Hurricane Florence Makes Landfall Amid Rising Flood Concerns
Home Depot & Lowe's Send 1,750 Trucks to the Affected Areas
Hardware Stores Make Post-Storm Plans
Two major home-supply chains have activated emergency response centers this week to track Hurricane Florence and get supplies to stores before and after the storm. A Home Depot spokeswoman says the company sent about 750 trucks to areas affected by the hurricane, and a Lowe's spokeswoman said it sent more than 1,000. The supplies include generators, trash bags and bottled water. The companies say they plan to open their stores as soon as possible after the storm, and both are posting updates on store closures on their sites.

Home hardware stores are bursting with business as residents in Southern states that could be affected by Hurricane Florence are trying to protect their property. Ace Hardware managers Tom Roberts and Harold Cook said Wednesday that employees were wrapping up five of the busiest days they have ever seen in their store in the tiny village of Calabash, North Carolina.

Roberts says the store sold hundreds of gas cans and ran out of generators, but still had bottled water, sand bags and other items. But he says now it's time for the employees themselves to get their own homes ready. They also need to rest up, Roberts says, because the stores are "going to be just as busy with cleanup once this thing is gone."

Florence may bring as much as a 0.6 percentage point sales boost in the second half of the year for both Home Depot and Lowe’s, according to Consumer Edge Research. journalnow.com  bloomberg.com

Looters are getting arrested as Hurricane Florence slams North Carolina
As Hurricane Florence slams North Carolina, people are getting arrested for looting businesses and homes. At least four people in Brunswick County have been charged with efforts to break and enter a store.

Authorities have seen car, business and home break-ins, calls of suspicious people — and arrested one after a police chase. In response to the crimes, Brunswick County Sheriff’s Office shared a Facebook post advising “deputies are still on duty! You will be arrested!”

In Myrtle Beach, S.C., Knuckleheads Bar & Grill had a not-so-subtle message for anyone planning on breaking in. “Looters will be shot,” employees wrote on wooden boards covering the bar’s windows. sandiegotribune.com

New Hanover County preparing for looters after Hurricane Florence’s landfall
“There is a vacancy sign on our jail,” David said as southeastern winds began picking up at Trask Middle School Wednesday afternoon, where he, Judge Corpening and Sheriff Ed McMahon were touring Wilmington’s first established hurricane shelter. “We have room for people who are going to show the worst about humanity after something like this.”

Such people include those who enter unoccupied residences due to the city’s mass evacuation, loot properties suddenly exposed to the elements, or practice in price gauging that often follows in the wake of hurricane cleanup, according to David. portcitydaily.com

Home-Improvement Retailers Get a Boost as Storm Approaches

Southeastern Grocers Launches Community Donation Program for Hurricane Florence Relief

7-Eleven Raises Funds for Red Cross Ahead of Hurricane Florence

Gilmer​, TX Tractor Supply Company Partners with Arbor Day Foundation to Help Hurricane Reforestation Efforts

Retailers in the forefront of hurricane preparedness

Click here to read more on Hurricane Florence's retail impact

Labor Board Moves Anew to Limit Employers’ Workplace Liability
Unions Take A Hit in New Proposed Rule on Joint Employers
The board announced on Thursday that it was set to publish a proposed rule redefining a company’s responsibility under labor law for workers engaged at arm’s length, such as those hired by contractors or franchisees.

The proposal, reversing an action taken during the Obama administration, would make it less likely that a company in such a situation would be deemed a joint employer liable for labor abuses like firing workers seeking to unionize.

This more liberal Obama era standard, in addition to potentially exposing more companies to legal liability, made it easier for workers to unionize at fast-food restaurants and hotel chains. It may be illegal for a parent company to terminate a franchise agreement in response to a union campaign by employees of a franchisee if the parent company is considered a joint employer.

The proposed rule could be even stricter than the pre-2015 standard because, according to the board’s announcement, it adds the word “substantial” to the words “direct and immediate” in listing the criteria for whether a company exercises enough control to be considered a joint employer.

