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[ad_1] As retailers tried to win shoppers and boost sales in recent years, they made their online return policies more lenient than ever. But those changes have come at a cost. As more consumers shop online and send back more of those orders, retailers have moved to crack down on fraud . In some cases, shoppers can send back different items than the ones they bought, return stolen items or claim a purchase never got delivered when it really did. Retailers estimate 13.7% of returns, or $101 billion worth, were fraudulent last year, according to a survey by Appriss Retail and the National Retail Federation. The share of returns expected to be fraudulent during the peak holiday season was even higher at 16.5%, or $24.5 billion worth, the survey found. Those goods are still flowing back in, as many retailers extend return windows for purchases made in November and December through the end of January. As retailers field those returns, fraud has become their top concern, industry expert

[ad_1] New vaccine COMIRNATY® by Pfizer, available at CVS Pharmacy in Eagle Rock, California. Irfan Khan | Los Angeles Times | Getty Images It's déjà vu for some Americans looking for the latest Covid-19 vaccines. Certain people who were lucky enough to snag an appointment for the latest formulation are receiving cancellation notices or showing up to learn there isn't a dose available for them. Some are being told they need to pay more than $100 out of pocket because their insurance provider isn't covering the shots yet. The majority of CVS locations are able to honor scheduled appointments, but delivery delays to some stores are causing them to reschedule shots, a CVS spokesperson said in a statement. Most Walgreens stores have enough supply for existing appointments and more slots are being made available as the shots come in, a spokesperson said. Vaccine manufacturers Moderna and Pfizer said they have shipped millions of doses since the new versions were approve

[ad_1] A customer pushes a shopping cart full of groceries outside a Wal-Mart in Rogers, Arkansas, left, and a pedestrian passes a Target store in the Tenleytown neighborhood of Washington, D.C. Getty Images Target and Walmart are both catering to thriftier shoppers, but the two big-box retailers have seen very different outcomes when it comes to winning their dollars. Target missed Wall Street's sales expectations for the fiscal second-quarter. Walmart beat Wall Street's revenue estimates for the three-month period. Target slashed its forecast for the year, while Walmart raised its outlook. The companies' diverging performances illustrate some of the retailers' fundamental differences. Walmart, the nation's largest grocer, makes more than half of its annual revenue from selling groceries — a category that shoppers buy even when times are tight. Target draws only about 20% of its yearly revenue from grocery, making it rely more on sales of items such as cl

[ad_1] Gap will lay off about 1,800 employees, more than three times as many as the 500 layoffs it announced in September , as part of a broad effort to cut costs and streamline operations, the company said Thursday.  The layoffs will affect roles at Gap's headquarters locations along with upper field positions, or workers such as regional store leaders who hold leadership titles outside of a headquarters office, the company said. CNBC reported Tuesday that the company would lay off more than 500 employees. The job cuts come as the apparel retailer struggles to return to profitability while sales sag. The layoffs are expected to result in annualized savings of $300 million, Gap's interim CEO, Bob Martin, said in a statement. Gap expects to see half of those savings in 2023, and expects to complete the layoffs by the end of July, according to a securities filing. "We are taking the necessary actions to reshape Gap Inc. for the future — simplifying and optimizing our

[ad_1] A customer leaves a Bed, Bath and Beyond store on August 31, 2022 in Oakland, California. Justin Sullivan | Getty Images Bed Bath & Beyond wants shareholders to approve a reverse stock split at an upcoming special meeting, as the retailer keeps working to avoid filing for bankruptcy , according to a securities filing late Wednesday.  The retailer's board is calling on shareholders to approve the reverse stock split at the May 9 meeting so it can have enough shares available to raise up to $300 million in equity from a stock offering announced last week.  Bed Bath's fundraising efforts have been hampered by its dwindling stock price, which has been on a precipitous decline and has been trading under $1 for the last few weeks. Shares of Bed Bath were trading around 30 cents Thursday morning, giving the company a market value of about $132 million. The company is concerned that if the plan isn't completed, it likely won't have enough equity to pay its de

