5 things: Has Amazon Prime peaked?

Has Prime peaked? For years, Amazon Prime memberships — which include perks at Whole Foods — have been steadily increasing. But according to a recent report, last year Amazon prime members plateaued. But why? The writers of the report attribute it to a few factors. Macroeconomic factors have led to tightened consumer spending and potential pressure on fixed expenses like Amazon Prime membership. While it is roughly one-tenth the size of Amazon Prime in the U.S., Amazon may also be experiencing some competition from Walmart , as well as other online retailers. And perhaps most importantly, Amazon Prime membership may have just reached its maximum saturation of the U.S. market. An Amazon spokeswoman has denied that the data is accurate, telling tech site Gizmodo: “Just because an analyst firm reports something doesn’t make it true or fact, and in this case, the research is not accurate.” —Chloe Riley

Baked potatoes, FTW: After a Kansas City Chiefs fan was called out on Twitter for eating a baked potato she brought with her to last week’s NFL playoff game against the Jacksonville Jaguars, Hy-Vee decided to help her celebrate her love of spuds. The retailer, a longtime sponsor of the Chiefs, said it would throw a baked potato bar tailgate party for Nicki Conrad at Sunday’s game against the Cincinnati Bengals, according to local TV station KSHB. Conrad, now aka KC Potato Girl on Twitter, garnered lots of online support from fellow potato fans and has since made nice with the Jacksonville fan who originally dissed her. It’s downright encouraging to see the humble tuber bringing people together on social media. —Mark Hamstra

Roll ’em: While many supermarket locations come and go, some prove to be incredibly resilient — as verified on the silver screen. In the iconic car chase in “Bullitt,” which premiered in 1968, Steve McQueen races his Mustang past a clearly visible and still operating Safeway store on San Francisco’s Marina Blvd. In 1979’s “Manhattan,” filmed in New York City, Woody Allen and Diane Keaton can be seen outside the Zabar’s store at Broadway and 80th Street, a site Zabar’s has been occupying since its opening in 1934. Zabar’s also had a role in 1998’s “You Got Mail” starring Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan. That’s a take! —Richard Mitchell

Rotisserie chicken of yore: After we wrote about Chef David Chang’s Costco rotisserie chicken rant, SN contributor (and former Murray’s Cheese owner) Rob Kaufelt responded with his own reminiscences about rotisserie chicken back in the day. In the 1980s, the concept was a new one in the U.S. — Kaufelt actually had to import one from France. And now? We’re swimming in a sea of rotisserie options. —CR 

A pea ‘nuts’ kind of marketing move: With the price of groceries being what they are, Hy-Vee made a smart marketing move with a “National Peanut Butter Day” sale promotion. That featured, what else, a viral video of a guy using Hy-Vee private label peanut butter jars in a domino-effect setup, ultimately designed to land a ping-pong ball in a cup. If he makes the shot: everyone gets 49¢ Hy-Vee peanut butter for one-day only (limit two). Of course he makes the shot, and of course this video, starring trick shot influencer Mike Shields of the YouTube Channel “That’ll Work,” had over 270,000 views. —CR