The latest news for every retail supply chain nerd
Attention shoppers and all you retail supply chain nerds. Welcome to Point of Sale: The Newsletter! Here you’ll find all the latest industry deals, tech developments and everything in between regarding shoppers’ interests. I’m Sydney Edwards, the voice in your head and the writer before you. Happy to be here!
At the market
Oof, Peloton
It seems like it’s one thing after another with Peloton. The company is currently dealing with a recall of over 2.2 million exercise bikes. KARE 11 News in Minneapolis reported that bikes with the model number PL01 are being recalled because the seat post has been breaking while folks are exercising, injuring them in the process.
The recall said 35 reports have been made regarding the faulty seat post, with 13 of those reports including rider injuries. Some people have fractured their wrists, suffered lacerations and have been left with some bruises.
While this recall is larger than another notable recall for the company, it is not yet the most severe. KARE 11 reported that in the spring of 2021, 125,000 of the Peloton Tread+ and Tread treadmills were recalled after a 6-year-old died. People with children and pets were encouraged not to use the product anymore because kids and animals were getting dragged and trapped under the machine. Three hundred incidents were reported.
If you’re a Peloton rider, KARE 11 said you can check the inside front fork of your bike near the flywheel to see if you have a PL01 model. Peloton is providing free seat post replacements for customers with that model and the request can be processed online.
The trading post
More pizza, better experiences
Though it’s the fifth-largest pizza chain in the U.S., I still think of Casey’s as a gas station — a gas station with really good pizza and snacks. The convenience store chain has teamed up with Relex Solutions, a software company, to help grow and improve the supply chain. Retail Insight Network said Relex has plans to reduce waste, improve availability and focus on markdowns of fresh foods.
“Relex has a track record of delivering rapid value on large-scale, complex implementations such as Casey’s. We pride ourselves on helping convenience stores improve and we’re looking forward to delivering that same value for Casey’s,” said Keith Adams, Relex Solutions’ senior vice president of North America.
Casey’s said Relex will provide a valuable “single source of truth” to work from, allowing for improvements in guest experiences. The convenience store company has more than 2,000 sites in 16 states.
Gigs and gadgets
Amazon’s $10 Pickup program
Did you know if you’re new to Amazon Pickup, you could receive $10 for using it? Reuters reported that the e-commerce giant is giving $10 to U.S. customers who pick up their own orders instead of having them shipped to the addresses of their choice.
While this seems like a way to save money and manpower on shipping, Amazon said this initiative is not a cost-cutting measure. “We offer customers a variety of ways to get their packages, inclusive of delivery and pickup options. The $10 Amazon Pickup promotion isn’t new,” the company said in a statement.
The promotion is also available to customers who haven’t used Amazon Pickup in the last 12 months. Reuters said Amazon has sent the $10 to an undisclosed number of people in the last week, giving them the money for picking up a package worth at least $25 at certain pickup locations. If you’re familiar with Amazon returns, companies like Whole Foods and Kohl’s allow shoppers to make returns in their stores. These locations, as well as Amazon Fresh and others, are allowing the pickup option.
SONAR steals
This week we’re checking out the Outbound Tender Volume Index (OTVI) in Baltimore. OTVI shows tender load volumes for the U.S. Users can also look at specific regions and market granularity.
Volumes out of the Baltimore market have slowly been trending higher since the beginning of the year, rising 5.42% week over week.
Rejection rates have been heading south in Baltimore, falling 262 basis points in the past week to 6.43%, still more than double the national average.
Despite higher than average rejection rates and rising volumes, spot rates out of the market remain depressed, including to two freight hubs: Atlanta and Chicago, where rates are $1.67 per mile on average, more than 40 cents per mile below the national average.
Is SONAR for you? Check it out with a demo!
Endcap items
Supply Chains Face New Problems
Alabama Senate passes bill creating crime of ‘retail theft’
The real reasons stores such as Walmart and Starbucks are closing in big cities
Connecting with Gen Z and a new role for content: How ecommerce marketers must adapt
Glue free paper packaging has made its way from Europe to North America
Need to speak to the manager? Shoot me an email with comments, questions or story ideas at sedwards@freightwaves.com.
Until next time,
Sydney Edwards
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