[ad_1] Shoppers may get an early present this holiday season: falling prices in many gift-giving categories. On Thursday, Walmart CEO Doug McMillon said deflation could be coming as general merchandise and key grocery items, such as eggs, chicken and seafood get cheaper. He said the retailer expects some of the stickier higher prices, such as the ones for pantry staples, to "start to deflate in the coming weeks and months," too. "In the U.S., we may be managing through a period of deflation in the months to come," he said on the company's Thursday earnings call. "And while that would put more unit pressure on us, we welcome it, because it's better for our customers." For more than a year, consumers have coped with inflation that peaked around four-decade highs and drove up the cost of nearly everything, including groceries, rent and utilities. But McMillon's comments echoed what the government and other retailers said earlier this week, o

[ad_1] A Procter & Gamble (P&G) logo is seen during the 6th China International Import Expo (CIIE) at the National Exhibition and Convention Center (Shanghai) on November 7, 2023 in Shanghai, China. VCG | Getty Images Procter & Gamble on Tuesday reported mixed quarterly earnings and revenue for its fiscal second quarter of 2024. The company also narrowed its outlook for full-year adjusted earnings per share to a range of $6.37 to $6.43, although its forecast for unadjusted earnings fell due to its plans to write down Gillette and restructure certain markets. Shares of the company rose about 1% in premarket trading. Here's what P&G reported compared with what Wall Street was expecting, based on a survey of analysts by LSEG, formerly known as Refinitiv: Earnings per share: $1.84 adjusted vs. $1.70 expected Revenue: $21.44 billion vs. $21.48 billion expected P&G reported fiscal second-quarter net income attributable to the company of $3.47 billion, or $1.40 p

[ad_1] Limited Edition holiday breakfast cereal, Christmas Crunch in holiday shapes, Target store, Queens, New York. (Photo by: Lindsey Nicholson/UCG/Universal Images Group via Getty Images) Lindsey Nicholson | Getty Images Two big companies weighed in on persistent demand woes this week. General Mills , which reported earnings Wednesday morning, said tepid demand and pricing pressures are compounding problems for the Dunkaroos and Bisquick maker. That echoed what FedEx said in its report after the bell Tuesday. FedEx shares fell 12% on Wednesday, on pace for its worst day in 15 months, while General Mills' stock slipped more than 3%. And, just like FedEx, General Mills trimmed its full-year sales outlook. With two quarters remaining in the Cheerios producer's fiscal year, the company now sees revenue down 1% to flat, compared with previous guidance of a 3% to 4% increase. General Mills is also cutting the high end of its earnings guidance due to the lower demand foreca

[ad_1] GameStop on Tuesday posted a quarterly profit for the first time in two years, finishing out its fiscal year on a high note in the holiday quarter after grappling with sales declines, inventory woes and cash flow pressure. Shares of the company soared more than 45% during after-hours trading. For the quarter ended Jan. 28 , net sales dropped slightly to $2.23 billion from $2.25 billion in last year's fourth quarter. The video game retailer also posted a profit of $48.2 million, or 16 cents a share, compared to a loss of $147.5 million, or 49 cents, a year ago. GameStop did not provide financial guidance and has not done so since the early days of the pandemic. Its results can't be compared with Wall Street estimates because too few analysts cover the company. The retailer had been working to steer itself back to profitability, and got there in part by cutting costs. Selling, general and administrative expenses came in at $453.4 million for the quarter, or 20.4% o

[ad_1] Food-delivery company Wonder Group has gotten a cash infusion from Nestle , as the startup looks to sell high-tech kitchen equipment and prepared ingredients to businesses such as hotels, hospitals and sports arenas. The deal includes a $100 million investment from Nestle, along with a strategic partnership, according to sources familiar with the matter who asked not to be named because financial terms of the deal are not public. Nestle and Wonder confirmed the deal but declined to reveal transaction details. The funding could get Wonder a step closer to its ambitions of making it easier, faster and cheaper for busy families to have high-quality meals at home. The startup, which was valued at about $3.5 billion when it closed a $350 million funding round in June, was founded in 2018 by serial entrepreneur and former Walmart e-commerce chief Marc Lore. Wonder recently struck a deal to acquire meal-kit company Blue Apron for $103 million. It has also developed kitchen equ

