Mass Merchant

Target Corp. is targeting last-minute holiday shoppers by offering promotions to customers in need of pickup or delivery, and to users of the retailer's Cartwheel app.

Cartwheel users will get 50% off a different toy every day until Dec. 24. Also, from now until Christmas, Cartwheel will feature more than 150 offers at 25% off or more.

Orders placed at Target.com through Dec. 20 can still be delivered by Christmas. After Saturday, Customers can use Target’s Store Pickup option.

New York - Wal-Mart Stores on Tuesday said that it might appeal the decision of the Pennsylvania Supreme Court, which ordered the discounter to pay $188 million to settle a class-action suit over worker pay.       The Pennsylvania Supreme Court upheld a 2007 lower court ruling in favor of  workers  who said Wal-Mart failed to pay them for all hours worked and prevented them from taking full meal and rest breaks.   

Walmart said the Pennsylvania Supreme Court has ordered it to pay about $151 million to settle a class-action lawsuit filed by employees who claim their meal and rest breaks were cut.

Walmart said the ruling, which it may appeal, would reduce its fourth-quarter earnings from continuing operations by about 6 cents per share.

The suit, filed in March 2002, represented about 187,000 Wal-Mart employees who worked in Pennsylvania between 1998 and 2006.

Minneapolis – Target Corp. is aiming last-minute holiday promotions at users of its Cartwheel mobile savings app and customers in need of product delivery or pickup. Cartwheel is offering users 50% off a different toy every day until Dec. 24.   

Online sales at third party marketplaces grew faster than the overall industry, according to cloud-based e-commerce solutions provider ChannelAdvisor.

The digital measurement firm reports that November was a mixed month for e-commerce channels. But Amazon, Google Shopping and Other 3PMs (third party marketplaces) grew materially faster than the 16% e-commerce baseline growth rate comScore had predicted.

Specifically, ChannelAdvisor reports:

Toronto – Staples Canada has released its sustainability report for the third quarter of fiscal 2014, and highlights include collecting and recycling 116,000 kg of batteries, surpassing its goal of 100,000 kg. In addition, in October 2014, Staples became the first Canadian retailer to launch an exclusive green energy offering for small businesses, letting customers sign up for Bullfrog Power online.  

Ottawa, Canada – The U.S. retail tradition of ‘Cyber Week’ is spreading north. New data based on parcel volumes compiled by Canadian mail service Canada Post show that e-commerce shipments as a result of Cyber Week this year have doubled since 2012.  

Toronto, Canada - Today’s consumers increasingly shop online with home delivery, eliminating a valuable trip to the store where they can be enticed to make additional purchases. However, a LoyaltyOne survey of 1,000 American consumers indicates a discount on the online purchase for picking up in store (as has been experimented with by Target and Best Buy) will encourage a majority of customers to select that option.