OPERATIONS / SUPPLY CHAIN

Seattle -- A report by Bloomberg said that Nordstrom Inc. will introduce an ongoing free shipping program for all purchases made at its department stores starting next week.

The program was unveiled just months after Nordstrom introduced standard free shipping and returns on its online orders. It was the first department store chain to do so.

New York -- Washington state opened a public auction online Thursday of its state-run liquor stores, beginning the process of privatizing an industry the state has tightly controlled since the end of Prohibition, the Associated Press reported.

The minimum bid is $1,000, and within hours, more than 30 bidders had entered the fray, the report said. Some were looking to buy rights to all of the stores, while the majority bid on individual store locations.

New York -- McDonald’s, Whole Foods Market and Best Buy are among the retailers participating in a new American Express program that allows shoppers to load discounts onto their American Express cards via Twitter.

Dallas -- Neiman Marcus is testing a new iPhone-only app that allows customers to interact more directly with sales associates. The new app, called NM Service, is being tested in four stores this spring – Dallas;San Francisco; Austin, Texas; and Palo Alto, Calif.

Developed by Signature, NM Service has two interfaces: one for customers and one for sales associates. Each is designed to provide a more personal, mobile shopping experience for the Neiman Marcus customer.

Carlisle, Pa. — Giant Food Stores, based in Carlisle, Pa., announced the launch of a mobile app for iPhone and Android devices that it said syncs with a customer's BonusCard, provides access to an online account and allows customers to check point totals for Gas Extra Rewards and A+ School Rewards and view personalized savings offers.

Deerfield, Ill. -- Walgreens on Tuesday announced the availability of an exclusive new offering for customers that check in at any Walgreens store nationwide through Foursquare.

The drugstore chain said customers that check in via Foursquare instantly will receive a unique scannable coupon via their smartphone, which is redeemable in the store and does not require texting, reply or other steps.


New York City -- A Tuesday report by Mobile Commerce Daily said that Victoria’s Secret is furthering its m-commerce initiative by running mobile commerce-enabled ads that allow consumers to shop directly from their handsets no matter where they are.

The ads are running within Us Weekly’s mobile site.

Two different ads encourage consumers to tap on the ad to be redirected to the company’s landing page, where they can shop the advertised promotions.

New York City -- Modell’s Sporting Goods said Tuesday it will celebrate the grand opening of three new locations in Brooklyn, N.Y., Fresh Meadows, N.Y., and Wayne, N.J., on March 8.

The Fresh Meadows store measures 13,000 sq. ft., the Wayne store is 16,700 sq. ft., and the Brooklyn store is 15,900 sq. ft.