Once the proposed rule is published on Friday, the public will have 60 days to submit comments, which the agency is supposed to consider in formulating its final rule. nytimes.com

SHRM: NLRB Reins in When Companies Are Joint Employers
National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) proposed rule will clarify who has to be at the bargaining table during union negotiations, which would include a "joint employer"—a company that directly controls another entity's workers. A joint employer, for example, might be a contractor or franchisor. The definition affects contractors, subcontractors, franchisors, franchisees and staffing firms. shrm.com

NRF: Retailers Welcome Proposed Joint Employer Rule
The National Retail Federation today issued the following statement from Senior Vice President of Government Affairs David French in response to the National Labor Relations Board’s proposed joint employer rule. The rule would provide legal clarity surrounding business-to-business relationships and reverse the controversial Obama-era joint employer standard. nrf.com

Primary Considerations and Pitfalls for Security Control Room Design
Developing an effective SOC requires more than just the streamlining of physical security systems

The fact is there are a number of different factors that organizations seeking to build an SOC need take into consideration beyond what video surveillance, access control and emergency communications technologies they will contain. First and foremost, organizations must think about who is going to staff the center and whether they have the prerequisite abilities to carry out the necessary functions of the facility.

Beyond determining who will staff it, you will need to decide what kind of authority operators in the SOC will have to make decisions that could mean the difference between life and death depending on the situation. And, perhaps just as importantly, you will need to consult an integrator who specializes in the development of security command centers to not only figure out the types of audio/visual (A/V) technology and technical furniture that will be required for the project, but also how the equipment will need to be arranged within the command center.

Hiring a Control Room Integrator

Consulting with a specialized integrator that has experience in designing and deploying SOCs is a critical step every organization must make early in the building process so the integrator can provide recommendations about the systems that will best support the operations of the center and enhance the responsiveness of those who will staff it.

Ergonomics Are Key

Though many security managers tend to have tunnel vision on the techy aspects of building a SOC, often the most important things to consider are the most basic and in a command center environment, that begins with an operator-centric design. The primary goal of every SOC is to enhance communication and responsiveness during security incidents, but that cannot be achieved unless the jobs of operators are made easier and more efficient by the tools around them.

Pitfalls to Avoid

Chief among these is lack of scalability. Let’s say you get your SOC up and running, and then a year from now there is a new software application you want to run or additional cameras you need to integrate, but you lack the capability to do so because adequate scalability wasn’t baked into the original design. It is critical that security managers talk to employees and other stakeholders to understand what types of future capabilities may be required of their SOCs.

You also want to benchmark the best by talking to like-minded people within your organization or field to learn some of the mistakes they’ve made along the way and where they’ve found success. securitymagazine.com

Cashierless store, Standard Market in San Fran, has a plan to catch shoplifters
Using Article Intelligence & Ceiling Cameras
Standard Cognition’s approach is different than Amazon Go and other cashierless stores. It relies exclusively on the ceiling cameras and artificial intelligence software to figure out what you are buying. The cameras document shoppers’ movements, speed, stride length and gaze. The store knows when I glance at a poster and for how long. It knows if I slowed down, grabbed a chocolate bar and put it back. It knows if my body is facing the dried mangoes but my face is set on the popcorn.

And it knows (or is trying to know) when I am planning to steal.

The goal is to predict, and prevent, shoplifting, because unlike Amazon’s Go stores, which have a subway turnstile-like gate for entry and exit, Standard Market has an open door, and the path is clear.

“We learn behaviors of what it looks like to leave,” said Michael Suswal, Standard Cognition’s co-founder and chief operating officer. Trajectory, gaze and speed are especially useful for detecting theft, he said, adding, “If they’re going to steal, their gait is larger, and they’re looking at the door.”

Once the system decides it has detected potential theft behavior, a store attendant will get a text and walk over for “a polite conversation,” Mr. Suswal said. nytimes.com

Paying Is Voluntary at This Selfie-Friendly Store
From Self Checkout to Self-Pay - WOW - Good Luck With That One in NYC
First there was self-checkout. Then Amazon’s cashier-free Go stores. Now there’s pay when you feel like it — we trust you.

At Drug Store, a narrow, black-and-white-tiled store that opened Wednesday in Manhattan’s Tribeca neighborhood, there is no cashier or checkout counter. Anyone can walk in, grab a $10.83 activated-charcoal drink and leave.