[ad_1] Clothes displayed at the Shein headquarters in Singapore on June 19, 2023. Ore Huiying | Bloomberg | Getty Images Shein has bought British fast fashion brand Missguided from the Frasers Group as the company looks to expand its market share and global reach ahead of a rumored U.S. initial public offering , the companies announced Monday.  The acquisition will see Shein manufacture Missguided's products and sell them on both companies' websites as an independent brand, while Frasers will retain Missguided's real estate and employees, according to news releases.  As part of the deal, Shein will license Missguided's intellectual property to Sumwon Studios, a joint venture between Shein and Missguided founder Nitin Passi. Sumwon will manage and operate the Missguided brand. The terms of the deal were not disclosed.  The acquisition comes just over a year after the Frasers Group bought Missguided out of administration, or the British version of bankruptcy, for £

[ad_1] Juul Labs signage is seen in the window of a store in San Francisco, June 25, 2019. David Paul Morris | Bloomberg | Getty Images Juul Labs said Wednesday it's planning to cut about 30% of its workforce as it looks to cut costs and boost profits. The layoffs will affect about 250 people, reducing the company's headcount to about 650, a company spokesperson said. This will reduce operating expenses by $225 million, the Juul spokesperson added. Juul, which is seeking federal authorization to keep its e-cigarette products on the market, said the cuts will improve its margins and free up cash for litigation settlements. "Today, Juul Labs is announcing a company restructuring aimed at reducing our operating costs and positioning us to continue to advance our mission during a period of regulatory and marketplace uncertainty," the company said in a news release . Last year, the vaping giant had its products ordered off the market by the Food and Drug Administrati

[ad_1] Every weekday the CNBC Investing Club with Jim Cramer holds a "Morning Meeting" livestream at 10:20 a.m. ET. Here's a recap of Thursday's key moments. Don't sell Meta Look past Eli Lilly's tough quarter Chance to buy Estee Lauder 1. Don't sell Meta Shares of Meta Platforms (META) soared more than 25% Thursday morning, to $192.50 apiece, after the tech giant reported a fourth-quarter earnings beat Wednesday evening and announced a $40 billion stock buyback plan. The quarter was exactly what we had been waiting for, as the company demonstrated it's serious about controlling costs. CEO Mark Zuckerberg on Wednesday called 2023 "the year of efficiency," while lowering Meta's 2023 expenses outlook by $5 billion. We're holding onto our shares of Meta and expect the stock to move even higher, if Zuckerberg follows through on his promise to rein in spending. 2. Look past Eli Lilly's tough quarter Eli Lilly (LLY) stock was down

[ad_1] Pedestrians walk past Yum! Brands Inc. Pizza Hut and KFC restaurants in Shanghai, China. Qilai Shen | Bloomberg | Getty Images China is leaving behind pandemic lockdowns, and U.S. companies like Procter & Gamble , Starbucks and MGM Resorts International say the country's recovery is boosting their overall sales as consumers in their home markets watch their wallets. With its large population and swelling middle class, China is a desirable market for many multinational companies that have seen their U.S. businesses mature. But its zero- Covid policy, which imposed harsh restrictions to stop the spread of the virus, hurt the country's economy — and revenue for the many U.S. companies that sell their goods or services there. After rolling back the policy in December, China's economy grew 4.5% in the first quarter. U.S. companies are reporting that demand in China is returning, boosting their sales at a time when many U.S. consumers are pulling back their spe

[ad_1] A range of retailers are again blaming shrink as one of the reasons they saw another quarter of lackluster profits. But some of those companies have started to offer more detail than ever on how much shrink, or items lost to factors like external or employee theft , damage or vendor fraud, is cutting into their bottom lines. At the same time, certain retailers pulled back on their contention that organized theft is a primary cause of losses, as scrutiny grows over claims about how much crime contributes to their struggles. During second-quarter earnings reports in August and September, nearly two dozen retailers said shrink has continued to weigh on profits. But the details each company provided, and the explanations they gave for losses, varied widely. Many of them said that shrink is at an all-time high and said the industry is struggling to control it. Still, it's difficult to compare the losses to past years because most of the companies have never previously disclo