Vancouver’s East West Market recently introduced novelty plastic bags imprinted with supposedly embarrassing messages to try to get customers to bring reusable alternatives. But "far from spurring customers to bring their own reusables, the plastic bags — variously emblazoned with ‘Dr. Toews’ Wart Ointment Wholesale,’ ‘Into the Weird Adult Video Emporium’ or ‘The Colon Care Co-op’ — have become somewhat of a surprise hit,” according to The New York Times. The bags have become collector’s items.

Nike’s flagship store in London got some new mannequins this week as part of a larger redesign, including some with plus-size physiques and parasport bodies along with the usual thin, muscular frames. But Nike isn’t doing something impressive, but "what it needs to in order to get women with bodies bigger than a size 12 to fork over their cash and buy swoosh-covered products,” according to The Cut. “And it’s doing so from behind the curve. The company first launched its plus-size line in 2017, which includes sizes from 1x to 3x. But other companies in the activewear space have …

A controversy around alleged racial stereotyping sidetracked luxe Italian fashion brand Dolce & Gabbana in November, leading to social medias shaming and a "conspicuous" absence "from red carpets at the Golden Globes and Oscars earlier this year," according to the New York Times. But "now the episode is starting to look like another fashion fall-and-redemption narrative. Or more precisely, fall-and-return. Because the redemption part of this story is not exactly clear. And that has implications when it comes to call-out culture, and the ability (or willingness) of consumers and influencers to hold brands to account over time."

Unilever bought luxury skincare brand Tatcha for a reported $500 million -- a number that, if accurate, would represent "one of the largest acquisitions Unilever has seen in the beauty space for some time, at least since it acquired Dollar Shave Club for $1 billion in 2016," writes Fashionista. Tatcha joins brands such as Murad, Living Proof, Kate Somerville and Hourglass  "as part of Unilever's prestige portfolio."

Chicago has selected 10 electric scooter companies for a four-month pilot program starting Saturday.  The city said that the chosen companies showed the ability to meet the strict operational and safety guidelines for the pilot, which runs from June 15 through October 15. The city is offering permits to Bird, Bolt, gruv, Jump, Lime, Lyft, Sherpa, Spin, VeoRide and Wheels. Each company can have 250 scooters to operate in the 50-square-mile zone.

Modern vehicles are fitted with so many features that some are overlooked, such as the array of Cadillac XT4’s connectivity features. The compact crossover is loaded with new apps that, according to Cadillac, help make your life easier. To better showcase them, Cadillac has put together a new promotional video. ”Entitled 'Photo Pro,' the video depicts a young female photographer, who appears to be so busy, that she needs to rely on her car’s apps to get her job done," per GM Authority.

United Technologies is planning to combine its aerospace business with Raytheon. “If this all-stock merger goes through, it would be the latest example of consolidation within the military and aerospace industries, creating a new colossus built to thrive in boom times and weather leaner ones,” according to The New York Times. “The combined company — which will be called Raytheon Technologies — would have about $74 billion in expected sales for 2019."

Facing the prospect of closing down entirely, Barnes & Noble completed a sale last week to the hedge fund Elliott Management. “Founded in 1971, the worldwide chain enjoyed decades of dominance in the book retail market — until the internet blew up,” according to Vulture. “Starting in the late 1990s, B&N went from corporate villain (and 'You’ve Got Mail' foil) to struggling underdog as Amazon rode its own arc from scrappy disruptor to monopolizing force majeure.”

The Federal Communications Commission is OK with giving carriers like Verizon and T-Mobile greater power to  "aggressively block" unwanted robocalls.   Companies will also allow consumers to block calls from unknown numbers themselves. The bill has passed the Senate and is headed to the House, where it has bipartisan support. Wireless carriers have applauded the proposal, but some companies say that the FCC's policy may be too broad, allowing carriers to block robocalls from legitimate sources by default.

Starting this fall, more than 1 million shoppers in Kansas City, Mo., Vero Beach, Fla., and Pittsburgh will be able to use Walmart's new "InHome'' service. Walmart employees will pick the products ordered by a shopper online and then deliver food items into the customer's refrigerator, using smart technology that enables the homeowner to let them in and watch what they do while they're there.