“I was recently stranded in Bylas, AZ on my way to Safford, AZ for the annual New Year's weekend hot air Balloon Festival. I'm new to AZ and take public transportation to get around, so I took a Greyhound bus to Bylas and was told that Apache transit was running a shuttle bus to Safford, which turned out to not be running December 31st. The lady, and the young man, that were working in the store that day were so helpful to me! My phone went out of communication, as my phone carrier didn't seem to have any connections in the area! I wish I could remember the lady's name, she let me use her hotspot so I could attempt to schedule an Uber ride, which turned out to not have any drivers available! I was told that there were no taxi services in Bylas either! She even attempted to find someone to give me a ride, which was very kind of her. Anyway, I made it to Safford with the help of a kind lady, and her family, named Althea and spent my two nights in Safford. I was hoping to make it back to Bylas to thank the kind staff in whatever monetary way I could, where I was to catch my return Greyhound bus. Unfortunately I was stranded by the Apache transit shuttle bus again and ended up, after many hours of stress, cancelling my departure ticket from Bylas to Thatcher instead. I won't ever forget the kind people of Bylas!”
The Cincinnati-based supermarket giant will open about 110 new stores in fast-growing markets by 2029 and introduce three updated store formats, executives told investors Oct. 20 at the company’s Investor Update in New York. Kroger already runs about 2,700 stores in 35 states. The formats come in three sizes, a bit like small, medium and large, matched to each market. Mary Ellen Adcock, Kroger’s executive vice president and chief merchant and marketing officer, walked through the lineup.
Walmart shoppers want a head start on the holidays, and money explains a lot of it. Some 44% of respondents call affording the holidays their top stressor, and 61% say holiday costs shape their shopping mood. Asked what would make the season easier, 70% picked lower prices and 57% picked more deals and promotions. Convenience ranks lower: 30% want one-stop shopping across categories, and 20% want faster delivery.
Walmart wants your groceries at the door before the ice cream softens. On May 29, the retailer said its 30-minute-or-less delivery had reached 33 U.S. markets, adding a wave of new cities across the Northeast. Shoppers in those areas can order from more than 100,000 items, everything from fresh produce and baby formula to pet food, electronics, cold medicine, and prescriptions. Behind the scenes, the service leans on Walmart's store network and an algorithm that factors in order size, available drivers, and distance from the store.
Trader Joe's keeps adding stores, and shoppers keep showing up. The California grocer has marked nine more locations as "opening soon," pushing its expansion into new corners of the country. The grocer also took first place in the American Customer Satisfaction Index's 2026 supermarket rankings. It has held a spot near the top of that list for years.
Target is rolling out its most ambitious store overhaul in more than ten years, with plans to remodel over 130 locations and open 30 new stores across the country this year. The retailer is also putting money into supply chain technology upgrades to keep pace with how shoppers buy today.
