Hacker News with Generative AI: Retail

Joann Fabrics went from a cult-favorite retail darling to a bankrupt disaster (msn.com)
Last month, Joann Fabric and Crafts, a fixture of American shopping for generations, announced it would close all of its more than 800 stores in the U.S. and lay off 19,000 workers, including more than 15,000 part-time store associates. The company is in the midst of its second bankruptcy in less than a year.
Are Levi's from Amazon different from Levi's from Levi's? (nymag.com)
Shopkeeper (robinsloan.com)
Tesco trials giant trolley scales in Gateshead (bbc.co.uk)
Giant trolley scales are being trialled at a Tesco store in Gateshead sparking a mixed reaction from shoppers.
Is REI turning into a corporate retailer? (seattletimes.com)
The union representing hundreds of REI workers has a simple ask for the Issaquah-based co-op’s members: Vote no on board candidates.
Walgreens agrees to be acquired by private equity firm for almost $10B (suntimes.com)
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Walgreens Will Go Private in $10B Deal with Sycamore (bloomberg.com)
Walgreens Boots Alliance Inc. agreed to be purchased by Sycamore Partners for $10 billion, turning one of the oldest, most recognizable US drugstore chains into a private company.
Best Buy and Target CEOs say prices are about to go up because of tariffs (theverge.com)
Target and Best Buy say Trump’s tariffs on Mexico, Canada, and China could raise prices in their stores as soon as this week.
Danish grocery chain to distinguish European from US goods (dw.com)
Saying it is promoting European products rather than boycotting US ones, a Danish supermarket chain has a special label for goods from Europe. The move comes as many seek to protest Trump's aim to control Greenland.
Fabric and craft retailer Joann to go out of business, close all of its stores (apnews.com)
Fabric and crafts retailer Joann Inc., which has been a destination for generations of quilters, knitters and lovers of crafts projects for more than 80 years, is going out of business and shuttering all its stores.
Food Costco insider explains why they stock expensive luxury items (sfgate.com)
In a new interview, a Costco insider has shed light on some of the warehouse brand’s most unusual items — and revealed if anyone is actually buying them.
How the Internet Made In-Store Shopping Miserable (wsj.com)
E-commerce didn’t kill bricks-and-mortar stores, but it made them worse. Much worse.
Amazon Surpasses Walmart in Revenue (cnbc.com)
Japan Perfected 7-Eleven. Why can't the US get it right? (bloomberg.com)
Owner Seven & i has tried for years to upgrade the chain’s reputation in the US. Now, a rival Canadian retailer is betting $47 billion that it can do a better job.
Domino's Pizza to close 172 outlets in Japan (japantimes.co.jp)
Domino's Pizza Enterprises, headquartered in Australia, said Friday that it will close 205 unprofitable outlets worldwide, including 172 in Japan.
What Can We Learn from Barnes and Noble's Surprising Turnaround? (2022) (honest-broker.com)
I’ve written too many negative stories about digital media platforms in recent months. I’ve started to worry. Am I turning into Dr. Doom and Mr. Gloom?
New CVS App Lets Customers Unlock Cabinets to Pick Up Products (nytimes.com)
Customers at some CVS stores will no longer have to push a button and wait for a clerk to unlock one of those glass cabinets to get the products they want to buy. A new app will allow them to open the cabinets themselves, the company said on Tuesday.
Starbucks plans to cut 30% of its menu (npr.org)
Starbucks plans to cut about 30% of food and drink options from its menu by late 2025, as part of the chain's plan to change its vibe and stem the loss of customers across U.S. stores.
RadioShack Not Only Still Exists, It Sells Suspiciously Cheap SD Cards (petapixel.com)
RadioShack, once a ubiquitous American electronics store, filed for bankruptcy and shuttered all of its brick and mortar US locations way back in 2017.
Walmart Bought Vizio (theverge.com)
After announcing plans to acquire Vizio in February, Walmart officially owns the company after the $2.3 billion transaction closed on Tuesday.
Amazon UK to stop selling Bloomsbury's books (thebookseller.com)
Amazon UK has said that it will cease selling Bloomsbury’s print and e-books from midnight on 23rd January, saying negotiations between the giant retailer and the publisher had broken down.
NPR shopped for 96 items at Walmart to track how prices are changing (npr.org)
LIBERTY COUNTY, Ga. — Ask almost any shopper outside this sprawling Walmart southeast of Savannah, and they'll tell you about rising prices.
Walgreens replaced fridge doors with smart screens. It's now a $200M fiasco (bloomberg.com)
The refrigerated section at the flagship Walgreens on Chicago’s Magnificent Mile was glowing with frozen food and bottled drinks, but not for long. Where the fridge cases were previously lined with simple glass doors, there were door-size computer screens instead. These “smart doors” obscured shoppers’ view of the fridges’ actual contents, replacing them with virtual rows of the Gatorades, Bagel Bites and other goods it promised were inside.
Walgreens says locking up products to prevent shoplifting hurts sales (cbsnews.com)
Locking up store merchandise can deter shoplifters and paying customers alike, according to Walgreens.
Rossmann Group's consumer protection database Wiki (rossmanngroup.com)
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DVD shop owner vows to be ‘last man standing’ (bbc.com)
Perched on the end of a row of terraces in a small town is one of the last DVD rental shops in the UK.
QR-style codes could replace barcodes 'within two years' (theguardian.com)
It is the zebra-striped tag that has become ubiquitous over the last 50 years, but the barcode’s days could be numbered. The global organisation overseeing their use has said a more powerful alternative will be readable by retailers everywhere within two years.
Rite Aid's 'Zombie' stores take over America (qz.com)
Rite Aid is becoming a haunting sight across America.
We Bought a (Map Store) – Andrew Middleton [video] (youtube.com)
Nordstrom family to take company private (bloomberg.com)
The Nordstrom family is joining forces with a Mexican retailer to take its namesake department store private in an all-cash transaction valued at about $6.25 billion, including debt.