ENCINITAS, Calif. – The Whole Foods market in Encinitas was among the nine stores that will be closing after the grocery store chain announced a sixth consecutive quarter of falling sales, the company announced.

Whole Foods said Wednesday that it will close nine stores, including two in California, and eliminate its kitchen commissaries that make its prepared foods, the Business Insider reported.

The Whole Foods store at 687 S. Coast Highway 101 in Encinitas and the store at 500 1st Street in Davis in Northern California will close by April 9.

Read more This is why your grocery bill may be cheaper

Here are all the stores that will close by April:

• Santa Fe, New Mexico
• Boulder, Colorado
• Colorado Springs, Colorado
• Salt Lake City, Utah (Draper)
• Davis, California
• Augusta, Georgia
• Prescott, Arizona
• Encinitas, California
• Chicago, Illinois (South Evanston)

“We’re examining every aspect of our retail operations,” said Whole Foods co-founder John Mackey, who recently resumed the role of sole chief executive officer after the departure of co-CEO Walter Robb.

Mackey said the closings are a “difficult but prudent decision,” and that combined with moves to lower prices and improve profits and efficiency will “result in a healthier bottom line, increased cash flow and higher returns” as the Austin, Texas-based company continues to try to shed its “Whole Paycheck” label.

Read more Whole Foods gets warning letter from FDA

“What has become clear is that we don’t want to compete in a ‘race to the bottom’ as consumers have ever increasing choices for how much and where they shop,” Mackey said.

SAN DIEGO – The anticipation for eating fried chicken and waffles in San Diego has been dulled after construction plans for a Roscoe’s House of Chicken & Waffles have ceased – for now.

The popular soul-food restaurant was slated to open in Barrio Logan on National Avenue and Sigsbee Street, but plans have been scrapped, according to San Diego Eater. A company source told the food-news website they decided to put the property back on the market to focus on their Los Angeles restaurants.

Roscoe’s ownership hasn’t completely abandoned plans for opening a restaurant in San Diego. They may start looking for a new location sometime later in 2017, the Eater reported.

Cameron Winklevoss and Tyler Winklevoss attend the 100th Annual White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner on May 3, 2014 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images)

By Meg Wagner

Beating the gold standard

The digital currency bitcoin is now more valuable than gold — and investing in it may soon become a lot simpler.

The value of one bitcoin rose to $1,290 Friday as the value of an ounce of gold sank to $1,228, marking the first time that the e-currency became more valuable than the precious metal.

The cryptocurrency’s surge comes as the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) is considering approving the first bitcoin-based exchange-traded fund (ETF), a type of publicly traded investment fund. Three bitcoin groups — including one run by Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss, the Harvard-educated Olympic rowers best known for accusing Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg of stealing their idea — have asked for regulatory approval.

The Winklevoss twins met with the SEC on Feb. 14 to discuss the possibility of allowing their Winklevoss Bitcoin Trust to trade on the Bats BZX Exchange, an alternative to the New York Stock Exchange and the Nasdaq.

Bitcoin Investment Trust and SolidX Bitcoin Trust have also petitioned for an ETF and the ability to trade.

If any of the three bitcoin trusts are granted SEC regulatory status, it would open bitcoin up to an abundance of new investors. Currently, anyone who wants to trade bitcoin must open a bitcoin account and trade on specific online bitcoin exchanges. With a publically traded ETF, investors could buy shares more easily through their brokers.

A decision on the Winklevosses’ proposed ETF is expected by Saturday.

Money that doesn’t clutter your wallet

Bitcoin was created in 2009 by a mystery programmer who goes by the alias Satoshi Nakamoto. Instead of offering physical coins or bills, the currency system is all electronic, with a set 21 million bitcoins available.

Bitcoin’s value has surged since its creation. Initially worth mere pennies, the digital currency reached its first peak in late November 2013, hitting $1,000 per bitcoin. Between 2014 and 2016, the currency hovered between about $200 and $800 — before staggering upward to $1000-plus values in 2017.

While bitcoin users have nothing tangible to show, the currency works similarly to U.S. dollars or euros. As of 2015, more than 100,000 merchants around the world accept bitcoin as a form of payment, including Microsoft, Dell and Expedia.

