Maskup!
List of Retailers making facial Masks Mandatory
Walmart says shoppers must wear masks inside its stores starting Monday — the largest retailer to join a growing list of companies making face covering mandatory across the nation. Walmart and Sam’s Club — as well as Kroger — are joining Costco, Starbucks, Best Buy, Panera Bread and others in implementing a nationwide requirement for customers to wear masks inside their stores. Walmart said it’s creating a new job of “health ambassador,” who will be specially trained to “work with customers who show up at a store without a face covering to try and find a solution.”

Zoom introduces all-in-one home communications appliance for $599
Zoom has become the de facto standard for online communications during the pandemic, but the company has found that it’s still a struggle for many employees to set up the equipment and the software to run a meeting effectively. The company’s answer is an all-in-one communications appliance with Zoom software ready to roll in a simple touch interface.

The device dubbed the Zoom for Home is being produced by partner DTEN. It consists of a stand-alone 27 inch screen, essentially a large tablet equipped with three wide-angle cameras designed for high-resolution video and 8 microphones. Zoom software is preloaded on the device and the interface is designed to provide easy access to popular Zoom features.

Amazon’s new smart shopping cart lets you check out without a cashier
Amazon is expanding its real-world footprint with another unconventional physical product: a shopping cart.

While it certainly looks like an aesthetic upgrade to your standard grocery store cart, the Dash Cart, as it’s called, is in fact a smart version of the tried-and-true food transport vehicle.
It’s equipped with a touchscreen and other various hardware components to automatically detect what items you’re placing inside and even how many of those items you’ve picked off the shelf. When you’re done shopping, you’re allowed to take the cart through a special lane that checks you out digitally without requiring a human cashier to ring you up.

The idea builds on Amazon’s approach of trying to take the convenience it’s mastered in the digital realm and bring it into the real world. For years now, Amazon has been trying to apply all the learning it picked up from developing Alexa-powered products, including microwaves and wall clocks, and establishing a brick-and-mortar presence through its Whole Foods acquisition and growing Amazon Go store network. Those efforts are now resulting in hybrid products that bridge the digital and physical, if only in small and experimental bursts.

While it certainly looks like an aesthetic upgrade to your standard grocery store cart, the Dash Cart, as it’s called, is in fact a smart version of the tried-and-true food transport vehicle.

It’s equipped with a touchscreen and other various hardware components to automatically detect what items you’re placing inside and even how many of those items you’ve picked off the shelf. When you’re done shopping, you’re allowed to take the cart through a special lane that checks you out digitally without requiring a human cashier to ring you up.

Retailers Filing for Bankruptcies
This year, retailers are facing even tougher challenges, as the coronavirus outbreak caused most U.S. retail to temporarily shutter, keeping customers away, and forcing retailers to negotiate with landlords and suppliers to tackle unforeseen inventory and liquidity issues. On top of that, the forces that pushed dozens of retailers into bankruptcy over the last four years or so are still present.

21 retailers have filed for bankruptcy in 2020 so far, list alongwith dates are as below:

  • Muji USA (July 10)
  • Sur La Table (July 8)
  • Brooks Brothers (July 8)
  • G-Star Raw (July 3)
  • Lucky Brand (July 3)
  • GNC (June 23)
  • Tuesday Morning (May 27)
  • Centric Brands (May 18)
  • J.C. Penney (May 15)
  • Stage Stores (May 11)
  • Aldo (May 7)
  • Neiman Marcus (May 7)
  • J. Crew (May 4)
  • Roots USA (April 29)
  • True Religion (April 13)
  • Modell’s Sporting Goods (March 11)
  • Art Van Furniture (March 9)
  • Bluestem Brands (March 9)
  • Pier 1 (Feb. 17)
  • SFP Franchise Corp (Jan. 23)

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