Retail Intel Weekly: COVID-19 News & More from Target, Walmart

COVID-19On June 13, Alberstsons Cos. ended the temporary $2 per hour pay raise for store employees it implemented on March 15. However, the retailer added a final “thank you” bonus equivalent to a $4 per hour pay increase for the average hours worked between March 15 and June 13. All eligible employees will be credited with a minimum average of 15 hours worked per week. The United Food and Commercial Workers International (UFCW) Union, which Albertsons joined forces with in April for a call to temporarily classify supermarket employees as “extended first responders,” opposes the retailer’s move and has been vocal in its call for continued hazard pay.CVS Pharmacy has formed a partnership with on-demand delivery service DoorDash to expand same-day home delivery of health, beauty, personal care and wellness products. The DoorDash mobile app now offers more than 3,000 CVS items in select areas including New York and Houston, while a nationwide rollout is slated for next month. In support of the rollout, DoorDash is offering 20% off CVS items through the app on customers' first order of $15 or more (up to $5).Also from the drugstore chain, CVS has waived prescription delivery fees via USPS through June 30 to help shoppers get necessities while sheltering at home.Amazon is testing a "Distance Assistant" wearable device in its Kent, WA, warehouse that alerts workers when they’re violating social distancing rules, according to a memo obtained by CNBC. Amazon has also experimented with cameras equipped with social distancing software.Target is making the $2 per hour hazard pay increase it implemented during the COVID-19 pandemic permanent, raising its starting pay to $15 per hour as of July 5. The mass merchant is also doling out a one-time $200 bonus to hourly frontline workers at the end of July and offering free virtual doctor visits for all employees through the end of the year. The 30-day paid leave offered to vulnerable employees has also been extended.7-Eleven has cancelled its annual in-store celebration of 7-Eleven Day on July 11 due to the COVID-19 pandemic but will instead celebrate its “birthday” by donating 1 million meals to Feeding America. July 11 is typically the retailer’s busiest day of the year, driven by a Slurpee giveaway and other deals, but this year the convenience store chain is encouraging social distancing by giving 7Rewards loyalty program members a coupon for a free Slurpee that they can use any time during the month.CIVIL RIGHTSTarget has declared Juneteenth, the celebration of the end of slavery in the U.S. on June 19, 1865, a corporate holiday and offering hourly employees the chance to take the day off or work for time and a half pay. The move follows Target’s pledge to donate $10 million to social justice efforts in the wake of the killing of George Floyd and subsequent protests.Ahold Delhaize has joined the growing list of companies addressing racial injustice as the retailer’s U.S. brands have pledged $5 million “to work toward racial equality.” Additionally, Ahold Delhaize released its inaugural “Human Rights Report,” inspired by the United Nation’s framework, on June 15, two years of internal and external consultations.Walgreens announced it has made donations of $50,000 each to two Chicago community organizations – My Block, My Hood, My City (www.formyblock.org) and the Chicago Urban League (www.chiul.org), the local affiliate of the National Urban League.AMAZONAmazon is introducing a new digital credit line of up to $1 million for U.S. small business owners who sell on the company's platform with partner bank Goldman Sachs, CNBC reported. The credit line will come with a fixed annual interest rate of 6.99% to 20.99% and can be drawn and repaid, like a regular credit card. Potential borrowers will see their offer on the Seller Central hub. Amazon will share merchant data with Goldman, which had also facilitated Amazon's takeover of Whole Foods.Two states and the European Union reportedly are bringing more heat to the fire over Amazon’s relationships with third-party sellers, particularly how it allegedly uses third-party seller data to give its own brands an advantage online. The Wall Street Journal reported that investigators in California are looking into business practices by Amazon and that the European Union’s antitrust regulator is expected to file a formal complaint against the tech giant this week.WALMARTWalmart is integrating its marketplace with Shopify, allowing the e-commerce platform's sellers to seamlessly list their items on walmart.com. Walmart intends to onboard 1,200 sellers this year, focusing on U.S.-based small and medium businesses with a complementary assortment and a track record of exceeding customers’ expectations.Walmart also is acquiring technology and intellectual property from CareZone, CNBC reports. CareZone's various apps help people manage their medicines and boast some 3.5 million members.At one store in Fayetteville, AR, Walmart is replacing its traditional, in-person checkout lanes with self-checkout kiosks as it looks to shorten lines and reduce checkout time, according to reports.BEST BUYBest Buy has teamed up with Tidal, the music streaming service owned by Jay-Z, Alicia Keys and other artists, to offer in-store and online shoppers exclusive membership offers, including a three-month trial of Tidal’s premium-level membership, with select hardware purchases.GROCERYKroger is donating $1.5 million to the University of Louisville in Kentucky to fund diversity and inclusion, food security and sustainability, and leadership development efforts as part of the retailer’s Zero Hunger | Zero Waste initiative. Kroger operates 116 stores in the Louisville region.

P2PI MEMBERS

JOIN P2PI

You May Also Like

Retail Radar: Retailers Release Sales Numbers; Walmart Boosts Efficiency

Retail Radar: Walmart Canada, Amazon Add Delivery Options