This week was a week of goodbyes. The United States Women’s National Soccer Team won a record third World Cup championship. In the process, they said goodbye to Abby Wambach (the all-time international scoring leader) and Christie Rampone, who played their final World Cup matches for the United States. Over the weekend, the Grateful Dead’s four core members said goodbye to Deadheads around the world with a weekend of shows in Chicago. The GD50 Fare Thee Well tour, which I scored tickets to, but sold (for face value) to a friend, was available via simulcast to those fans that couldn’t make the trek. And finally, NPR announced that longtime hose of All Things Considered, Melissa Block, will be stepping down in August. So many goodbyes, so little time.
And with that, we’re on to the news.
- Walmart to offer online grocery pick-up in Canada
- Marks & Spencer expands free click and collect
- Instacart expanding delivery service
- Congress considering pilot program for CDL holders under 21
- Diesel prices drop slightly during holiday week
- For-hire freight shipment rebound in May
- Amazon marks 20th anniversary with “Prime Day”
Walmart will offer grocery pick-up in Canada for the first time, starting next week in the Ottawa area. The service will cost $3 and will allow people to place orders through Walmart Canada’s website. The orders must be a minimum of $50, and unlike many services which offer same-day service, must be made at least a day in advance. The service will be available for grocery items including frozen foods, produce, meat and fish, dry goods, personal care and household cleaning products, but it won’t apply to over-the-counter or prescription drugs or for non-grocery items such as clothing. Customers will park at a selected Walmart location at an agreed-on time and orders, which can be made as far in advance as 21 days, will be loaded within five minutes, the company says.
Marks & Spencer will start rolling out free in-store collection at more than 100 of its Simply Food outlets in motorway service stations, railways, hospitals and airports. The service is geared towards making the online shopping experience easier for customers while widening its market share. Under the new scheme, shoppers will be able to order online and collect their goods at Simply Food stores run by M&S’ franchise partners SSP and Moto. The service allows customers to order food during their commute and collect it on their way home. While many companies have examined this model, there has not been a high level of success or satisfaction with these services so far.
Instacart is expanding its delivery services in the western suburbs. The grocery delivery service has seen a spike in customer demand and is expanding accordingly. The company is also adding Jewel-Osco and Petco to its roster of stores west suburban customers can order from. Instacart’s delivery fees start at $3.99, but there is a $99 annual service called Instacart Express that wipes out delivery fees for all orders of $35 or more.
Congress is considering a pilot program for CDL holders younger than 21 to haul interstate. The legislation was introduced by U.S. Sen. Deb Fisher. The Nebraska Republican’s Commercial Driver Act or SB 1672 would let states enter into compacts to test the feasibility of expanding Class A CDLs for those yet 21 beyond intrastate work. Bill Graves, president and CEO of the American Trucking Associations, applauded the measure, and it could be a means to reduce the trucker shortage.
“It is illogical that a 20-year-old can drive the 500 miles from San Francisco to San Diego, but not the 8 miles from Memphis, Tennessee to West Memphis, Arkansas – or simply cross the street in Texarkana. Even more illogical is that a 20-year-old may not drive a truck in any state if the cargo in it originated outside the state or will eventually leave the state by some other means.”
Diesel prices dropped slightly during the holiday week. The average price for a gallon of on-highway diesel dropped 1.1 cents during the week ending July 6, and the nationwide average price now stands at $2.832. The most significant decrease came in the Central Atlantic region, where prices dropped 2.1 cents, followed by a 1.8-cent drop in the Gulf Coast region. The nation’s most expensive diesel is in California, where the average price is $3.142 per gallon, followed by the Central Atlantic region at $3.073 per gallon. The cheapest diesel can be found in the Gulf Coast region at $2.712 per gallon, followed by the Midwest region at $2.724 per gallon.
For-hire freight shipments rebounded in May following a decline in April, according to a new U.S. Transportation Department report. The Freight Transportation Services Index rose 0.8% to 122.7 on seasonally-adjusted basis, just 0.5% below the all-time high level of 123.3 in November 2014. Compared to May 2014, freight shipments are up 1.7%. The index measures the month-to-month changes in freight shipments by mode of transportation in tons and ton-miles. Freight shipments are up 15.4% in the five years from the post-recession level of May 2010 and are up 9.2% in the 10 years from May 2005.
And finally, Amazon marks its 20th anniversary with “Prime Day,” its answer to Black Friday. The company has announced that it will mark its 20th anniversary on July 15 with deals for subscribers of its Prime shopping program in nine countries (the United States, United Kingdom, Spain, Japan, Italy, Germany, France, Canada, and Austria). The celebration promises to be a one day event with more deals than Black Friday, but Amazon did not specify what those deals would be.
That’s all for this week. In the spirit of goodbyes, enjoy the weekend and the song of the week, The Grateful Dead performing Touch of Grey at GD 50 Fare Thee Well (it was their first encore).
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