5 things: Is CVS starting to crumble?

Will CVS break up? CVS Health has spent more than $88 billion in recent years to add health insurer Aetna, a clinic operator, and a home-visit provider to its namesake pharmacies. But now it’s considering breaking all that up. In the midst of laying off some 3,000 workers, CVS management met with major shareholder Glenview Capital earlier this week to discuss the company’s deficits and a severely depressed stock price. Would it be a good move? Analysts say that a spinoff could help CVS better focus on its retail business (and better compete with companies like Target, Walmart, and which are increasingly grabbing more market share.) —Chloe Riley

Let them eat cake! After nearly two decades of consumer love for its berry chantilly cake, Whole Foods switched up the recipe for its individual slices—and customers weren’t having it. Fresh fruit in the middle of the cake had been swapped for raspberry jelly. Whole Foods says the new slices “maintain the signature almond flavor and fluffy texture” that consumers know and love, but social media users have called the new jam “goo in the middle,” “raspberry jam-flavored cleaning products,” and simply, “disgusting.” Although the brand claimed that they would still sell the original recipe via full-sized cakes, after growing concerns and an attempt to preserve brand loyalty, Whole Foods announced Sept. 30 that it would bring back the OG slices, available on shelves by the end of the week. Needless to say, it hasn’t been a cakewalk. —Ally MacConchie

Wait…now it’s perfect: Grocery stores could come in handy for that recently decorated room that “needs something.” New York Times columnist Tim McKeough recently wrote about how supermarkets are a more affordable alternative to finding that one item or two that really makes it all pop. He followed around Miles Redd and David Kaihoi from the design firm Redd Kaihoi when they visited a Whole Foods on Houston Street in New York City as they searched for the perfect complementary items. Prepackaged spider mums (Redd said “they could look amazing”), a plastic-wrapped bunch of lilies, a jasmine plant and orchid in plastic pots and bags of fresh mint and nectarines were among the items chosen. All store packaging was removed and the flowers and fruits were strategically placed to enhance the environment at Redd’s townhouse. “It’s those little details that make you feel so good,” said Redd, who makes smoothies every morning and planned to use some of the mint that was purchased. I say why wait for the dog to eat the decorations. —Bill Wilson

Dementia Friendly at Hy-Vee: Dementia Friendly Iowa and Hy-Vee are partnering on a new program that encourages store workers and shoppers identify and better understand shoppers with dementia. Representatives of Dementia Friendly Iowa appeared on the show “Hello Iowa” to explain the new program that makes signs available that can be placed on shopping carts that read: “Please be patient. I live with dementia and may require additional assistance.” Megan Zimmerman from Dementia Friendly Iowa, Advocate Kevin Dill, and Tina Pothoff from Hy-Vee explained that the signs simply encourage those in the store to slow down and have patience for shoppers suffering from dementia. Pothoff said the West Des Moines, Iowa-based grocery chain was approached by Dementia Friendly Iowa to find ways to help those in need. “Kevin reached out and said, ‘Is there anything that we can that we can do?’ And one of the things that we decided was just to bring awareness so that it is a more inclusive environment.” The program is launching at one location in West Des Moines, and the grocery chain is looking to add more. —Tim Inklebarger

Walmart and Dolly: “Helene, Helene, Helene, Heleeeeene, you came in here and broke us all apart,” sang country music legend Dolly Parton to the tune of her iconic song Jolene. “Helene, Helene, Helene, Heleeeeene, but we’re all here to mend these broken hearts.” Parton appeared Friday at a Walmart Supercenter in her home state of Tennessee with Walmart CEO John Furner to announce that both are donating millions of dollars to victims of Hurricane Helene, which devastated communities across the U.S. in late September. Walmart, Sam’s Club and the Walmart Foundation are donating $10 million to relief efforts, and Parton is donating $1 million to the nonprofit Mountain Ways Foundation. Additionally, Dollywood Parks & Resorts, Dolly Parton’s Stampede, Pirates Voyage Dinner & Show, and the Dollywood Foundation are donating $1 million. “I can’t stand to see anyone hurting, so I wanted to do what I could to help after these terrible floods. I hope we can all be a little bit of light in the world for our friends, our neighbors — even strangers — during this dark time they are experiencing,” Parton said. —TI