Walmart customer calls cops after his self-checkout avocado mishap charged $1,300
A Walmart employee claimed a customer called the police after he — the customer — accidentally overcharged himself for avocados at the self-checkout kiosk, then accused the store of "robbing" him. The unusual incident was documented on a Reddit page dedicated to all things Walmart.
As "Lore-Archivist" told the story, a man "came up with a bunch of stuff" and claimed an item on the shelf that was priced at $9.99 was showing up on the register at $19.99. The Reddit writer said a Walmart team leader was able to get it fixed for the man. However, it happened again with item after item that couldn't be changed, "Lore-Archivist" said. "Then he had avocados," the man wrote. "I guess he accidentally hit 999 avocados instead of the 9 he intended. His total jumped up to over $1300."
Source: NY Post
Maple Leaf Foods' Curtis Frank and Walmart Canada's Sam Wankowski appointed co-chairs of GS1 Board of Govenors
Curtis Frank, president and CEO of Maple Leaf Foods, and Sam Wankowski, chief merchandising officer at Walmart Canada, have been appointed co-chairs of GS1 Canada's Board of Governors. GS1 Board of Governors is composed of grocery industry leaders who help set the strategic and financial direction. GS1 is a not-for-profit association that develops global standards for business communication.
Source: Grocery Business
Walmart's grocery drones set to land in Houston this yearWalmart announced Thursday that it plans to bring its drone delivery program to Houston through its partnership with Wing, the drone delivery service owned by Google's parent company Alphabet, in the upcoming year. The drone service is coming to 100 new stores across Atlanta, Charlotte, Houston, Orlando and Tampa. The deliveries will be limited to a six-mile radius from participating Walmart Supercenter locations and are expected to arrive in 30 minutes or less, Walmart said in a press release.
"As we look ahead, drone delivery will remain a key part of our commitment to redefining retail. We're pushing the boundaries of convenience to better serve our customers, making shopping faster and easier than ever before," said Greg Cathey, senior vice president of Walmart U.S. Transformation and Innovation.
Source: Chron
Kroger faces class-action lawsuits due to incorrect price tags
A joint report by Consumer Reports, The Guardian, and Food & Environment Reporting Network revealed irregularities in 26 Kroger stores and others belonging to the same American chain. It was found that many price tags were outdated or incorrect. This caused customers to pay the full price for products that were supposed to be discounted. The report identified more than 150 items with issues. More than a third of the tags with incorrect prices were at least ten days old. For five products, the tags had not been updated for more than 90 days, and the average overcharge per product was $1.70.
Although employees corrected the errors when a shopper reported them, many cases went unnoticed. This problem has led to class-action lawsuits in states such as Ohio, California, Illinois, and Utah. Affected shoppers have filed legal actions over the improper charges.
Source: EDA TV
Serbia: Italian retail chain selects initial locations in Serbia
Unofficially, the Eurospin EKO Company, which manages branches in Slovenia and Croatia, has selected its first locations in Serbia. Through its representatives, Eurospin recently advertised a large number of job openings for its Serbian headquarters, with several months of training planned in Croatia and Italy. According to information from the Retail Serbia portal, some departments began training Serbian colleagues as early as the end of last year. So far, the company has not made an official statement regarding its expansion into the Serbian market.
Eurospin currently operates at 1,300 locations in Italy, Slovenia, Croatia, and Malta, employing over 22,000 workers. In 2024, the company generated nearly ten billion euros in revenue. The group was founded in 1993 by four entrepreneurs as a response to the growing demand among consumers for savings.
Source: Serbian Monitor
Ireland: Spar wants a bigger slice of Ireland's €15bn grocery market
South African headquartered Spar group, in releasing its half-year reporting last week, announced its plan to withdraw from its extensive operations in Switzerland and the UK, but in a surprising move, declared its intention to double down on its investment in Ireland.
The group's decision to offload its Swiss and UK retail businesses is part of a strategic realignment towards a more profitable international presence. Spar group chief executive Angelo Swartz stated the group experienced a tough operating environment, particularly in its European operations, while the South African consumer remains under pressure as well.
Source: Irish Examiner
UK: Sainsbury's announces change to shelves that customers may notice soon
Sainsbury's supermarkets have announced a major change that shoppers may soon notice on store shelves. The classic British supermarket has become the latest grocer to trial electronic shelf-edge labels (ESLs) in an aim to modernise its stores and improve operational efficiency.
ESLs offer retailers the opportunity to update their prices in real time, which aims to reduce pricing errors and better manage promotional offers. For those who work in supermarkets, it will also save time, as paper labels will no longer need to be manually changed by staff.
Source: Grocery Trader
Qatar: Morrisons celebrates growing its presence in the Gulf with Lulu Retail at British Food Festival in Qatar
Morrisons has further strengthened its international presence by participating in the British Food Festival in Qatar, hosted by leading regional retailer Lulu Retail Group. Morrisons showcased the quality and breadth of its offer to customers across the Gulf region, supported by its strategic export partner – Y International UK Ltd.
The event, held across Lulu stores in Qatar, provided an immersive customer experience designed to celebrate the best of British food. Each participating store featured bespoke point of sale materials, British-themed displays and supplier sampling stands. Morrisons own label Mild Cheddar proved particularly popular, selling out during the festival.
Source: Daily Record
UK: Is there room left for supermarket expansion in the UK?
The British supermarket landscape has undergone dramatic transformations over the past three decades. Once a golden territory for rapid retail expansion, the United Kingdom saw an explosion of supermarket store openings during the 1990s and early 2000s. Giants such as Tesco, Sainsbury's, Asda and Morrisons battled fiercely to claim dominance. Back then, location was everything. The closer a store was to the consumer's doorstep, the more successful it was likely to be. Prices mattered, but convenience was king.
So, does this crowded and competitive market still have space for new supermarket expansion? The answer is complex. From a physical retail perspective, the value of the market has largely plateaued. One retailer's gain now often comes at another's expense. Market share is being redistributed rather than expanded. Opening new stores today is less about growing the market and more about strategic replacement. Every new Aldi that opens may mean a weakened presence for a local Tesco, Morrisons or Asda.
Source: International Supermarket News