Retail Brew // Morning Brew // Update

March 02, 2026

The week starts with news of a collab between the Johnsonville sausage brand and Dr Pepper, namely a line of sausages that taste like the soft drink. Promotional materials describe the sweet and salty links as “swalty.” If this is just what the doctor ordered, here’s hoping they didn’t order it for the whole table.

In today’s edition:

—Alex Vuocolo, Jeena Sharma

STORES

Drive and well

Walmart

Walmart is paying $100 million to settle allegations from the Federal Trade Commission and 11 states that it deceived delivery drivers about pay and caused them to lose tens of millions of dollars worth of earnings.

The complaint alleges Walmart made “false representations” to drivers in its Spark merchandise delivery service by inflating base pay, misrepresenting conditions for incentive pay, and falsely claiming drivers would receive 100% of tips going back to 2021. “Labor markets cannot function efficiently without truthful and non-misleading information about earnings and other material terms,” Christopher Mufarrige, director of the FTC’s Bureau of Consumer Protection, said in a statement.

In addition to the settlement, Walmart is required to implement a program to ensure drivers are paid the promised earnings and tips, prohibited from modifying base pay after the initial offer, and banned from misrepresenting earnings information sent to Spark Drivers.

The last-mile delivery service has become an increasingly important facet of Walmart’s omnichannel business.

Keep reading here.—AV

Presented By Smartpress

Flyer fliers

When people dream of paper, it’s often green with some old guy on it. When marketers dream of paper, it’s high-quality catalogs, mailers, signage, and brochures.

Smartpress is printing the stuff those marketers dream of. Their high-quality prints can significantly boost a business’ growth and retention. You can quite literally feel the difference quality materials make.

Play around with sizes, quantities, and paper stocks on the Smartpress site, getting real-time price quotes to fit your needs and budget. They’re eco-conscious, too, and have committed themselves to carbon neutrality.

They also pride themselves on their customer service. Smartpress pairs you with a personal rep who ensures you get a local print-shop experience with the ease and speed of online.

Create brilliant print and experience their vast assortment of stocks + specialty finishes with a free paper sample book.

MARKETING

Voices of Tomorrow

Jin Soon Choi

Backstage at top fashion week shows, there are a few names, aside from the designer, that stay with the audience. Chief among them is Jin Soon Choi, celebrity manicurist and founder of the Jinsoon nail polish line and luxury spas.

The Korean immigrant, who moved to New York City in the ’90s, has become a staple behind the scenes for designers like Marc Jacobs, Proenza Schouler, and Prada. But her path into fashion’s inner circle—and into entrepreneurship—didn’t start with much fanfare. Choi said she arrived in New York with no money and no English.

“That was my biggest challenge, and like many Korean immigrants, because I didn’t speak English, I decided to follow their footsteps,” Choi told Retail Brew.

She worked odd jobs at grocery stores, nail salons, and Korean spas, but the rushed pace never felt right. “I could not keep up, because I’m more meticulous,” she said. “I’m very detail-oriented. I knew right away that was not for me.”

Choi eventually built early client connections, visiting people’s homes for nail services—earning the nickname “Bicycle Jin” after riding to appointments on a gifted bike with a backpack.

A few years later, she booked magazine photo shoots with top photographers. With help from her then-boyfriend (now husband) and a nonprofit executive supporting minority women in business, she opened her now-defunct East Village salon.

Today, the beauty veteran—now synonymous with luxury nail art—owns multiple spas across the city. Choi spoke with Retail Brew and reflected on her journey, the biases manicurists face, and her advice for young women of color pursuing careers in beauty.

Keep reading here.—JS

Together With Aptos

Form, function, and API architecture. Continuing their tradition as a thoroughly modern brand, EILEEN FISHER will deploy Aptos ONE POS across 50+ stores in North America. Aptos ONE’s cloud-native, API-first architecture can increase operational agility and elevate the in-store experience with personal, informed, frictionless interactions. Learn more about their partnership.

RETAIL

Week out

Vuk Saric/Getty Images

Today is National Egg McMuffin Day, and McDonald’s is offering a free classic Egg McMuffin exclusively through its app. The app, which launched in 2020, has become an important facet of the fast-food chain’s business, generating nearly $40 billion in sales to 210 million 90-day active users across 70 markets.

Here’s what else is going on in retail this week:

In data releases: The US Census Bureau is still playing catch-up after the government shutdown put data releases on pause, so the retail sales numbers coming out this Friday are for the month of January. Some economists are expecting a slight decline in overall sales, with bad weather late in the month contributing to the pullback. In December, sales were flat month over month, and up 2.4% from the previous year.

Keep reading here.—AV

Together With Melio

Try a b€tter way to pay. Did you know you can pay foreign vendors via credit card? With Melio, vendors receive local currency within one to two business days while operators see up to 45 days of extra cash flow. Get a $500 gift card when you make your first international payment.

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SWAPPING SKUS

Today’s top retail reads.

Sea change: Shipping giant Maersk announced it was rerouting some vessels away from the Red Sea, an indication that supply-chain snags could result from the conflict between Iran, the US, and Israel. (the New York Times)

Road block: Almost 12,600 immigrant truck drivers lost their commercial driver’s licenses for failing English proficiency tests in 2025, compared to just 21 in total for the three years prior. (the Wall Street Journal)

Vibe check: Why the sexual wellness brand Dame is issuing refunds for the $5 “Trump tariff surcharge” it collected on consumer purchases in 2025. (CBS News)

The paper principle: Smartpress’ high-quality print marketing assets can significantly boost a business’ growth and retention. You can quite literally feel the difference quality materials make in their free paper sample book.*

^{*A message from our sponsor.}

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