Moving to compete with Amazon and Walmart, Target has agreed to pay $550 million for grocery-delivery startup Shipt. Target said that by early 2018, the deal will allow about half its stores to provide same-day grocery delivery.

Walmart reported that sales were up 2.7% in the third quarter, the strongest performance in more than eight years. The price of the company's shares surged to $99.62, the highest closing price since Walmart's initial public offering in 1970.

In a rare move, the Human Rights Campaign has suspended Walmart of its perfect LGBT equality score after two employees accused the retailer of transgender discrimination. The workers allege the retailer did not protect them after a corporate policy was introduced to promote favorable treatment of transgender workers.

Amazon's acquisition of Whole Foods Market created one more large buyer of organic food, following a trend that has shifted much of the business from small players to major retailers including Costco and Walmart Stores. Organic growers worry that having a smaller field of giant buyers will push down prices, said Doug Crabtree, an organic grower and board member at the Organic Trade Association.