But the difference is, unlike government-issued currency, bitcoin isn’t tied to a specific country, company, or bank. Bitcoin advocates have lauded the decentralization — meaning no one agency has control over it — claiming that the digital money is a great alternative for anyone weary of a central banking system.

In the same vein, supporters insist the money is also “inflation proof”: with a set number of bitcoins in the market, their value won’t decrease due to an increasing supply.

Thanks, Trump?

Bitcoin’s steady climb to beat the gold standard began after President Donald Trump’s election — and some think his presidency will make its value surge even higher.

Analysts speculated that Trump’s economic stimulus plans could boot bitcoin’s value up to a whopping $2,100. Experts at Denmark’s Saxo Bank claim that Trump’s plans to increase spending — which would grow the U.S. economy but cause inflation — may prompt people across the world to seek alternative currencies.

“Bitcoin … benefits from this chaos,” the bank wrote in a December report. “Emerging market powers eager to move away from being tied to the monetary policy of the US and the banking system.”

If the SEC approves any of the ETF applications, bitcoin could see another boost: Values are expected to surge if it becomes open to more investors, with about $300 million pouring into the ETF in the first week.

“I’d be very surprised if it did anything but double from whatever levels it is at beforehand,” Spencer Bogart, head of research at venture-capital investor Blockchain Capital, told Bloomberg.

SACRAMENTO - Thousands of employees work at the 1 million-square-foot Amazon fulfillment center in Tracy. But there are many more, who don’t get paid for the work they do.

Hundreds of automated machines roving around the fulfillment center can transport a vertical shelf of items up to 750 pounds. They roam the gigantic building on a pre-calculated route, using floor sensors. It’s artificial assistance, that has drastically changed how much product Amazon can bring in and ship out.

“Amazon robotics units enable us to have 50 percent more inventory here in this facility,” Amazon spokeswoman Ashley Robinson said.

The online shopping giant loves these little robots so much, that five years ago, Amazon bought the company that makes them -- Kiva systems, according to FOX 40. While it may seem bots have replaced human employees in Tracy, California, Amazon says they’ve actually led to more human jobs.

“When this facility opened in 2014, we expected we’d be able to create 1,000 full-time hour positions,” said Robinson. "Due to our ability to meet customer demand and exceed expectations, we have been able to increase our workforce to 3,000 hourly associates.”

Seventy-five miles away from the Tracy fulfillment center, Dr. David Slaughter of UC Davis is developing a robot he hopes will change the future of agriculture.

“This is the next evolution in agriculture,” Dr. Slaughter told FOX40.

It’s called a phenotype robot. Designed by Dr. Slaughter, a robotics professor, and his team, the machine comes equipped with stereo cameras that can measure how a plant is growing. Using data that comes in the form of a 3-D model, the robot creates an extremely thorough check of the plant’s health, and its ability to flourish in different environments. This robot can answer questions about the plant better than a human eye ever could.

“What are the leaf angles? How is the sun getting in? How many fruit are there? That’s all being done manually now with rulers, or people observing,” Dr. Slaughter told FOX40.

The phenotype is currently awaiting the summer for more trials, with companies like Monsanto very intrigued by its capabilities. Soon, it will do what human researchers are currently doing, only better. So does that mean someday robots will replace us humans? Probably not, according to research expert Matt Lieberman.

“Who’s going to control the bots?” questioned Lieberman. “Who’s going to train them and improve upon them? Who is going to connect robot one to robot two?”

Lieberman’s marketing department at PricewaterhouseCoopers just surveyed 2,500 consumers and businesses around the country about artificial intelligence in the workplace. He says the response shows a warm reception to A.I. 62 percent of people say robots are critical for “solving problems in modern societies." However, the data shows that robots are only getting approval from those surveyed if humans are also in the mix.

“One of the main conclusions to the survey is there is no bright future for businesses with all bots, or all humans- but really, that strategic partnership between humans and robots,” said Lieberman.

Dr. Slaughter claims it’s not about taking away jobs, but reinventing job roles for future careers and the future in general.

“We have the responsibility as a society both to feed the 2 billion people that will be joining us in the next 33 years, as well as trying to find a way for all those involved in A.I. to have rewarding careers,” said Dr. Slaughter.

