- The California State Senate voted last Friday to require the state’s Department of Health Services to set up an Internet site that will help state residents buy lower-cost prescription medications from Canada. The bill now goes to the state Assembly, which has approved a similar bill but now has to vote on Senate amendments. Then, the bill goes to Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger for his signature.
- Kroger Co. announced Friday that grocery and meat employees who are part of the United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) Local 367 in the Seattle area approved a new three-year labor contract, the same contract already approved by five other union locals.
- Kroger, Albertsons and Safeway will reopen negotiations in Las Vegas this week with the United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW), representing some six thousand employees in contract talks to replace the pact that expires on September 12.
- PlanetRetail.net reports that Dollar General has seen better-than-expected results from its “Market” concept, which offers an expanded grocery selection. However, the chain said that it may delay rollout of the concept until next year in order to tweak the format.
- In an effort to drive additional sales of organic produce, Waitrose, the UK supermarket chain, announced that it will reduce the price of more than 100 organic fresh fruits and vegetables by 25 percent between now and September 12. The move will, in some cases, actually make organics cheaper than conventional produce.
- Reuters reports that the US meat industry believes that Japan will keep its borders closed to American beef at least through the end of the year. The Japanese ban on US beef originally was put into place when a sole case of mad cow disease was found in the Pacific Northwest late last year, and Japan has been dissatisfied with the testing procedures put into place by the US government.
- Hooters, the restaurant chain that specializes in scantily clad waitresses as well as beer, chicken wings, and chicken sandwiches, has announced that it plans to open franchises in India, though exact locations have not been named.
However, the company acknowledges that it will have to adjust its menu to cater to local tastes.
- KC's View:
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Interestingly, most of the reports we’ve read on the Hooters story suggest that it will be the steak sandwiches, not the waitresses, that will raise more eyebrows in India.
What would Gandhi do?
