LuckyVitamin Offering Free LV+ Memberships to Healthcare Workers, Other COVID-19 Retail News

In installment No. 2 of The Bright Side of Retail, the news roundup will once again feature all positive stories related to how retailers and brands are responding to the COVID-19 pandemic. We want to inspire our audience by reporting on the positive stories of how retailers and brands are stepping up to help their employees, customers and communities during this challenging time. Remember that despite all the ominous headlines, there are still reasons for the retail industry to be proud. Here are some of them:

• LuckyVitamin is offering a free six-month LV+ membership to doctors, nurses and healthcare professionals for every new standard member who joins LV+ for a limited time. The global e-commerce specialty retailer and manufacturer of natural health and wellness products is on a mission to make healthy living easier and more affordable for everyone, especially front-line healthcare workers during this challenging time. LV+ members save money and time on everything from nutritional supplements, healthy snacks and immunity boosters to hand lotion and home cleaners, get free shipping on orders over $25, access to a personal certified wellness consultant, free member gifts, and more.
• Purple, a direct-to-consumer seller of mattresses, pillows and other bedding accessories, has announced that it will commit 10 percent of its net proceeds to build beds in support of nationwide relief efforts for COVID-19. The beds will be distributed to care facilities across the country to help relieve shortages. The initiative is part of Purple's relationship with Brands x Better, a coalition program in which all participating members have pledged to donate 10 percent of their proceeds to charities during the COVID-19 pandemic.
• To help unbanked consumers and their families receive economic stimulus funds faster, 7-Eleven is providing a Trans@ct by 7-Eleven Prepaid Mastercard. The U.S. Treasury Department has started sending out stimulus payments, but some individuals might have to wait weeks or months to get them through the mail. The prepaid card, which offers cardholders an alternative to brick-and-mortar banks, can accept direct deposit payments, including paychecks and government benefits. The announcement noted that the Treasury Department is creating a web portal, which is expected to be available as soon as this week, to allow people to update their direct deposit information. This will enable Trans@ct by 7-Eleven cardholders to get their stimulus funds electronically instead of waiting for mailed check payments.
• Heroes Jobs is donating the use of its new video hiring app to retailers such as CVS, Pizza Hut, and Vons that are urgently recruiting talent in order to keep Americans supplied with food, staples and medicines. Retailers that are providing critical necessities to consumers are using the video app to fill hundreds of thousands of jobs as quickly as possible in order to meet surging consumer demand for groceries and basic goods. The Heroes Jobs app makes recruiting more efficient by eliminating the need for hiring managers to screen hundreds of resumes or conduct phone interviews to assess candidates. Applicants can easily find companies hiring in their area and watch short videos the companies have uploaded to learn about working there, then create their own video profile and record their answers to a hiring company’s questions in less than 60 seconds.
• A number of beauty brands have banded together to form BeautyUnited, an initiative meant to support workers on the front lines of the COVID-19 pandemic. The group was created by BeautyCon founder and CEO Moj Mahdara, and also includes some of the industry's heavyweights, such as Gwyneth Paltrow (Goop), Huda Kattan and Mona Kattan (Huda Beauty and Wishful), Sharon Cutler (UOMA Beauty), Drew Barrymore (Flower Beauty), Debbie Perelman (Revlon), Bobbi Brown (Evolution_18), Victoria Beckham (Victoria Beckham Beauty), and more. The organization's mission is to raise money and bring awareness to the Frontline Responders Fund by asking the community for small donations to raise $10 million that will go toward protective gear for essential workers. Members are also working to provide donations of personal beauty care products to healthcare workers.
• Consumer financial services company Synchrony and its Synchrony Foundation have pledged $5 million to support hunger-relief organizations and local communities in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic. To support families and communities facing hunger, Synchrony will donate $1.5 million to national hunger relief nonprofits, including Feeding America’s COVID-19 Response Fund, to help food banks across the country support affected communities, and Meals on Wheels America to ensure older adults continue to receive the vital lifeline they need. The company will commit the remaining $3.5 million to local organizations to tackle long-term needs in hard-hit communities as the outbreak unfolds.