Lowe’s is kicking off its holiday sales blitz early with more online specials called “Cyber Steals” instead of in-store doorbusters. The "Season of Savings" sale is being affected by the coronavirus pandemic. “With many Americans spending more time at home this year, Lowe's is encouraging consumers this season to give gifts for the home,” according to USA Today.

Target Corp. is giving its 350,000 hourly employees in its stores and distribution centers, including seasonal hires, a $200 bonus. “The new bonus represents an investment of more than $70 million,” per Chain Store Age. “It’s also the fourth time Target has recognized its frontline employees with bonuses in 2020.” The retailer increased its minimum wage to $15 per hour in July.

After 10 years of construction delays, the East Hollywood Target is nearing completion. And a social media presence set up to honor the half-built building is soon to be dismantled. “According to a Target spokesperson, the East Hollywood location will open on Sunday, Oct. 25. And when those doors finally open, the beloved Husk, which has accumulated a loyal following on Facebook and Twitter, as well as a shoutout from Target corporate, will be forced to accept the peaceful transition,” according to Los Angeleno.

Already taking a hit pre-pandemic, in-person shopping is likely to be reduced but not gone this year. While 60% of those surveyed by the National Retail Federation said they plan to make their holiday purchases online this year, it appears that brick-and-mortar will still play a key role, including department stores (45%), discounters (43%) and grocery stores or supermarkets (42%). Another 44% said they plan to buy online and pick up in-store.

Walmart is “aggressively expanding” its advertising business even as a proposed deal to buy a stake in video-sharing app TikTok remains stuck in limbo. “The world’s largest retailer is making better use of its wealth of shopper data to link promotions on its website and app with ads inside its network of 4,700 U.S. stores, interviews with six advertising agencies and Walmart ad tech partners, three major brands plus bankers and ex-employees,” per Reuters.

Qdoba has selected a former PepsiCo executive as its new chief marketing officer. Jeannie Cho held successive positions at PepsiCo, where she led multibillion dollar brand portfolios to industry-leading growth. Most recently, she served as the vice president of marketing, Frito-Lay Portfolio, and previously as vice president of marketing, global brands (Lay’s, Doritos, Cheetos), having also served in innovation and digital leadership positions.

State Farm aims to meet consumers where they are at during this pandemic-plagued Halloween season. “Taking an all-digital approach to align with the virtual nature of the holiday this year, State Farm is debuting a series of Halloween online video spots, centered around the insight that Halloween is the number one favorite holiday among millennials and that even when things gets downright scary, State Farm is there,” according to Reel Chicago.  The spots range from 6-to-30 seconds and take company spokesman “Jake” through a series of spooky Halloween situations.

The Disney+ streaming channel is beefing up its disclaimers about racial stereotypes in its old film titles. A 12-second advisory that can't be skipped offers a more in-depth warning about “negative depictions” and “mistreatment of people or cultures" in titles such as "Dumbo" (1941), "Peter Pan" (1953), "The Aristocats" (1970), "The Jungle Book" (1967) and the original “Lady and the Tramp."  "These stereotypes were wrong then and are wrong now,” per the disclaimer. "Rather than remove this content, we want to acknowledge its harmful impact, learn from it and spark conversation to create a more inclusive future together.”

Niantic is partnering with 7-Eleven in Mexico and Grubhub in the United States for Pokemon special events. Tickets are free with a Grubhub+ membership and can be attained by submitting an email to the Grubhub Special Weekend page. The Pokemon GO Special Weekend will be held Nov. 8 and will feature specially released “creatures” for gamers to capture. Niantic previously held a similar special event in Japan.

Two Macy’s brick-and-mortar locations in Littleton, Colorado and Dover, Delaware will be converted to fulfill digital orders for the holiday season. While a portion of the store will be dedicated to support fulfillment operations, another section will continue to operate Macy’s At Your Service Center, which provides in-store pickup orders, curbside pickup orders, returns and bill pay. The two locations will serve as a pilot of a new model.