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Beyond saving: Bed Bath & Beyond has filed for bankruptcy

Beyond saving: Bed Bath & Beyond has filed for bankruptcy

Throwing in the towel

Once a staple of retail outlets across the country, Bed Bath & Beyond is finally calling it quits, as the company announced it was filing for bankruptcy protection yesterday.

The news comes as no real surprise. The retailer needed loans to survive the holiday season and had to line up a series of last-minute deals to try and stave off its demise. These efforts ultimately came to no avail, as the company was crushed by falling sales, mounting losses and a pile of liabilities worth some $5.2 billion.

Reddit to the (almost) rescue

Last August, Bed Bath & Beyond execs found themselves with a new type of shareholder — traders from Reddit’s now infamous forum r/wallstreetbets.

Their collective interest in BBBY sent shares soaring nearly 400% between the end of July and mid-August of 2022 — firmly placing Bed Bath & Beyond in the basket of bonafide meme stocks, along with AMC Entertainment, Blackberry and GameStop.

But a (temporarily) soaring share price never helped the company address its core issues. Years of dealmaking had loaded Bed Bath & Beyond with debt, and under-investment in its online offering saw the company lose customers to Target, Walmart and — of course — Amazon. The pandemic didn’t help, but what appears to have been the final nail in the coffin was a sharp pivot to private label products in a bid to cut costs — a gamble that failed to work as customers missed the well-known brands in stores.

The company’s 360 Bed Bath & Beyond stores will remain open, for now, as large scale sales and restructuring efforts get underway.

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Starbucks issues apology after viral “Bearista” cup meltdown

Holiday cheer turned into chaos this week for Starbucks after the coffee giant’s new “Bearista” holiday cup sent fans into a frenzy. 

Dropped alongside its 2025 holiday menu, the $30 beanie-wearing glass bear tumbler sparked long lines, sellouts, and even in-store scuffles before Starbucks stepped in with an apology.

“The excitement for our merchandise exceeded even our biggest expectations,” the company said in a statement to People. “Despite shipping more Bearista cups to our coffeehouses than almost any other item this holiday season, the Bearista cup and some other items sold out fast.”

Within hours of launch, frustrated fans flooded Starbucks’ social media pages and even store hotlines. Some customers waited in line before dawn and others said their stores received only a handful of cups. In one Houston location, the craze even turned physical, with police reportedly called to break up a brawl. Meanwhile, the cup is already reselling on sites like eBay, with listings topping $600.

“We understand many customers were excited about the Bearista cup and apologize for the disappointment this may have caused,” Starbucks said. While in-store customers may be upset, investors seem happy about the viral hit, as the stock has risen over 3% on Friday.

If you’re still hoping for a Bearista at market price, that may not be on order: the chain didn’t disclose how many cups were made or whether a restock is planned.

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Target tells workers to smile, wave, and greet shoppers if they come within 10 feet of them

Target just rolled out a new rule for store employees: smile, make eye contact, and greet or wave when a shopper comes within 10 feet — and if they get closer, within four feet, ask whether they need help or how their day is going, according to a new Bloomberg report.

Dubbed the 10-4 program internally, the rule mirrors rival Walmarts own 10-foot policy, formalizing behavior Target had previously only encouraged.

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Monster surges on energy drink buzz, while Celsius sinks on distribution concerns

Shares of Monster Beverage climbed 5% after the bell on Thursday, and held most of those gains into early trading on Friday, following strong Q3 results.

The energy drink giant topped market expectations, with quarterly sales up 17% year over year to $2.2 billion and adjusted net profits growing 41% to $524.5 million — 11% ahead of Wall Street’s estimates. In the report, Monster highlighted its zero-sugar line and new product launches, with a stack of novel flavors already released this year, as bright spots.

During a call with analysts, Chief Executive Hilton Schlosberg said that the global energy drink category “remains healthy with robust growth,” The Wall Street Journal reported, adding that demand for more affordable caffeinated drinks is rising as coffee has become “really expensive.”

Meanwhile, rival beverage business Celsius saw shares fall as much as 23% on its Q3 results yesterday — despite beating expectations, with revenue jumping 173% — largely due to concerns about a change in the company’s distribution channel, as its newly acquired Alani Nu brand joins the PepsiCo distribution network.

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