COVID Update

US: Over 7.4M Cases - 212K Dead - 4.7M Recovered
Worldwide: Over 34.3M Cases - 1M Dead - 25.5M Recovered

Private Industry Security Guard Deaths: 190   Law Enforcement Officer Deaths: 117
*Red indicates change in total deaths

New U.S. Coronavirus Cases Rise Slightly
With Covid-19 accelerating in 34 states, cases countrywide since the pandemic began now exceed 7.2 million.

New coronavirus cases in the U.S. edged up slightly to more than 42,000, as some states moved to extend pandemic-related restrictions and others progressed with reopening plans.

New cases have grown in 34 states at a faster clip over the past week compared with the previous week, according to a Wall Street Journal analysis of data from Johns Hopkins University. In six of those states-Connecticut, New Hampshire, Maryland, Vermont, West Virginia and Kansas-the difference between the 7-day average and 14-day average of new cases was 10 or fewer. wsj.com

  Highest seven-day admission total since June 1
  Minnesota tops 100,000 COVID-19 cases as hospitalizations rise

Kroger Gets Cited in 5 LA Stores
Ralphs Failed to Report Two COVID Worker Deaths

L.A.-area Ralphs and Food 4 Less stores fined for coronavirus violations
Cal/OSHA, found that a Ralphs in Culver City as well as one in Sherman Oaks each failed to report a worker's death from COVID-19. A Food 4 Less store allowed too many customers inside, preventing workers from maintaining a recommended six feet of physical distance and putting them at risk for serious illness, the agency said.

In total, four Ralphs stores and one Food 4 Less received citations Sept. 24 for failing to protect workers from exposure to the coronavirus because they did not update their workplace safety plans to properly address hazards, according to a statement by California's Department of Industrial Relations.

A Ralphs in Studio City did not install plexiglass barriers between employees and customers in the cheese department. A West Hollywood Ralphs failed to install similar barriers at eight registers. Several locations failed to provide training for their employees on how the virus spreads, how to identify signs and symptoms, and measures to avoid infection.

All five grocery stores cited are owned and operated by Kroger. Cal/OSHA has proposed a total of $104,380 in penalties. The citations were based on inspections conducted over the course of several months beginning in May. latimes.com

Retail & Hospitality COVID-19 Impact Survey:
- Operational Procedures Still Searching for the 'New Normal'
- Safety Ranked #2 Training Priority for 2021

Multimedia Plus released a COVID-19 impact survey recently that measures the impact of COVID-19 on pressing industry issues focused on technology, training, and health priorities. The survey asked senior executives to examine the operational procedures and the implementation of technology used by national businesses to enhance safety during the current COVID-19 pandemic.

THIS IS NOT THE NEW NORMAL -- YET

When asked "How often have you revised operational procedures since reopening?" Executives in retail and hospitality are challenged to keep up with operational procedures based on the number of COVID-19 outbreaks, the mandates of state and local government requirements and based on the needs of staff and guests. The number of adjustments is still in flux and is being updated on an ongoing basis.

● 78% of respondents said that they have revised operational procedures since reopening three or more times, 11% said two times, 4% said once
● A small percentage, 7%, said that they have not revised operational procedures at all

THE NEW NORMAL WILL INCLUDE HEALTH SCREENINGS

Retail and hospitality executives understand the importance of health screenings; however, it is not clear that maintaining strict compliance on a company-wide level is a current priority with 50% using only verbal acknowledgement. While checks are being implemented in various ways, only 30% are tracking digitally. When asked to "Please indicate your current pre-shift employee health screening method."

● 50% of respondents said that verbal acknowledgement is being used
● 25% said signature of acknowledgement
● 25% said digital acknowledgement
● 5% said electronic display pass  prnewswire.com

L.A. County allowing shopping malls, nail salons and playgrounds to reopen
After months of closure, shopping centers and nail salons in Los Angeles County will be allowed to resume indoor operations with limited capacity over the next 10 days. Nail salons and indoor malls will be allowed to reopen at 25% capacity, but per state guidance, mall food courts and common areas will remain closed.

The county is taking a staggered approach to reopening over the next 10 days and will announce dates for individual sectors Friday.

Health officials have not seen a surge connected to the holiday weekend, and announced Wednesday that the positivity rate - 3% - and hospitalization count - 734 - have reached their lowest levels since the start of the pandemic. latimes.com

New app alerts New Yorkers if they're near someone with COVID-19
Gov. Andrew Cuomo on Thursday announced a new smartphone app that can alert residents of New York and four other states if they've come in contact with someone who's tested positive for the coronavirus. If you were within six feet of a person who tested positive for 10 minutes," said Cuomo during a phone press conference, of the free program, called "COVID Alert."

The app works in New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Pennsylvania and Delaware. nypost.com

Indoor Dining Returns to New York City, but Will Customers?
 

UK's Retail Trade Associations Plead for Gov. Help
UK: Government urged to "investigate growing problem" of crime
against shopworkers
A group of associations have come together to call on the Chair of the Home Affairs Committee, Yvette Cooper MP to launch an inquiry on violence against retail staff.

The BRC, Association of Convenience Stores (ACS), Usdaw and the National Federation of Retail Newsagents (NFRN) have urged Cooper to "investigate this growing problem of violence and abuse against retail workers and the measures the Government should be taking to address it".

The associations have said that the government has rejected numerous calls to protect shopworkers through the creation of a specific offence which would impose tougher penalties on perpetrators.

Two weeks ago, the government rejected Usdaw's call for new legislation to protect retail workers in their response to a petition, which was signed by over 63,000 people.