Lower price advertisements are displayed as a woman shops at Wegmans Foods store in Fairfax, Virginia, on February 24, 2011. (JEWEL SAMAD/AFP/Getty Images)

NEW YORK – Wegmans knocked Trader Joe’s, a longtime favorite, out of the number one position in 2016.

Wegmans once again led the list of America’s favorite grocery stores, but this year Publix forced a tie for the top spot, according to a Market Force study.

Aldi doesn’t need a $1.6 billion revamp to best competitor Whole Foods—at least when it comes to Americans’ opinions.

Aldi comes in at the No. 5 spot, with Whole Foods at No. 10.

Market Force polled nearly 13,000 Americans in March, asking them to rate their most recent grocery store experience and the likelihood that they would recommend that store to others. The stores were then given a percentage score.

The top 10:

1. 1. Publix: 77%
   2. Wegmans: 77%
   3. Trader Joe’s: 76%
   4. H-E-B: 69%
   5. Aldi: 68%
   6. Harris Teeter: 66%
   7. Hy-Vee: 65%
   8. Costco: 65%
   9. WinCo Foods: 62%
   10. Whole Foods: 61%

Click for the full list. The 2016 rankings are here.

This article originally appeared on Newser: America’s 10 Favorite Grocery Stores

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NEW YORK — A cybersecurity attack that hit most Chipotle restaurants allowed hackers to steal credit card information from customers, the burrito chain confirmed.

The company first acknowledged the breach on April 25. But a blog post on Friday revealed the kind of malware used in the attack and the restaurants that were affected.

The list of attacked locations is extensive and includes many major U.S. cities. When CNNMoney asked the company Sunday about the scale of the attack, spokesman Chris Arnold said that “most, but not all restaurants may have been involved.”

A list of the restaurants and times they were affected can be found on Chipotle’s website. Over 35 locations in San Diego County were affected by the breach, and the time frame for each one varies, so be sure to check for the specific location you bought your food at.

Chipotle said in its blog post that it worked with law enforcement officials and cybersecurity firms on an investigation.

The breaches happened between March 24 and April 18. The malware worked by infecting cash registers and capturing information stored on the magnetic strip on credit cards, called “track data.” Chipotle said track data sometimes includes the cardholder’s name, card number, expiration date and internal verification code.

The company said there is “no indication” that other personal information was stolen.

“During the investigation we removed the malware, and we continue to work with cyber security firms to evaluate ways to enhance our security measures,” the blog post reads.

The company recommended that customers scan their credit card statements for potentially fraudulent purchases. It also said victims should contact the Federal Trade Commission, the attorney general in their home states or their local police department.

Amazon's annual day of deals kicks off at 6 p.m. PST on Monday.

It's the third installment of Prime Day, and the event has already proven to net massive sales.

This year the company has promised it will be bigger than ever, with discounts on hundreds of thousands of items for Prime members all over the globe.

Amazon has given a few hints about what's to come. If past years are any indicator, the deals will encompass a wide, if not comical, variety of items.

Here's what you need to know.

30 hours to shop

Prime Day will actually run a bit longer than 24 hours.

It kicks off at 9 p.m. ET on July 10 and runs until 3 a.m. ET on July 12. Amazon says new deals will be offered every five minutes.

Greg Greeley, vice president of Amazon Prime, says the goal is to offer deals to "a record number of shoppers."

Amazon says customers who do not already have Prime memberships can sign up on or before July 11 to take advantage of this year's deals. Prime costs about $100 per year.

Track deals ahead of time

Amazon advises shoppers to use the Amazon app, where deals will be posted 24 hours ahead of time. You can even set an alert for when the offer begins.

Get exclusive and early deals with Alexa

Customers shopping with a gadget equipped with Amazon's Alexa virtual assistant will get access to Prime Day deals two hours before anyone else.

Voice shoppers also have access to "more than 100" exclusive pre-Prime Day offers. Those deals began July 5, Amazon says.

Some deals that are already available include $50 off on a Bose Soundlink Bluetooth speaker, and $20 off a Philips light strip that works with Alexa.

One more perk of voice shopping: If you don't yet have a Prime Day membership, you can now sign up through Alexa and receive a $20 discount, putting the one-year membership price at $79.

Televisions on sale

We don't yet know much about what the Prime Day offers will be. But the company did say there will be some "amazing" deals on a "variety" of television brands -- including the Amazon Fire TV edition of the ultra high-definition Element 4K TV.

