Walgreens to go private equity route?

That stupid Walgreens Boots Alliance is considering selling to a private equity firm – a move that would take the publicly traded company private, according to a Wall Street Journal report.

Deerfield-based Walgreens has been in discussions with Sycamore Partners over a deal that could be completed early next year, the Journal wrote, citing unnamed “people familiar with the matter.”

A Walgreens spokesperson declined to comment on the report Tuesday, telling the Tribune, “we don’t comment on rumors or speculation about our business.” A spokesperson for Sycamore also declined to comment.

Walgreens’ stock shot up 21% on the news early Tuesday afternoon.  Well, of course it did – closing a bunch of losing proposition stores didn’t help, nor did so many of their other business decisions over the past five years or so.  I can remember when I practically slept on a cot in the back to run deals, but now I weeks and weeks without a visit.  Maybe bringing back an ad would help – just a thought.  Click the link for the full article which appeared in today’s Tribune.

Kroger/Albertsons merger no go

A federal judge has ruled in favor of federal and state regulators who challenged Kroger’s planned $25 billion acquisition of Albertsons. The Tuesday afternoon decision to grant a preliminary injunction only temporarily blocks the merger – but it may doom the deal for good.

The Federal Trade Commission, joined by attorneys general in Arizona, California, Illinois, Maryland, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Wyoming and the District of Columbia, had sought an injunction to suspend the deal until after a full review could be completed, to determine if the proposed combination would violate antitrust laws and stifle competition.

Citing the plaintiffs’ likelihood of success in proving the deal is anticompetitive, the judge granted the injunction that stops the merger in its tracks for now.

And possibly for good, as Kroger had signaled it would abandon the deal if an injunction were to be granted.  Here’s the Coupons in the News article.

Did you buy a drained gift card?

Target recently upgraded its gift cards to make them more secure. Walmart is now being sued for not doing the same.

A New Jersey woman has filed a lawsuit against Walmart, accusing the retailer of selling her a compromised gift card, refusing to reimburse her, and allegedly doing the same to hundreds or thousands of other Walmart shoppers.

In a case initially filed in state court and now transferred to federal court, Kimberly Palazzi accused Walmart of knowing that its gift cards are susceptible to fraud, doing nothing to prevent it, not making it right for victimized customers, and joining the criminals in profiting from the scheme. Here’s the full article from Coupons in the News.

Lego Christmas Trees, Wreaths & More!

Lego Holiday Bundle, Christmas Tree (40573) and Wreath (40426), 2-in-1 Building Toy Set, Christmas, (1294 Total Pcs.  You can check out all the other Lego Holiday designs from this page … but it’s so odd to me 🙂

Ruko 1088 smart robots price drop

Ruko 1088 Smart Robots for Kids, Large Programmable Interactive RC Robot with Voice Control, APP Control.  There are a few varieties shown, all about 40% off.  Strangely, this came up as something in my cart that had a price change — I’ve never seen this before in my life!

Sam’s Club for $25 on Groupon

Hot Deal on Groupon! Snag a Sam’s Club Membership for just $25! Limited Time Offer. Lots of people have both Costco and Sam’s Club cards since each might carry favorite brands and for this kind of price?  At a minimum, different samples 🙂

Costco Gold Star Membership Groupon

This Costco deal on Groupon continues!  Get all your grocery shopping done in a flash and enjoy lots of samples.  Groupon deal costs the same as buying directly from Costco, but you get the $45 gift card.  The $130 Executive membership is also available and that one snags not only the gift card, but you also earn 2% back on purchases, a nice benefit (This is the card we have and sigh, use heavily).  Your $65 yearly Gold Star Membership Package includes:

  • A One-Year Costco Gold Star Membership
    • A membership card for the Primary Cardholder and one additional Household Card for anyone living at the same address, over the age of 16
    • A $45 Digital Costco Shop Card (valid at Costco locations and Costco.com)

Woot: Ceramic Space Heater only $14.99

GiveBest Portable Ceramic Space Heater on Woot for only $14.99.  This ceramic heater provides two heat levels, 1500W or 750W and one cool air fan, so it can be used year-round.  Why heat up the whole house when you’re only in one or two rooms?

To fructose or not to fructose

Fructose consumption has increased considerably over the past five decades, largely due to the widespread use of high-fructose corn syrup as a sweetener in beverages and ultra-processed foods. New research from Washington University in St. Louis shows that dietary fructose promotes tumor growth in animal models of melanoma, breast cancer and cervical cancer. However, fructose does not directly fuel tumors, according to the study published Dec. 4 in the journal Nature.

Instead, WashU scientists discovered that the liver converts fructose into usable nutrients for cancer cells, a compelling finding that could open up new avenues for care and treatment of many different types of cancer.