Wal-Mart

Both Black Friday and Cyber Monday are extremely important for any online retailer. It can make or break your year, so it's essential to get ready to attract both new and previous customers to choose your store over your competitors. We're sure you've been preparing for the holiday rush, but some double-checking can never hurt. Although there's less than a week until Cyber Monday, you still have some time left to ensure that you get the most out of the largest online celebration this year. Let's go through the checklist to make sure you're ready.

Target has long looked to India to fuel its software applications and back-office projects. Now, the Minneapolis-based retailer is doubling down on the country's tech potential. Come January 2014, Target is planning to launch the Target Accelerator Program, a corporate incubator — complete with funding, and possibly equity stakes in the cohorts — that it hopes will help it tap into the country's startup culture and engineering talent to better compete against other retail heavyweights Wal-Mart and Amazon.com. The selected startups will receive up to $30,000 in funding as part of the program.

As Wal-Mart enters a fiercely competitive holiday season while still hampered by sluggish sales, the company's board announced on Monday that Michael T. Duke, its chief executive, would retire early next year and a longtime executive, C. Douglas McMillon, would replace him. McMillon, 47, president of Wal-Mart International, will take the helm on Feb. 1, just after the holiday season, the company said. He was also elected to the board effective immediately.

Promotional cards offer the same benefits of other redeemable cards, yet with no stored value and the flexibility to set expiration dates and usage limitations. With the right strategies, it's possible to capitalize on complimentary cards to increase sales. Here are four top promotional card campaigns to incorporate into your redeemable card program:

Wal-Mart illegally disciplined and fired employees over strikes and protests, the National Labor Relations Board said on Monday. In addition, the board's general counsel said an inquiry found evidence that a Wal-Mart spokesman, appearing on national television, had unlawfully threatened employees who were considering taking part in the protests. While the board authorized the filing of a complaint asserting violations of workers’ rights, no complaint was filed on Monday. The board counsel's office said it would give the parties a chance to reach a settlement.

A Cleveland Wal-Mart store is holding a food drive … for its own employees. "Please donate food items so associates in need can enjoy Thanksgiving dinner," reads a sign accompanied by several plastic bins. The Cleveland Plain Dealer first reported on the food drive, which has sparked outrage in the area. "That Wal-Mart would have the audacity to ask low-wage workers to donate food to other low-wage workers — to me, it's a moral outrage," Norma Mills, a customer at the store, told the Plain Dealer. A company spokesman defended the food drive, telling the Plain Dealer that it's evidence that employees care about each other. 

The holiday shopping pandemonium has commenced. With the holiday shopping season six days shorter this year than last year, retailers have made the decision to open on Thanksgiving night and provide early Black Friday shopping. Wal-Mart, Kmart, Target and others are trying to make the most of the holiday season. However, The Huffington Post Reports…

Treadmills for $33? Computer monitors for $9? The deals were even too good to be true — even for Wal-Mart. The megaretailer said a "technical error" caused certain products to be priced absurdly low or high on its website early Wednesday morning. By Wednesday evening, the discounter had fixed the glitch and decided to cancel the orders of customers who were able to snag the items at steep discounts.

Retailers are battling Amazon.com this holiday season by turning storefronts into mini distribution hubs. USA Today reports that companies such as Wal-Mart, Best Buy and Gap are offering "ship from store" services. The tactic speeds delivery with shorter delivery routes and saves retailers money. "This is the most important thing that will change physical retailers…

Amazon.com has raised its free shipping minimum order to $35. The change came after a decade of free shipping to U.S. addresses on a minimum order of $25 on Amazon's site. It took effect Tuesday, just ahead of the holiday shopping season, according to Amazon Spokeswoman Julie Law. Amazon now finds itself in the mid-range of major retailers that offer free shipping on online orders. Wal-Mart and Target offer free shipping on many purchases of over $50, while Best Buy's minimum order is $25. Earlier this year, Amazon warned that its shipping costs were going to increase during the holiday season.