"Amazon is planning one of its largest total volume TV deals in history with a record level of inventory but once again, the TV deals will likely sell out," the company said in a press release.

Items selling out lightning-fast plagued Prime Day's inaugural event back in 2015. Last year, Amazon beefed up inventory. But Prime Day 2016 was beleaguered by some technical difficulties when some customers found it difficult to add certain deals to their shopping carts.

Prime Now sales

There will also be deals on Amazon's Prime Now platform, which offers same-day delivery in some cities. Prime Now shoppers get same-day delivery and a different selection of items, including perishable foods.

Some of the Prime Now bargains kicked off on Friday, and Amazon says it's currently offering 25% off of Haagen-Dazs and Halo Top ice creams, 30% off some beauty products and 30% off wine and beer in a limited number of cities.

Amazon is also offering $10 off the first and second order for any first-time Prime Now customers with the code "10PRIMEDAY."

More customers abroad will have access

In addition to the U.S., shoppers in 12 other countries -- including the U.K., Mexico and China -- can participate this year.

The deals will differ in each country, but Amazon says there will be a new Amazon Global Store in which Prime members in China and Mexico will be able to shop select deals in other countries.

SAN DIEGO – Tuesday is July 11, also known as 7/11, and that means free Slurpees at 7-Eleven.

The convenience store chain hands out free Slurpees on July 11 every year but this year is special – the chain is turning 90, FOX31 reported.

Customers can get a free small Slurpee at participating 7-Eleven locations from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Tuesday, while supplies last. Any available Slurpee flavor can be selected and special coupons are not needed.

And just in case one free Slurpee isn’t enough, 7-Eleven will continue their birthday celebration with Slurpee Week.

Customers who purchase seven Slurpees with the 7-Eleven mobile app from July 12-18, the chain will give you 11 Slurpees for free.

SAN DIEGO – Wienerschnitzel is celebrating 56 years Tuesday, July 11 and it’s marking its anniversary by offering 56-cent hot dogs.

The World’s Largest Hot Dog Chain wants to thank its customers Tuesday by offering the special price at participating locations, for its Original Mustard or Chili Dogs.

John Galardi opened his first Wienerschnitzel in Wilmington, Calif. on July 11, 1961 and now has 358 locations.

Tuesday is also free Slurpee day.  Customers can enjoy a free small Slurpee at participating 7-Eleven stores.

NEW ALBANY, Ohio – Justice, the popular clothing store for girls and tweens, has launched an internal investigation and discontinued sale of a makeup product for children after a television station’s investigation claimed to find deadly ingredients.

After WBTV in Durham, North Carolina, sent samples of the makeup “Just Shine Shimmer Powder” to a lab to see if it contained any non-listed ingredients, they reported that The Scientific Analytical Institute found asbestos.

“I would treat it like a deadly poison, because it is,” Sean Fitzgerald, the lab’s director, told WBTV. “In this powder designed for children, they could die an untimely death in their thirties or forties because of the exposure to asbestos in this product.”

The lab also found heavy metals like barium, chromium, lead, and selenium in the shimmer powder, according to the station.

Justice, based in New Albany, Ohio, has since pulled the product from shelves and released the following statement:

Justice has a long and strong history of concern for the health and safety of our girls. We are deeply committed to the safety and integrity of our products. Upon receiving an inquiry about the Just Shine Shimmer Powder product (Item number 192307 or SKU number 19052777), we immediately began an investigation and, out of an abundance of caution, stopped the sale of this product in our stores and on our website. Our suppliers are required to produce all products in compliance with applicable laws and regulations. If any supplier fails to do so, it is our practice to hold them responsible. We cannot speculate regarding the matter while we investigate.

MINNEAPOLIS — If you love Target and you also love wine, we have some news you can really raise a glass to.

The national retailer is launching its own line of wines called California Roots that will cost just $5 a bottle.

“We’re out to give our guests even more reasons to love Target—including exclusive products they can’t find anywhere else,” Jeff Burt, senior vice president of food and beverage, said in a statement. “And we think they’re going to love California Roots—these wines are just the right blend of incredible quality and amazing value that guests can expect at Target.”

