to 66 days. Adding another day with the on-again, off-again strike last week, brings the congestion removal tally up to 42-70 days.

Persons: Port of Prince Rupert, Doug Macdonald, Rupert, Blaine Davidson, Terri Shimensky, Shimensky, Eric Byer, Byer, NACD Organizations: The Association of American, West Coast, Railway Association of Canada, CNBC, The Railway Association of Canada, Port, National Association of Chemical Distributors, CN, U.S ., Railroads, Canada, Association of American Railroads Locations: Canada, Port of Vancouver, Port of, Vancouver, Ohio, of Long, U.S . West Coast, U.S, Chicago, West

☆ 'Things are going to break': Kevin O'Leary predicts Fed hikes will lead to more U.S. regional bank failures
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-27 | by ( Clement Tan | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

"Shark Tank" investor Kevin O'Leary predicts the ongoing cycle of U.S. Federal Reserve rate hikes could lead to more regional U.S. bank failures. Fed Chair Jerome Powell said the central bank is not yet fully confident that inflation is defeated even though recent headline reads show that price increases have cooled significantly. The consumer price index rose 3% from a year ago in June — the lowest level since March 2021. But Powell said the Fed would need to "hold policy at a restrictive level for some time" and be prepared to raise rates further, given that core inflation is still above 3% — higher than its 2% annual target. "I am just predicting — and I am very cautious on this — it will break down in the regional banks, which supports 60% of the economy," he said, adding that the rapid rise in the cost of capital is "killing them on their real estate loans."

Persons: Kevin O'Leary, Jerome Powell, Powell, O'Leary, CNBC's Organizations: . Federal, O'Leary Ventures Locations: U.S

☆ Recyclers reject most plastic. This company turns it into furniture.
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-03 | by ( Elizabeth Mccauley | Grant Tyler | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: 1 min

But ReFactory, a UK-based family business, has a complex process to give it a new life. It makes plywood-like plastic boards and turns them into furniture, planters, and more. ReFactory processes post-consumer waste from collection bins around the UK, along with recalled or expired manufacturing waste that never hit shelves. The company says the furniture cuts down on emissions compared to transporting plastic to landfill and that the boards can be recycled over and over. But there isn't much demand for the plastic furniture, so ReFactory gives a lot of it away to schools.

☆ 10 Things in Tech: Digital nomad regrets, a longevity researcher’s morning routine, and sun activity
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-28 | by ( Diamond Naga Siu | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

In case you missed it: This is the last week of 10 Things in Tech. The EV company only has six gigafactories across the world: Fremont, California; Sparks, Nevada; Berlin; Shanghai; Austin, Texas; and Buffalo, New York. Each location is outfitted with solar panels, and Musk claims 100 gigafactories could supply the world with all of its energy. My colleague Graham Rapier takes us into the world of Tesla's gigafactories and breaks down what their futures could look like. In a world of remote work, they're trying to pay people the least amount of money to get work done (think freelancers and contractors).

Persons: I'm, Siu, let's, Elon Musk, Graham Rapier, gigafactories, Tyler Le, Allbirds, M0.0nshot, Gigi Chow, Elon Musk's, Walter Isaacson, it's, David Sinclair, Lewis Joly, cardiologists, Eid Mubarak, Diamond Naga Siu, Alistair Barr, Hallam Bullock Organizations: it's, EV, Employers, Paris Air, Storm Shadow, Interactive Entertainment, Tencent Locations: Tech, Fremont , California, Sparks , Nevada, Berlin, Shanghai, Austin , Texas, Buffalo , New York, Silicon, San Francisco, Croatia, Dubrovnik, Harvard, Le Bourget, Paris, France, Ukraine, New York, Florida, Barcelona, Spain, San Diego, Silicon Valley, London

☆ In Los Angeles, Bringing Food, Soap and the Salon to the Homeless
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-21 | by ( Joshua Needelman | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

‘It’s become a little internet family’Ms. Raines wants to spread that outlook — and has harnessed social media to do so. It is also a fund-raising device for an operation that runs entirely on donations, Ms. Raines said. “People have grown to love some of the people that we support and take care of,” Ms. Raines said. Some days, Ms. Raines brings McDonald’s burgers. Sometimes a chef in a food truck cooks enchiladas, chicken tortilla soup or vegan cauliflower steaks.

Persons: ‘ It’s, Ms, Raines, ” Ms, “ It’s, Sydney Granados Organizations: Costco Locations: Downtown Los Angeles

☆ Maldives luxury resort takes fresh approach to waste with new ‘Sustainability Lab’
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-09 | by ( Karla Cripps | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

But do tourists actually care about a resort’s sustainability cred? As the luxury resort’s sustainability manager, he oversees all of the 120-villa property’s eco-inspired initiatives, from protecting the 9-kilometer-long house reef to implementing cutting-edge energy-saving strategies. The predominant color is blue thanks to an abundance of plastic water bottle tops. The structure was designed to kind of replicate a hard substrate of a coral reef. Children can learn more about the resort’s conservation efforts by joining its new Generation Sea program, which includes visits to both the Sustainability Lab and the Coralarium.

