Today In Retail: Walgreens To Provide Items On Uber Eats For Delivery; CVS Pharmacy Upgrades ExtraCare Program

In today’s top retail news, Walgreens has grown its relationship with Uber, while CVS Pharmacy has updated its ExtraCare rewards loyalty program. Plus, the Commerce Department reported that May retail sales slid by 1.3 percent from April.

Walgreens Teams With Uber Eats For Same-Day Delivery

Walgreens has expanded its relationship with Uber to provide customers across the U.S. with merchandise directly through its Uber Eats platform. Different kinds of products in areas such as household essentials and over-the-counter medicines are available for delivery from the pharmacy retailer via Uber. The news comes as Instacart grew its relationship with 7-Eleven.

CVS Pharmacy Revamps ExtraCare Loyalty Program

CVS Pharmacy has revamped its ExtraCare rewards loyalty offering to now provide 2 percent back in ExtraBucks rewards a short time after each transaction in lieu of having them paid out on a quarterly basis. In addition, the program is providing a new birthday benefit to its 74 million members. To that end, ExtraCare members will also be able to harness $3 in “celebratory ExtraBucks Rewards” in the month of their birthdays.

May Retail Sales Fall 1.3 Pct, Muddling Outlook For Consumer-Led Recovery

Reports of a red-hot consumer-led rebound were doused Tuesday (June 15) once the Commerce Department announced that May retail sales fell by 1.3 percent from April, as demand for electronics, automobiles and building supplies softened. The new data pegged sales at U.S. retail and food service businesses at $620 billion in May.

NRF: 9 In 10 US Retailers Affected By Shipping Delays, Inventory Shortages

The biggest retail trade group in the nation says that 97 percent of its members have felt the effects of shipping delays and port congestion — with almost all of them experiencing inventory shortages. The findings surfaced in a letter that the National Retail Federation sent to the White House. The NRF said that seven in 10 retailers are seeing two- to three-week delays in their usual supply chains.