California Roots will offer five varieties: Chardonnay, Pinot Grigio, Moscato, Cabernet Sauvignon and a red blend.

Each is “carefully crafted with premium, California-grown grapes,” the website states. If you’re having trouble deciding, the website also offers helpful advice on food pairings for each wine.

California Roots wines launch at over 1,100 Target stores nationwide on Sept. 3.

SAN DIEGO – Now that Qualcomm’s name has been removed from the football stadium in Mission Valley, the city is set to decide on what name will replace it.

San Diego Union-Tribune reported Wednesday that Duke Little, the marketing official tasked with handling the bidding for the new name, received less than 10 proposals by last week’s deadline.

None of the candidates and their proposed names were revealed. Little told the newspaper the bidders “won’t be shocking.”

San Diego City Council will be asked to approve the new name by September 19. It was unknown if they will have a public debate.

The naming contract will be good through December 31, 2018, when the city plans to close the stadium, the newspaper reported.

NEW YORK -- Credit reporting firm Equifax announced on Thursday nearly half of the US population could be impacted by a data breach incident that happened earlier this year.

The information obtained in the breach includes names, social security numbers, birth dates, address, and some driver's license numbers.

How to check if your information is part of Equifax cybersecurity breach

Equifax said 143 million consumers could be impacted. According to census.gov, the US population is just over 325 million.

The company discovered the breach on July 29 and unauthorized access started in mid-May.

In addition to the breach, credit card numbers for approximately 209,000 consumers "and certain dispute documents, which included personal identifying information, for approximately 182,000 consumers" were accessed during the incident.

"We identified a cybersecurity incident potentially impacting approximately 143 million U.S. consumers," Equifax said in a statement. "Criminals exploited a U.S. website application vulnerability to gain access to certain files. We discovered the unauthorized access and acted immediately to stop the intrusion."

The company has engaged with a separate cybersecurity firm to conduct a forensic review of the intrusion and law enforcement officials are currently investigating.

According to Equifax, investigators have found no evidence of "unauthorized activity on Equifax’s core consumer or commercial credit reporting databases."

Equifax also identified unauthorized access to limited personal information for certain UK and Canadian residents, according to the statement.

Equifax has a "check potential impact" tool on their website where users can check to see if their information was compromised. However, the tool is not correctly displaying whether personal information was included in the data breach and is only providing users information about the TrustedID program and their "enrollment" date.

Consumers who want more information about the incident should visit equifaxsecurity2017.com. 

NEW YORK — When it came to her new makeup line, Rihanna had a “wild thought”: inclusivity.

At the center of Fenty Beauty, which launched Friday, are 40 foundation shades receiving rave reviews for both their quality and range of color.

The thought is paying off.

As of Wednesday, six of the 10 deep foundations are sold out on Sephora’s website, illustrating the demand for makeup that caters to women of color.

“Fenty Beauty was created for everyone: for women of all shades, personalities, attitudes, cultures, and races,” Rihanna wrote on her makeup line’s website. “I wanted everyone to feel included.”

Fenty Beauty is eponymous of the singer’s full name, Robyn Fenty.

Some are touting Rihanna’s makeup line, sold exclusively at Sephora, as a game-changer.

“Shoutout to @rihanna for finally showing the makeup industry what inclusive means,” one fan wrote on Twitter.

Actresses Gabourey Sidibe and Mindy Kaling are also celebrating the beauty line.

“In case you’re wondering about #FentyBeauty on dark skin, issa YES for me dawg,” Sidibe tweeted.

“#FentyBeauty has got SHADES! Thank you @rihanna!!! Kween!” Kaling added.

Model Nneoma Anosike, one of 40 women displaying the range of available shades on Fenty Beauty’s site, shared her thoughts on the line’s significance.

“The beauty world for people of color has welcomed yet another brand that goes into understanding that we melanins have different undertones and shades — not just 3 but multiple!” Anosike wrote on Instagram. “Thank you Fenty Beauty and @badgalriri. Welcome to the makeup world!”

NEW YORK – Equifax was reportedly hacked five months before its first disclosed date.

Bloomberg reported Monday that Equifax had a major breach of its computer systems in March.