But the beverages, typically sold online by the case by Dirty Lemon, a start-up that runs the store, are not free. Dirty Lemon has made a bet that customers will pay the same way they order its pricey lemon-flavored drinks for home delivery: by sending the company a text message.

In the store, customers are expected to text Dirty Lemon to say they have grabbed something. A representative will then text back with a link to enter their credit card information, adding, “Let us know if you need anything else.”

Zak Normandin, the company’s chief executive, said he was not worried that Drug Store’s honor system would encourage theft. “I do think a majority of people would feel very guilty for continuing to steal,” he said in a recent interview at the store.

When asked how much money Dirty Lemon was willing to lose to theft, Mr. Normandin demurred, noting that the company would write down any losses as sampling costs.

Founded in 2015, Dirty Lemon counts 100,000 customers, around half of whom order at least a case of six beverages each month. Its high prices, text-message ordering.

The company is closing a round of venture capital funding from celebrities and investors, including Winklevoss Capital, Betaworks and the investment fund of the YouTube stars Jake Paul and Cameron Dallas. nytimes.com

Dozens of retailers testified about Trump's trade war with China
Here's how some of them said it could impact them
Hundreds of company and industry representatives testified before trade officials in Washington last month about how the next round of tariffs could affect them. Here's what some of those from the retail and distribution industries had to say, drawn from US Trade Representative transcripts.

Jo-Ann Stores
"The proposed tariffs would unintentionally amount to a Made in America tax on sewing and crafting projects completed by Americans. As a result there will be an incentive to move production and jobs away from the United States." - Jill Soltau

Flying Circle
"Looking closer at the proposed tariffs we already pay about a 17 percent import duty on most of our items. A 42 percent tax on our product would erase any profit margins and would be sustainable for a very short period before we would have to close." - Jimmy Chittim

Micro Electronics
"Given that the profit margins on these products are very slim, as well as the fact that we expect to see a steep drop in sales due to this action, Micro Center cannot sustain an additional ten percent tariff, let alone 25 percent." - Richard Mershad3

Lamplight Farms
"We are glad that the U.S. Government is taking steps to position the United States as a global leader in cutting-edge 21st century technologies. ... But we question in the strongest terms how a reduction on U.S. imports of Tiki torches and citronella candles can be a key part of that strategy." - Mark Werner

Max Home
"This will not benefit U.S. producers, U.S. jobs or U.S. furniture. On the contrary, it will eliminate U.S. jobs and shift the majority, if not all of the production processes, oversees." -Martin Silver businessinsider.com

Robot Workers Coming to a Store Near You?
People around the world think that robots will soon take most human jobs
A new poll shows that in several countries around the world, large majorities of people believe it is most likely that robots will be doing much of the work done by humans within 50 years.

The effects of this technological leap are not viewed optimistically by most, however. Instead, people largely say they think humans will struggle to find meaningful work and inequality will rise, the research found.

The polling was conducted earlier this year by the Pew Research Center in Greece, Japan, Canada, Argentina, Poland, Brazil, South Africa, Italy and Hungary. Pew also compared the responses in those countries to polling done in the United States in 2015 that asked about automation.

In general, the poll found that majorities in most countries were in agreement that robots would soon do humans' work, with only limited differences in their views of how this would effect society despite some countries being advanced economically and others still developing.

In all of the countries surveyed, more than two-thirds were found to believe that automation meant that robots would take over work done by humans within a half-century. washingtonpost.com

"‘It’s going to be a real battle’ to hire staff"
Target, Macy’s, Kohl’s dangle discounts, gift cards for holiday workers
Retailers won’t just be battling each other for customers this holiday season — they’re also gearing up to fight over the temporary workers who will make the sales. With unemployment near historic lows, staffing up to handle extra demand could be a challenge.

The workers losing jobs on the sales floor at closing stores aren’t necessarily the same ones getting new jobs in fulfillment centers, but more new jobs have been announced than cut, Challenger said.

