5 things: Why Walmart can’t figure out healthcare

Why Walmart’s model won’t work in healthcare: Walmart isn’t the top dog in retail for nothing. The company figured out a winning formula for leveraging its size to compete on price. But when it comes to health care, Walmart hasn’t figured out that same formula for success, not by a long shot. In this Wall Street Journal op-ed, health care columnist David Wainer writes that retailers in general are struggling to figure out health care, with Walmart being a prominent example (Walgreens isn’t far behind in this same struggle). In April, Walmart announced that it would close its 51 health centers across five states and shut down its virtual-care offering MeMD, saying that a sustainable business model could not be found. “To put it bluntly,” an analyst at Barclays said, “primary care is hard.” That’s putting it lightly. —Chloe Riley

Vacationing at the supermarket: Grocery stores are becoming sightseeing hotspots for tourists, according to the New York Post. Instead of heading to an expensive restaurant, travelers in foreign countries are opting for cheaper meals at grocery stores, and social media mavens are sharing their finds on sites like TikTok. “I hit the grocery store too when I go to another country. It’s like learning about another culture through their consumption! And I buy food as souvenirs too!” said one grocery tourist in the New York Post article. Influencer posts feature them gawking over stores like Edeka in Düsseldorf, Germany, which features a mozzarella bar, jamon sampling station, champagne bar, and Michelin-starred restaurant. U.S. residents having a staycation are also getting in on the action, via visiting high-end grocery stores like Erewhon in California. —Tim Inklebarger

Berry delicious: Each year, Driscoll’s develops and studies 125,000 strawberry varieties as it decides which to prioritize selling at mass scale. But until recently, one type of berry never made it to the grocery store. “We threw out the absolute sweetest, best-tasting berries that we had in our whole gene pool,” said Driscoll’s chief executive Soren Bjorn, in an interview with the Wall Street Journal. Now, the berry giant is capitalizing on those sweeties — selling them under the label “Sweetest Batch.” The berries are expensive and available in limited quantities, but Americans are hungry for them and willing to spend the money. The U.S. berry market is worth about $9 billion annually, up over 40% in the past five years alone. A “berry” nice opportunity. —CR

Plastic pout: Costco tried to cut down on its use of plastics use earlier this year, switching its popular rotisserie chicken to a thin plastic bag vs a bulkier clam shell. But some chicken fans were not happy about it, citing issues with the bags leaking. Many companies are moving away from plastics in an effort to be more environmentally-friendly, but it doesn’t always work out well for either the company or consumer if the pivot results in a less viable product. A proposed New York state law, for instance, could mean the demise of sliced cheese, which uses a high amount of plastic in its individually wrapped slices. Opponents of the law say cutting down on plastic could result in consumers walking out of grocery stores with unwrapped items. But those on the other side say they just want more materials like paper to be considered in packaging. The battle around plastics continues onward…—CR

DoorDash hot doggers dumped: DoorDash is making a push to get its less-than-safe drivers off the streets and onto a new profession, according to Inc. magazine. The last-mile delivery service said recently that it’s piloting the safety program in Boston and creating a dedicated channel to connect the Boston Police Department to the company’s internal Law Enforcement Response Team. It also said it will begin requiring its drivers to regularly re-verify their identities, so it can remove drivers who are wrongly using someone else’s account. DoorDash also plans to remove drivers who violate traffic laws. “We have absolutely zero tolerance for dangerous driving by anyone who uses our platform, and have been working collaboratively with cities to support their enforcement efforts when anyone is breaking the law so that we can help keep everyone safe,” the company said in a press release. —TI

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When it comes to health care, Walmart hasn’t figured out the formula for success, not by a long shot. In this Wall Street Journal op-ed, health care columnist David Wainer writes that retailers in general are struggling to figure out health care, with Walmart being a prominent example. Is it possible for retailers to crack the health care code? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.