Loyalty Marketing

New York – Gap is feeling the love this holiday season.

Pleasanton, Calif. — Safeway on Friday announced it will expand its support of America's military veterans by hiring at least 1,000 military veterans in 2013 to add to the 1,300 hired to-date in 2012. In addition, the company is raising money this Veterans Day weekend for organizations that help veterans recover from service-related injuries and/or return to the civilian workforce.

Black Friday can be so limiting which is why OfficeMax is expanding a program it offered last year involving special deal pricing every Friday until mid December.

Sam’s Club’s decision to open at 7 a.m. on Black Friday is a definite "swim upstream" move on the part of the warehouse club operator given retail industry trends and Walmart’s decision to offer its Black Friday deals on Thanksgiving.

Milwaukee — The continued softness of the economy weighed down on sales and profits at Roundy's during third quarter 2012, the Midwestern supermarket chain said Friday.

The company reported sales of $973.6 million, a 0.3% decrease from third-quarter 2011, while profits were $8.8 million, down from $12.4 million last year. Roundy's operates 161 stores with 98 pharmacies under the Pick 'n Save, Rainbow, Copps, Metro Market and Mariano's banners in Wisconsin, Minnesota and Illinois.

BENTONVILLE, Ark. — Walmart has unveiled its Black Friday circular and event times on www.Walmart.com as well as its Facebook wall and mobile app. The retailer's Black Friday circular includes hundreds of brand name electronics, toys, apparel, sporting goods and home and houseware items. Backed by Walmart's ad match guarantee, items featured in the Black Friday circular will be available during three events starting at 8 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 22.

PURCHASE, N.Y. — The Stop & Shop Supermarket Company LLC and its parent company Ahold USA have donated $2.5 million to the American Red Cross to support Hurricane Sandy cleanup and recovery efforts. The money, which came from the companies and their charitable foundation, Our Family Foundation, will mainly go to the hardest hit areas in New Jersey, New York and Connecticut. Stop & Shop has also designated stores in New York and New Jersey as drop-off points for canned and packaged food.

CINCINNATI — Macy’s Inc. is well positioned for strong holiday season as it continue to report quarterly sales and earnings growth.