• From USA Today:
"Costco will soon drop its senior hours after holding them for more than two years amid the coronavirus pandemic.
"The special operating hours will be in place until April 17 for members 60 and older, healthcare workers and first responders, the wholesale club said Monday in an update on its COVID updates webpage. The hours have also been for members with disabilities or those who are immunocompromised."
The story points out that "this is not the first time Costco has planned to drop or reduce the dedicated shopping time.
"Last July, the retailer planned to end senior hours but then reversed course to reduce them from five days a week to twice-weekly events as infections and hospitalizations were rising nationwide. Since the week of July 26, most clubs have held the hours from 9 to 10 a.m. Tuesday and Thursday.
"In July 2020, Costco also initially planned to reduce hours from five days to twice weekly but changed plans at that time 'due to an increase in COVID-19 cases'."
• From the Seattle Times:
"As Starbucks looks to expand its store portfolio, it’s turning to data.
"Using a calculator that measures the self-defined 'very basic ingredients of human well-being,' it plans to open more stores in communities that it thinks would benefit most from the jobs, community spaces and coffee.
"Ahead of its annual shareholder meeting Wednesday, Starbucks says it’s looking to expand its commitment to inclusivity — both with accessible store designs and new locations in communities positioned to benefit from a new coffee joint. It announced Monday it will open or rebrand 1,000 community stores globally by 2030, expanding its community footprint by hundreds."
According to the story, "Starbucks has partnered with Measure of America, a Brooklyn-based nonprofit that researches and analyzes human-development data, to use the Human Development Index, a way to calculate well-being that goes beyond 'money metrics.' To decide where to open each new location, Starbucks has turned to a calculator that measures 'the very basic ingredients of human well-being: health, education and income'."
