Microsoft announced new agentic AI solutions to enhance retail operations, including intelligent automation across merchandising, marketing, and store management, with features like Copilot Checkout for seamless shopping, personalized shopping agents, catalog enrichment, and store assistant tools, aiming to improve efficiency, customer engagement, and decision-making in retail.
A loyal shopper expresses frustration over a supermarket's new one-door entry and exit policy, which complicates shopping for those with mobility issues, while Dear Abby suggests shopping elsewhere if possible. The column also discusses a husband's financial support for his ex-wife and the wife's concerns about her husband's generosity, advising communication and legal consultation if needed.
Costco has quietly discontinued several popular products, including soy milk, snack mixes, and frozen pockets, upsetting loyal customers who often rely on these items, highlighting the store's limited inventory strategy and frequent product rotation.
Costco is testing a new 'scan-and-go' checkout system similar to Sam’s Club, allowing customers to scan items with their phones and pay via an app to reduce long lines, with early positive results and potential to improve shopping convenience.
Google introduces AI Mode, a new shopping experience that combines visual inspiration, smart guidance, and reliable product data, with features like virtual try-on using personal photos and an agentic checkout to help users buy clothes and accessories more easily and confidently.
A South County Walmart in St. Louis is removing its self-checkout lanes to improve the shopping experience, with the changeover expected to take around two weeks to complete.
Tri-State shoppers experienced a less traditional Black Friday this year, with fewer long lines, no shopping frenzy, and fewer markdowns. Many stores that shoppers expected to be open were closed. While online shopping continues to rise, some shoppers still value the in-person shopping experience and the nostalgia of Black Friday. Despite the shift towards online shopping, there was still a significant number of shoppers in physical stores. The National Retail Federation predicts that the number of shoppers during the Black Friday weekend in 2023 will surpass the previous year.