“The company said the March breach was not related to the hack that exposed the personal and financial data on 143 million U.S. consumers, but one of the people said the breaches involve the same intruders. Either way, the revelation that the 118-year-old credit-reporting agency suffered two major incidents in the span of a few months adds to a mounting crisis at the company, which is the subject of multiple investigations and announced the retirement of two of its top security executives on Friday,” Bloomberg reported.

PREVIOUS STORY:

How the Equifax data breach happened:

Much is still unknown. But it came down to a flaw in a tool designed to build web applications, the company said in a press release this week. And Equifax admitted it was aware of the security flaw a full two months before the company says hackers first gained accessed to its data.

Some of the information hackers had access to includes names, Social Security numbers, birth dates, addresses and some driver’s license numbers.

The tool is called Apache Struts, and it’s used by many large businesses and government organizations. Equifax used it to support its online dispute portal — where Equifax customers go to log issues with their credit reports. The flaw allowed hackers to take control of a website.

A cybersecurity arm of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, US-CERT, “identified and disclosed” the Apache Struts flaw in March, Equifax said in a statement.

And the company’s security department “was aware of this vulnerability at that time, and took efforts to identify and to patch any vulnerable systems.”

Yet, according to the company, hackers exploited the flaw months later.

Equifax has said it discovered the data breach on July 29. On Friday, it said it waited until it “observed additional suspicious activity” a day later to take the affected web application offline.

And on August 2 Equifax contacted Mandiant, a professional cybersecurity firm, to help the company assess what data had been compromised.

With help from Mandiant, Equifax was able to determine a series of breaches had occurred from May 13 through July 30, the company said.

Patching software at big corporations with many machines does take time. They must first identify the vulnerability, then implement and test the patch to make sure it doesn’t break anything before making it public.

However, security experts say Equifax should have moved faster.

“There’s really no excuse whether it’s a difficult patch or not, for an organization of that size with that kind of magnitude of data,” said Jon Hendren, director of strategy at security firm UpGuard. “When you’re a big organization like that, it’s a systemic failure of process and the blame goes straight to the top.”

Equifax has also been widely criticized for waiting more than a month to alert its customers and shareholders about the hack.

On Friday, the company announced its chief information officer and chief security officer are “retiring.”

SAN DIEGO – Four City Council members Tuesday released a new proposal for regulating short-term vacation rental properties in San Diego, in an attempt to solve an issue that has vexed city officials and neighbors alike over the last few years.

The plan — by David Alvarez, Mark Kersey, Scott Sherman and Chris Ward – – would require three-night minimum stays, follow a state standard for occupancy, set up a system for permitting and enforcement, and provide renters with a code of conduct that covers issues like noise, trash and parking.

Vacation rental properties are favored because they provide owners with a revenue stream in a high-cost city and give visitors an alternative to expensive coastal hotels. However, neighbors have complained in recent years about over-crowding and loud parties that last well into the night.

A proposal that would have virtually banished rental properties in residential neighborhoods was rejected last year by the council.

More recently, Councilwoman Barbara Bry proposed a set of regulations that would, among other things, allow short-term rentals in owner-occupied residences, but not in houses with absentee owners. It would also limit rentals when the primary occupant is absent to 90 days a year and keep the number of renters to two per guest room plus one other visitor per residence.

Officials of Airbnb, the vacation rental website, contend that Bry’s proposal is nearly as restrictive as the one rejected last year.

In a statement on the latest plan, the company said, “We are reviewing this proposal and are glad to see that Councilmembers Ward, Alvarez, Sherman and Kersey are working toward comprehensive regulations that better define short-term rentals in San Diego. Vacation rentals and home sharing are a time- honored tradition in San Diego, and we agree that strong policies need to be enacted. We believe regulations should define short-term rentals, establish good neighbor standards, provide funding for real enforcement and create a registration and permitting process.”

The topic of short-term rentals is scheduled to come before the City Council next month.

NEW YORK — Starbucks is closing its online store to focus on its thousands of locations and its popular app. But some loyal online customers are inconsolable.

The online store sold coffee lovers’ essentials like blends, teas, mugs, tumblers, pressers and espresso machines, but Starbucks announced in August that it planned to shut it down on Oct. 1. The site held a 50% off clearance sale leading up to the closure.

Starbucks CEO Kevin Johnson described a “seismic shift” in the retail world on a July investors’ call. The decision is part of the company’s effort to focus on customer experiences in stores and purchases through its growing mobile app — which accounts for 30% of all transactions in the U.S.

