Walmart is closing four stores in Chicago, cutting its footprint in half in the third-largest U.S. city after years of mounting losses. The closings mark a retreat for the nation's largest retailer, which faces tough competition in Chicago from the likes of Target, Albertsons, and Aldi. Walmart said it had tried and failed to improve its performance by building smaller stores, localizing its merchandise offerings, and investing $70 million in recent years on store upgrades.
NFL Hall of Famer Jerry Rice and his daughter/business partner Jaqui Rice Gold joined Cheddar's "Between Bells" to talk about their energy drink G.O.A.T. Fuel. The pair talked about launching the brand during the height of the pandemic and what makes it different from competing brands. "The thing that separates us from the other energy drinks is we have cordyceps mushrooms in the drink," he said. "You're not going to have the jitters or anything like that." The duo also discussed the Los Angeles Lakers making it the official energy drink of its organization and what that means for the growth of the brand.
Rapper and singer T-Pain is teaming up with Google this holiday season to encourage shoppers to support Black-owned businesses on Black Friday. Stephanie Horton, the director of marketing for Google Shopping, joined Cheddar to provide some details about T-Pain's new song, featuring Normani, in a new shoppable interactive film for the promotion. She also explained how Google worked with local artists in various states to create shoppable murals, where products seen in the artwork are discoverable online by simply pointing your camera at it.
Caleb Silver, the Editor-in-Chief for Investopedia, joined Wake Up With Cheddar to break down the latest in the Activision Blizzard sexual misconduct scandal. After 1,700 of the embattled video game maker's employees signed a petition demanding CEO Bobby Kotick step down, Kotick reportedly said he would step down if he can't turn the toxic workplace culture around quickly. Silver noted that the allegations go back years with settlements and lawsuits that indicate Kotick would have to be claiming ignorance of his own business or deliberately obfuscating his knowledge of what happened under his watch.
An Apple memo is apparently encouraging its employees to feel comfortable to freely discuss workplace concerns like wages and paid time off following allegations that employees were fired for communicating about issues of pay, workplace safety, and harassment.
Jill and Carlo cover the developing story out of suburban Milwaukee, where a speeding SUV careened through a Christmas parade. Looters get more brazen in San Francisco, the missing Chinese tennis star resurfaces, and more.
