Macy’s Margin Makeover, Cucumber Chaos, & Regulation Rebooted
Welcome to The Workday Dash – where your supply chain headlines are fresher than your (now recalled) cucumbers. 🥒 Today’s lineup is anything but bland:
🛍️ Macy’s made Wall Street smile with a Q1 earnings beat—but don’t get too cozy, they just slashed their full-year profit forecast.
🥗 Speaking of slashing… that cucumber recall just expanded again. If your Greek salad suddenly feels dangerous, you’re not alone.
🚛 And FMCSA just went full Marie Kondo on trucking regulations—proposing 18 new rules to tidy up compliance chaos.
Let’s dash into the details.
“Press forward. Do not stop, do not linger in your journey, but strive for the mark set before you.”
Retail’s Feeling the Heat—And It’s Not Just the Weather 🔥
Macy’s beat Q1 earnings expectations, but just lowered its full-year profit outlook. Why? Tariffs are biting, consumer wallets are tightening, and Macy’s is trimming the fat—raising prices surgically and dropping products that don’t pull their weight. About 20% of their goods come from China, and those tariff surcharges are pushing them to rethink everything from SKUs to store count.
Bloomingdale’s and Bluemercury are still holding their own, but Macy’s namesake stores? Not so much. They're closing underperformers, reinvesting in stronger locations, and adjusting their sails mid-turnaround.
Why This Matters:
When retail shrinks its SKU lineup and scales back inventory, freight volume follows. Expect leaner orders, fewer containers, and lighter lanes heading into peak season—especially for China-origin goods. If your warehouse or carrier strategy isn’t adapting to that “selective SKU” era… good luck.
🔥 Hot Take:
If Macy’s is tightening the belt, your shipping plan better not be wearing sweatpants.
Cucumber Chaos: Salmonella Recall Expands Coast to Coast 🥒
If you thought cucumbers were the chillest thing in your fridge… think again. The CDC’s original May warning has ballooned into a nationwide Salmonella recall that now covers ready-to-eat products from Walmart, Kroger, Albertsons, Big Y, Harris Teeter, and more. We’re talking Greek salads, veggie trays, sushi, and snack packs—all linked back to contaminated cukes from Bedner Growers and Fresh Start Produce.
💥 26 sick, 9 hospitalized, 15 states impacted—and your logistics flow might be next.
Why This Matters:
This isn't just a grocery problem—it’s a supply chain fire drill. If you're in cold chain logistics, this means reroutes, spoilage, warehouse delays, and a serious strain on traceability and compliance. One mislabeled SKU or missed scan, and you're in the soup (or salad).
🔥 Hot Take:
A bad cucumber can derail your freight ops faster than a flat tire. In reefer freight, food safety is your brand. Get your SOPs tight—or get left holding the romaine.
FMCSA Proposes 18 Rule Changes to Ease Compliance for Trucking Industry
FMCSA just dropped a massive proposal—18 rule changes aimed at making compliance less of a logistical nightmare for truckers.
👋 Say goodbye to:
Self-reporting CDL violations (states already swap this info electronically now)
Keeping paper ELD manuals in the cab (welcome to 2025, folks)
Sending roadside inspection reports into the void (no one's reading those anyway)
💡 Plus:
Expanded CDL exemptions for military drivers = bigger talent pool
DVIRs officially okay’d to be done electronically = faster, cleaner ops
X-rays no longer count as “medical treatment” in crash reports = clearer definitions
And yeah, they’re also scrubbing out ancient rules about “water carriers” and giving hazmat drivers more leeway at railroad crossings.
Why This Matters:
Less paperwork. More driving. Easier compliance. And a chance to trim the fat in your ops before you're left behind.
🔥 Hot Take:
If your SOPs are stuck in 2015, FMCSA’s about to expose you. Compliance just got streamlined—either evolve with it or enjoy your paperwork purgatory.
The Workday Dash is an aggregation of articles regarding the transportation logistics, trucking, and supply chain industries for June 27, 2025, from iLevel Logistics Inc.