The company is “doubling down” on its mobile app and rewards program, said spokesperson Maggie Jantzen.

“Integration of these digital and mobile customer connections into our store experience is among the highest priorities for us,” she said.

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Coffee and company-branded merchandise is still available in stores, Starbucks wrote in a note on its website. However, it said it could not “guarantee availability of any product in stores.

“Products are also still available on the app, in grocery stores and through company partners such as Amazon.

But Starbucks is facing some blowback on social media for going offline. “Where will I buy my pods and mocha powder?” one customer asked on Twitter.

The company also said it would discontinue selling syrups and sauces that people use to make coffee at home, leading one customer to say she was “inconsolable” that she couldn’t buy vanilla syrup anymore.

“My world is ending,” another said on Twitter after she found out that Starbucks was ending peach syrup.

NEW YORK CITY - On the hit CBS show "Undercover Boss," CEOs of large companies go undercover as low level employees and can have enlightening, even humbling experiences.

What the CEO learns during the show often leads to an apparent new perspective when it comes to the business and the employees, and even acts of generosity.

A worker for Shoppers World, a deep-discount chain with 40 stores that is headquartered in midtown Manhattan, says her CEO's kindness on the show was just that – all for show.

Back in January 2016, "Undercover Bosses" featured Sam Dushey, head of Shoppers World.  As part of his undercover travels, he went to his store in Jamaica, Queens and spent some time in the shoe department with Nalini Singh.

Nalini had been there about eight years at the time.  She joined right after high school and says she was still making minimum wage.  She had several complaints, including losing hours and never getting ahead.  That was important because she had to take care of ill parents.  Nalini was so strapped for cash that she and her fiancé – who used to work in the store – were planning on getting married at City Hall.

At the end of "Undercover Boss," Dushey reveals himself to Nalini and tells her, “Nalini, you are the reason I realized that my employees weren’t treated fairly ... You worked your butt off and never were rewarded and never were acknowledged.”

He then gave her more hours and a $15,000 bonus.  She was thrilled to get the money and the hours.

But then Dushey went further. He told her, “I want to give you another $20,000 check so you can go make yourself the big beautiful wedding you deserve.”

Nalini couldn’t believe it. It was a dream come true.

But then the problems started.  “I should have known it was too good to be true,” Nalini told WPIX.

It was.

The company didn’t want to just give Nalini the money for her wedding, as Dushey promised.  It wanted quotes from individual vendors.  But it still didn’t pay.  Nalini went around with her Shoppers World contacts for more than a year.

WPIX tried to get some answers by going over to headquarters. When the receptionists learned why they were there, they threatened to call the police.

The station tried to make an appointment to see the CEO.  Eventually, they got an email back saying he was unavailable with no mention of when he might be able to talk.

But a Shoppers World executive sent another email.  It actually blamed Nalini for the fact that the company didn’t pay for her wedding.  It claimed she failed to submit invoices the company requested from the various vendors she wanted to use.  Here’s the email:

“Shoppers World is proud to have been part of the January 3, 2016 episode of CBS’ Undercover Boss, where we rewarded over 10 associates featured in the episode, with a total of over $200,000.  Each associate was recognized for their hard work and loyalty and was paid in full in a timely manner, including $15,000 to Nalini Singh.  As it relates to the additional pledge of $20,000 for Nalini Singh’s then-upcoming wedding, we asked her on several occasions to submit invoices or receipts for reimbursement or connect us with her vendors so that we could pay them directly for her expenses, all of which she refused to do, asking instead that we pay the full amount to a family member. This is a standard company policy when handling expenses related to associates.  Had Ms. Singh produced invoices, receipts or connected us with her vendors directly, we would have paid the fees associated with her wedding in a timely manner as well.”
*(Emphasis added)

But Nalini provided WPIX with copies of the invoices she says she sent to Shoppers World multiple times.

The wedding hall, entertainment, flowers, cake, invitations, wedding dress, a suit for the groom and photographers – the invoices are all there. Grand total: just under $20,000.

She also sent WPIX emails and texts indicating the company was aware of the invoices she’d sent.

Nalini is disappointed.  “I don’t think they were ever going to give me the money. I think they just said that on the show.”

