Retail Watchers

Costco definitely should have some kind of PA system added. There was a toxic cloud moving through the store.

I was also watching video of a Costco being evacuated due to a firestorm approaching outside. If there is no PA system someone will miss the warnings to evacuate.

Sonic is switching to crinkle cut fries in mid May. The old fries are skin on natural cut fries. Only a small number of fast food restaurants use crinkle cut fries. I believe Burger King tried it, but switched back. Some people prefer the crinkle cut fries. https://www.brandeating.com/2024/04/sonic-...

A local Costco near me had a chemical spill. Employees noticed a white cloud moving through the store. This led to an evacuation of the entire store. An estimated 1,000 people were in the store at the time. I have been in several stores during emergency evacuations. Some were orderly and some were n...

There are about 8 Advance Auto Parts in the San Francisco Bay Area. They are very spread out.

I don't see them as being very busy.

There are even fewer Carquest locations with about 4 in the San Francisco Bay Area. There used to be one near me, but it recently became O'Reilly.

There are only a small number of Walmart stores in the San Francisco Bay Area. The hate for Walmart is intense. People love Target, but shun Walmart. There used to be many packed apartments with construction workers and day laborers. There were hotels maids, fast food workers, restaurant workers, et...

One San Francisco Bay Area store is closing. Fremont is a very low crime suburb, but shoplifters targeted it because it was so quiet. The Walmart stores in rough areas are locked down with barbed wire and glass cabinets, so the shoplifters target the ones that are not prepared. The store was the sce...

Home Depot will begin its Halfway To Halloween promotional blockbuster on April 25 online.

https://chainstoreage.com/home-depot-ge ... een-online

Home Depot deploys guard dogs in some of its stores.

https://www.the-sun.com/news/11157220/h ... ogs-crime/

What would be the impact of closing earlier? Is it a labor saving reason or is it a theft issue? If they opened later, would the extra sales pay for the extra labor? Is shoplifting so bad, that opening past 10 would result in losses so bad the extra sales would not make up for it?

Fresno’s Costco store located at West Shaw Avenue since 1985 will be replaced by a 219,000-square-foot warehouse in another part of the city by 2025. It will have 32 gas pumps, a car wash, and a food delivery service. Originally the new store was to be the largest in the world at 240,000 square feet...