Former child star Ricky Schroder confronted a Costco employee about recent mask mandates in a video shared on social media. In the video, which was posted to Schroder's Facebook page, the 51-year-old asked a Costco employee why he wasn't allowed inside the store unmasked."Because in the state of California and the county of Los Angeles, and Costco, there has been no change to our mask policy," the employee, whose name is Jason, responded.

The CDC’s latest guidance regarding mask usage in light of increasing vaccination rates has left retailers and restaurants across the nation scrambling to decide whether to reduce requirements. In some cases, state laws remain in effect and businesses are obligated to follow them, despite the recent relaxing. In some cases, establishments (like Trader Joe's) are relaxing rules for customers but requiring that employees continue to don masks. Costco said it would allow fully vaccinated customers to go mask-free where state and local guidance allows, but some states and local jurisdictions like California and Los Angeles have not loosened their mask …

The new Amazon Prime prescription savings benefit allows members of the Prime paid loyalty program to search for their medication and compare savings at Amazon Pharmacy and the over 60,000 retail pharmacies nationwide where the Prime savings card is accepted. According to Amazon, the Prime prescription savings benefit saves members up to 80% off generic and 40% off brand-name medications when paying without insurance, per Drug Store News.

Taco Bell’s creative agency Deutsch LA engaged the Reddit community to help create a three-minute video that charts the journey a fan of the QSR's Quesalupa went on to obtain his prize. "The idiosyncratic piece packs a lot in – much like the snack in question – employing a variety of animation styles from 2D to stop motion, showcasing the skills of individuals over many visual mediums,” per The Drum.

Gucci, Nike, Dior, Balenciaga and Moncler were the most-searched-for fashion brands during the first three months of 2021 per Lyst, a shopping platform with 12,000 brands and stores. The platform analyzes and combines purchases on its platform with Google’s search data and social media mentions to categorize the most-purchased, sought-after and talked-about labels. “Once again, the Gucci gang held on to the number one spot, thanks to the fashion house’s buzzy collaborations with The North Face, but Nike made a colossal leap (9 positions, to be exact) and secured the number two spot after finishing in 11th place at the …

Hawaii is now allowing fully vaccinated state residents to bypass COVID-19 testing and a 10-day quarantine when traveling inter-island, and is expected to expand the program to visitors this summer.  “This makes the Aloha State second only after New York to launch a digital vaccine certificate program in the United States—though Hawaii is the first to apply the vaccine pass system to travel,” per Afar. Island residents can upload their travel information and vaccination data to an online platform called “Safe Travels.”

L Brands will separate Victoria’s Secret and Bath & Body Works into two publicly traded companies through a tax-free spinoff that should be completed in August 2021. “After several years of sluggish sales during which its overtly sexy image and marketing fell out of favor with consumers, Victoria’s Secret has mounted a comeback that appears to be gaining momentum,” per Chain Store Age. “The brand, which closed about 200 stores in the past year, has changed its marketing and debuted new products.”

Walmart Health is acquiring MeMD, a multispecialty telehealth provider, which will allow the retailer to provide access to virtual care across the nation including urgent, behavioral, and primary care, complementing its in-person centers. “The company said that the acquisition reinforces its commitment to integrated, omnichannel health delivery that leverages data and technology to improve engagement, health equity and outcomes,” per Drug Store News.

Standard Life took a controversial route in a recent rebrand of one of its products. “Some might say a key requisite for a successful brand name is the ability to read and pronounce it correctly,” per Creative Bloq. “But it seems that wasn't a concern when it came to the recent rebrand for Standard Life Aberdeen, which saw the removal of all vowels from its name. Yup, the financial firm is now (too) simply known as 'Abrdn'. The move has left the whole endeavor subject to confusion and, we're sorry to say, ridicule.”

Peloton recalled its Tread+ treadmills after one child died in an accident involving the machine, and many more were injured. On its recent earnings call, the company said it expects fourth-quarter sales to decrease by $165 million because of the recall. So how will this affect the brand’s future ads? “Crystal and Tom O’Keefe, hosts of Peloton-themed podcast The Clip Out, predict that Peloton will try to become an industry leader for safety, sprinkling that theme into future ads as a result of the Tread+ recall,” per Marketing Brew.