According the BRC's latest Crime Survey, retailers spent a record £1.2 billion on crime prevention in 2019, yet violence and abuse is on the rise with over 400 incidents every day.

Meanwhile, ACS's 2020 Crime Report found that there were over 50,000 violent incidents in local shops where staff had been verbally and violently assaulted, as well as spat at and coughed on for challenging shoplifters, enforcing age-restricted sales and implementing coronavirus safety measures.

Over 50 cross-party MPs have already signed the BRC Shopworkers' Protection Pledge, ensuring it will tackle retail crime.

"Existing legislation meant to protect these workers is not working, and many of those committing these appalling crimes are not being held to account. retailgazette.co.uk

Finance Employee Gets 45M's Fed Prison - Stealing $973,000 from Fast Food Franchisee
In San Antonio, a federal judge sentenced 46-year-old Rosalinda Fuentes to 45 months in federal prison for stealing more than $973,000 from her former employer, MUY! MUY! operates over 750 Taco Bell, Pizza Hut and Wendy's restaurants across the U.S. Fuentes was also ordered to pay full resititution.

By pleading guilty, Fuentes admitted that while processing employee payroll for MUY! Companies, LLC from 2014 to 2019, she implemented a scheme to steal money from the company. Fuentes used names of current and former employees to generate fraudulent pay checks and direct those unauthorized funds to bank accounts which she controlled. Furthermore, once the money had been deposited, Fuentes voided the fraudulent transactions from company records in an effort to conceal her scheme. justice.gov

Deadly fires in California have claimed at least 30 lives this year
Another death associated with a fire in Northern California was confirmed Wednesday, bringing the death toll from this year's unprecedented wildfire season in the state to 30. The most recent death was that of a man who was badly burned and evacuated from the Zogg Fire in Shasta County the day the fire started. Four people have been killed in the Zogg Fire, which has burned more than 55,000 acres and destroyed nearly 150 structures, fire officials said. It was 9 percent contained Wednesday evening.

There were 26 major fires or clusters of fires known as complexes burning across California on Wednesday, with more than 17,000 firefighters working to gain ground on the blazes, said the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, or Cal Fire. nbcnews.com

  Glass Fire: 200+ structures destroyed in Napa, Sonoma counties

  Maps and Resources to Stay up on California's Record Wildfire Season


The 1st True Omni Big Box
Walmart's New "Digitally-Enabled" Superstore Concept Coming to
1,000 Stores by end of 2021
Walmart will remodel 200 of its Supercenters by the end of 2020 to encourage a more "digitally-enabled shopping experience" featuring bolder signage, contactless checkout, and airport-inspired crowd management techniques. Molding the store and the mobile app.

The retail giant's remodeling project will expand to 1,000 stores by the end of 2021. Redesign efforts will also primarily take place in Supercenters, but some Health Centers and Neighborhood Markets may additionally be overhauled.

The primary goal of the redesign is to provide customers with "one integrated Walmart experience" that compliments the company's mobile app.

When planning for its remodeling effort, Walmart took inspiration from an unlikely source: airports. According to Whiteside, efficient airports provide a prime example of spaces that allow for large groups of people to easily navigate through clever designs and clear signage.

These revamped Supercenters will also boast self-checkout kiosks and contactless pay via Walmart Pay. Several locations will also feature Scan & Go technology. businessinsider.com

Editor's Note: This is really the first pure "digitally enabled" big box roll-out in the industry, especially of this magnitude. An historical event that marks a water-shed moment in retail when mobile becomes the driving force in molding an actual store. Which continues to drive the evolving seamless relationship between LP, AP and cybersecurity.

"The Tally Effect" - Out-of-Stock Detection
Schnuck Markets Expands Autonomous Robot Tally Enhancing Inventory Mgt.
Three years after introducing Simbe Robotics' autonomous robot Tally to select stores to enhance inventory management, Schnuck Markets, Inc. today announced it is launching the technology in an additional 46 stores, leveraging Tally's real-time data to improve the shopping experiences in 62 locations. Tally will be scanning more than 4.2 million products per day.

14x more out-of-stock detection than manual auditing - Increased accuracy of real-time inventory - Streamlined ordering and replenishment - Access to real-time product location data businesswire.com

Belk's Not Paying Vendors? Next Retail Casualty?
At least four vendors from the home furnishings sector who sell to the Belk department store company say they are not being paid - or are being paid very slowly - for their outstanding invoices. They also say merchants at the retailer are not providing details on payment plans or just aren't speaking at all.

Belk is owned by Sycamore Partners, a private equity firm that bought out the founding family in 2015 and has since kept a low profile in discussing the financial position of the store. Belk is one of a number of retail investments Sycamore has made over the years, including current ownership of Staples, The Limited and Talbots.

In the retailing business, slow or no-pay to suppliers at the same time as store merchandising staffs no longer discuss payment terms with their vendors are often signals that the company may be considering bankruptcy or other financial solutions. forbes.com

H&M to close 250 stores globally & possibly 1 quarter of their 5,000 store fleet

Gap to hire virtually for fulfillment, customer centers with online 3-minute process

Hy-Vee implements primarily self-checkout stations in stores

Starbucks HQ extends work-from-home to Oct. '21 & more flexible workplace

The Hayes Report Newsletter-Fall 2020 Vol 35 No 4


Quarterly Results
Bed Bath & Beyond Q2 comp's up 6%, digital up 89%, net sales down 1%


Publishing Note: Our weekly LP Newswire email will be published tomorrow morning.