There are fewer unemployed job seekers too — the nationwide unemployment rate was 3.9 percent in August, down from 4.4 percent during the same month last year — and there are signs retailers expect more competition for seasonal hires.

Target said all new hires would start at a minimum wage of $12 per hour and get store discounts. As a new perk, the retailer will randomly select one hourly worker at each store and distribution center to receive a $500 gift card and $500 donation to a local community organization of their choice.

Kohl’s, which plans to hire more than 2,300 seasonal workers in the Chicago area, has competitive wages, a weekly pay schedule and certain days when employees get larger-than-usual discounts, spokeswoman Julia Markun said. Macy’s also said it gives seasonal workers competitive pay, merchandise discounts and the ability to earn quarterly incentives if they achieve certain goals.

It’s not clear how influential perks like giveaways and extra discounts are compared with hourly wages, but it suggests retailers are looking for ways to stand out, Challenger said.

“They’re getting creative because they have to figure out ways to get people in the door,” he said. chicagotribune.com

Director, Security & Loss Prevention for Purolator in Mississauga, Ontario, CA Posted
Since its establishment in 1960, Purolator has become Canada’s leading integrated freight, package and logistics solutions provider.

Reporting directly to the Senior Vice President & Chief Operations Officer, this position is accountable for the overall strategic direction of Network Security and Loss Prevention. Responsibilities include developing and implementation of programs and protocols designed to control risk, prevent losses and protect personnel & assets through the organization. Lead and develop a national team of 8 direct reports and 36 indirect reports. purolator.com
 

Cannabis ‘Gold Rush’ will boost retail in Canada, RioCan says
RioCan Real Estate Investment Trust said it’s anticipating a “gold rush” from Canada’s legalization of recreational marijuana in October, bringing premium rents and boosting demand for retail real estate across the country’s biggest markets. RioCan chief executive officer Edward Sonshine said on an earnings call with analysts Wednesday. The “gold rush” will come as retailers start “looking to stake a claim at the best locations, many of which we own.”

Marijuana retail “could be a large opportunity for them,” Matt Kopsky, an analyst at Edward Jones & Co., said in an interview. “Obviously it’s a growing segment within the retail market, and I’m here in Colorado and there’s stores all over the state,” he said. “With retail struggling, it’s good to have any sort of growth opportunities.” thestar.com

Once cannabis is legal, don’t expect Canada's ‘grey market’ to vanish
On paper, it all seems perfectly simple: five weeks from now Canada will flip a cataclysmic switch. And just like that, cannabis will be legal.

Goodbye, century of marijuana prohibition. Farewell, black market. Hello officer, put that badge away and sit for a while. There’s no crime here. Not anymore.

As the new law takes hold, few expect the vast black and grey markets that carried Canadian cannabis to this moment to vanish like so many puffs of smoke, surrendering lock, stock and barrel to Bay Street’s new publicly traded titans of factory-scale production.

“As far as Canada is concerned, I feel strongly that you can’t just turn off one tap and turn on another. You’ve got to somehow incorporate the grey market into the new legal framework. I know from our own experience that the people who care most about the end product are the ones who have been doing it for years.” thestar.com

Bloomingdale's Vice President of Asset Protection job removed from website

Nike enjoys 31 percent bump in online sales after debut of Kaepernick campaign

Amazon will announce the home of its 'HQ2' this year

HBC Sells 50% Stake in European Department Stores to Competitor

L Brands Closing Down All 23 Henri Bendel Stores

Bed Bath & Beyond Closing 2 More Stores After Saying 40 Months Ago

Big winners after Toys R Us' death are still Walmart and Target, but also Costco

August Retail Sales Increase 0.1% Over July - 5% Year-over-Year


The D&D Daily Quarter 3 'Data Week'
Coming October 15-19




Quarterly Results

Canada's Dollarama Q2 comp's up 2.6%, sales up 6.9%
Canada's Empire (Sobeys grocery stores) Q1 comp's up 1.3%, sales 3%
Fred's Q2 comp's down 3.5%, net sales down 4.4%
Sears Holdings Q2 consolidated comp's down 3.9%, sales down 25.5%, net loss of $508M - up 100% over LY
   Sears comp's down 4%
    Kmart comp's down 3.7%