The company that produces "Undercover Boss," Studio Lambert, did not comment.  CBS sent a statement saying:

“We are not privy to all of the issues involved in this dispute. However, unless there are extenuating circumstances, we expect the companies to fulfill what they agreed to in the show.”

Nalini’s dream of the big beautiful wedding Sam Dushey said she deserved is crushed.  She’s put the ceremony on hold.  She’s also had it with Shoppers World.  A couple of months ago she got another job.

NEW YORK – Coach, the brand famous for its handbags, is about to change its corporate name. It’ll soon be called Tapestry.

The company announced Wednesday that it was planning to rename itself as Tapestry, effective on Halloween. The company’s ticker symbol will change from COH to TPR as well. Shares of Coach fell more than 2% after the announcement.

But fear not, fans of Coach wallets and clutches. The store name and all the accessories it produces will remain Coach.

Andrea Shaw Resnick, a spokeswoman for the company soon to be known as Tapestry, told CNNMoney that nothing will change for consumers.

The corporate name is being changed mainly to reflect that the company’s expanding portfolio. Coach also owns boot maker Stuart Weitzman, which Coach bought in 2015, and fellow handbag maker Kate Spade, which Coach acquired earlier this year.

Those brands will keep their names as well.

And the new Tapestry name potentially makes it easier for the company to purchase even more fashion lines and put them under the Tapestry umbrella. (Speaking of which, you can buy actual umbrellas from Coach and Kate Spade.)

So you can think of the Coach name change similarly to Alphabet, the parent company of Google and YouTube. Alphabet is just a corporate moniker, but there isn’t actually an Alphabet consumer brand. And most people still refer to Alphabet as Google.

Resnick said that the Tapestry name was chosen partly because it’s a reflection of the history and heritage of the Coach, Kate Spade and Stuart Weitzman brands. It’s also a play on fashion, “weaving the brands together to make something beautiful.”

To that end, the new Tapestry website that went live Wednesday features the tag line of “Individual Expression. Collective Beauty.”

Related: Coach rival Michael Kors snaps up Jimmy Choo for $1.2 billion

Coach joins a growing list of corporations who have changed their names over the past few years. Many of the name changes are a bit puzzling.

Verizon, which itself is a made up name formed after telecoms Bell Atlantic and GTE merged, created the Oath subsidiary in 2017 to house the content operations it acquired through purchases of AOL and parts of Yahoo.

What’s left of Yahoo then did a name change of its own — to Altaba. That name plays off the fact that the Yahoo assets Verizon didn’t buy are mainly an investment in Chinese e-commerce firm Alibaba.

Then there’s the routinely maligned Tronc, the new name for the newspaper publisher that used to be called Tribune. Cigarette company Philip Morris famously rebranded itself as Altria. Retail giant Target used to be known as Dayton Hudson.

And the now defunct Woolworth chain of five and dime stores curiously changed its name to Venator in the late 1990s … before changing it once more to Foot Locker, a reflection of the fact that the company owns Foot Locker.

Sometimes, you can just let a company’s name speak for itself.

CHULA VISTA, Calif. -- The Chula Vista City Council Tuesday passed a $400-million incentive package to attract Amazon's second headquarters.

The online retailing giant says the second headquarters would generate billions of dollars in investments and tens of thousands of new jobs for the winning city.

Chula Vista mayor Mary Casillas Sallas said the $400 million worth of incentives they're offering Amazon are competitive.

"We are open for business and ready to get Amazon here," Casillas Sallas said. "We are offering forgiveness on property taxes."

The City of Chula Vista, in partnership with Chesnut Properties, proposed to deliver a state of the art facility that is ready to take on Amazon’s stated 2019 deadline for HQ2.  The initial 500,000 square feet of office space is shovel-ready.

Chula Vista has earmarked land adjacent to the Millenia Office campus along Birch Road as the location for the Amazon headquarters 2. The Chula Vista site would provide a total of 8 million square feet for the tech giant's space.

The proposal to Amazon is a single regional response from both Chula Vista and the city of San Diego.

Chula Vista's director of economic development Eric Crockett says they're confident that the Chula Vista site represents the best proposal being submitted to Amazon.

"The quality of life and your dollar goes farther in Chula Vista than other places in the county," Crockett said.