Hello, hello and welcome to another week of
Onto the news of the week:
Tensions mount between Whole Foods and Amazon workers in stores
Whole Foods employees told Hayley that Amazon Prime workers are clogging aisles, ignoring virus protocols, and exacerbating severe understaffing at grocery stores across the US.
"They are everywhere," a Philadelphia Whole Foods employee said. "It's like being in a sci-fi nightmare film."
And, the problems are coming at a time when morale is already low.
"Team-member morale is the lowest I've ever seen it," a longtime HR manager said. "Global" — Whole Foods' corporate office in Austin, Texas — "keeps asking us for feedback, and we keep saying to them: Team members don't feel safe. They don't feel safe from the virus, and they don't feel safe from the customers. I have never seen so many people look so stressed and so afraid."
Sporting goods retailer Everlast is launching a new streaming fitness service
Everlast, best known for selling boxing equipment, told Bethany it is launching an at-home fitness service in February 2021.
"Consumers will be able to subscribe and take part in a virtual community that is built on our history, our brand, and celebrating the athletes and the people involved in it while trying to develop useful content that people at home could use and find value out of," said Chris Zoller, Everlast's vice president of marketing and product development.
Inside the controversial underworld of sneaker "bots"
Shoshy investigates the world of bots — software applications used by sneaker resellers to expedite the online checkout process. In 2020, going "manual" is increasingly synonymous with losing out on limited-edition drops.
"I think that bots are a necessarily evil," said Iwan Jeffery, the 21-year-old creator of Splashforce, one of the top sneaker bots on the market.
McDonald's All Day Breakfast might be gone forever
All-Day Breakfast has been off McDonald's menus for months. Now, workers and franchisees are rallying to make it disappear forever.
"I absolutely do not think we should bring it back," one McDonald's worker told me. "It makes us faster, and gives the grill less to worry about."
Get the full fast-food story here.
Inside the exclusive world of "clienteling"
This week was the first time I heard the word "clienteling."
"A week or so before discounts officially commence, premium stores will have offered their best customers what's discreetly dubbed "presale" — a chance for regulars to shop at discount in advance, cherry-picking the choicest designer bargains before ordinary shoppers can access them," reports Mark Ellwood.
This special service is part of a practice known as "clienteling," which also involves other discounts and treats for regular customers.
You can get the full story on "clienteling" here.
Everything else you need to know
- Chuck E. Cheese's CEO tells Irene that the chain wants to make a TV show starring its mouse mascot.
- OpenTable CEO Debby Soo spills on the pandemic.
- What is going on with dynamic pricing at brick-and-mortar stores.
- Olive Garden's Times Square location is basically flushing money down the toilet without indoor dining.
- NPC International wants to be able to sell its 900 Pizza Hut locations to anyone it wants — even if that means giving Pizza Hut rivals like Domino's and Papa John's a major advantage.
- Burger King is selling a shocking amount of food for $2.
- Dunkin' is teaming up with Harpoon Brewery to make a beer. It's weird.