Persons: Samuel Dixon, “, CNN Dixon, Dixon, ”, There’s, nontoxic, it’s, “ We’ve Organizations: CNN, Maldives CNN, Sustainability Locations: Maldives, Fairmont Maldives, ”

☆ Unilever pivots to African suppliers as forex pressure mounts
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-31 | by ( Seun Sanni | Richa Naidu | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

The war in Ukraine exacerbated supply chain logjams and manufacturing issues that began with the COVID-19 pandemic. Managing foreign exchange costs is largely what is driving a pivot to African suppliers, Unilever said, even though sourcing from the continent can cost more than buying from parts of Asia. “Over 95% of the brands we sell to our (African) consumers are made in African factories,” Reginaldo Ecclissato, Unilever’s chief business operations and supply chain officer, told Reuters. Today more than two-thirds of the ingredients that go into Unilever products sold in African markets come from the continent, the company said. Where is it on the scale of Unilever’s supply chain?” he said.

Persons: Kasali, ” Kasali, “, Knorr, Hellmann’s, Reginaldo, Tedd George, Nestle, ”, Pierre, André, Ecclissato, it’s, bouillon, Iranloye, Busari, Unilever’s Ecclissato Organizations: Reuters, Unilever, REUTERS, ” Unilever, Nestle, Danone, sorbitol Locations: ALAYIDE, Nigeria, Oyo, Africa, Ukraine, Asia, India, China, South Africa, Lagos, Oyo State

☆ The Target of Runaway Theft
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-22 | by ( The Editorial Board | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Journal Editorial Report: The week's worst and best from Kim Strassel, Bill McGurn and Dan Henninger. Images: Reuters/AFP/Getty Images Composite: Mark KellyAmerica’s turn toward lawlessness is nowhere more evident than at retail stores, where these days even toothpaste is often under lock and key. Now Brian Cornell , the CEO of Target Corp., has put a number on the cost of “inventory shrinkage,” which is mostly theft: $500 million in lower profits this year.

Seventy percent of Million Dollar Baby's demand is on the U.S. East Coast, executives said. During the first three months of 2023, West Coast ports handled 40% of U.S. container import volume. Extrapolating that first-quarter data over 12 months would show that more than 1 million twenty-foot equivalent units (TEU) moved away from the West Coast ports annually, starting in 2021, said Chris Jones, an executive vice president at Descartes Systems Group. Colgate-Palmolive (CL.N) routed 25% of containers away from West Coast ports and has already begun reversing some of that, said Francisco Rodriguez, Colgate toothpaste maker's director of global logistics. Importing to Mexico opens a legal loophole that enables Million Dollar Baby to sell those products to U.S. customers without a 25% tariff.

☆ TikTok users are fawning over dollar stores, sharing videos of shopping hauls and cheap finds from Dollar General, Dollar Tree, and more
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-15 | by ( Alex Bitter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Dollar General and Dollar Tree shoppers are posting haul videos on TikTok. On TikTok, regular shoppers at Dollar General, Dollar Tree, and other dollar stores garner millions of views by posting videos of their weekly store purchases. Typical haul videos feature high-end or visually appealing products, but dollar store haul videos tend to feature household items. Compared to some of the largest accounts posting haul videos, the dollar store chains themselves have modest followings on TikTok. Dollar General had 25,200 followers as of Monday morning, while Dollar Tree had 49,600.

☆ Emma Cline’s Latest Heroine Is a Call Girl on the Run
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-10 | by ( Liska Jacobs | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

THE GUEST, by Emma ClineAll is not as it seems in Emma Cline’s latest novel, “The Guest,” a deceptively simple story about a young woman kicked out of her rich lover’s Long Island beach house in the final days of summer after embarrassing him at a party. Convinced that her breakup is only temporary, Alex plans to saunter back into Simon’s life at a Labor Day party he is hosting at the end of the week. All she has to do is wait out five days until then. Don’t leave toothpaste in the sink basin.” Be appealing, but also be invisible. Alex knows she is replaceable, “a sort of inert piece of social furniture — only her presence was required, the general size and shape of a young woman.”

"Because of higher prices, people are buying smaller amounts of groceries overall and may have become more careful not to waste food." "Despite all of that, (there are) 8% to 12% missing items on shelves," he said. "This has created a major, major issue around out-of-stock" in most of the 16 Middle Eastern countries where the company operates, he said. Laurent Thoumine, Accenture's Europe lead for retail, said supermarkets in Britain, France, Germany, Italy and Spain have had the worst stock issues. Products that are scarce in some stores include ketchup, pasta, chocolate, tea, potato chips, toothpaste and pet food, according to Nielsen IQ's Data Impact.

☆ A drug dealer gave a one-star review to an Uber Eats rider who took a suspicious package to police. It turned out to be meth in a toothpaste tube.
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-30 | by ( Sam Tabahriti | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

A drug dealer gave an Uber rider a one-star review after she took a suspicious package to police. Jess told the Sydney Morning Herald it was "dodgy" when she was told the order was toothpaste. The package turned out to be two grams of crystal methamphetamine hidden in a toothpaste tube. While on her way, the drug dealer called and verbally abused her, the Herald reported. A week later the drug dealer was still on the app, along with the one-star review, while Jess had not been paid for the delivery.

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