Consumer Affairs & Relations

Organized labor was crowing this week about a protest, or was it a strike, involving 88 Walmart employees at 28 stores in 12 states who didn’t show up for work on Tuesday.

Hoffman Estates, Ill. -- Sears Holdings received a SmartWay  Excellence Award from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for being an industryleader in freight supply chain environmental performance and energy efficiency.

In addition, 100% of Sears Holdings more than 20+ freight carriers are SmartWay program partners as well.

Safeway reported income from continuing operations of $108 million, or 45 cents per diluted share, for the third quarter of 2012 compared with $130.3 million (38 centper diluted share) in the third quarter of 2011.

Minneapolis -- Best Buy Co. said Tuesday that CFO James Muehlbauer has resigned the company. He will continue in an advisory capacity until Feb. 3.

The retailer said it has launched a search for a permanent replacement.

Muehlbauer’s resignation is the latest in a string of executive departures for Best Buy, and comes as founder and former chairman Richard Schulze mulls an offer to buy the company.

BENTONVILLE, Ark. — Walmart plans a modest acceleration of its small format stores in the coming years as investors were assured Wednesday morning that financial returns are now comparable with the company’s large supercenters.

COMMERCE, Calif. — Rodeo Drive is the place where Julia Roberts got the last laugh in "Pretty Woman" and the home to some of the most sought-after fashions in the world. But perhaps there is room on the iconic street for a more inclusive retail destination.

In that vain, 99 Cents Only Stores has issued a press release announcing its search for retail property on Rodeo Drive and is encouraging anyone with information on available retail space on Rodeo Drive is to contact its real estate department.

Bentonville, Ark. -- Walmart and American Express have teamed up to offer customers an alternative to debit and checking accounts. The new service, called Bluebird, is designed to provide financial services to customers who often do not have traditional bank accounts. It will allow for deposits by smartphone and mobile bill paying, with no minimum balance or monthly, annual or overdraft fees.

New York -- Some businesses are coming up short with their restroom facilities, according to a survey by Bradley Corp., a manufacturer of commercial plumbing fixtures. Fifty-one percent of survey respondents reported having had a particularly unpleasant experience in a public restroom due to the condition of the facilities.