__Tou-freaking-ché…__ A month after __[Amazon](https://www.robinhood.com/stocks/AMZN)__ announced it’ll cut shipping time in half for Prime members, __[Walmart](https://www.robinhood.com/stocks/WMT)__ countered: Free next-day delivery to anyone in Vegas or Phoenix on 220K items (as long as you spend $35). By next year, 75% of Americans will have access to 1-day shipping. Your move, @JeffBezos.

__Speed kills...__ Walmart's move is expensive (for Walmart), but it could stop Walmart-faithful from defecting to Amazon. Here's the expected bill:

- __Walmart:__ UBS analysts estimate __$215M in incremental costs__ to prep its warehouses for 1-day shipping (plus Walmart's promised that each order will arrive in 1 box).
- __Amazon:__ It's __investing $800M__ to give Primers their goods by “[EOD tomorrow](https://www.cnbc.com/2019/04/25/amazon-spending-800-mln-to-make-free-one-day-shipping-prime-default.html).” 
- *__Fun fact:__ One reason it’ll cost Amazon more to do the same thing is it ships way more packages than Walmart — Walmart's ecommerce biz [is just 7% as big](http://www.marketwatch.com/story/walmart-earnings-trying-to-match-amazons-one-day-shipping-could-cost-215-million-2019-05-13) as Amazon's.*

Overnight

__Thank competition...__ Amazon liberated the world from late-night toilet paper runs, earning it [47%](https://www.emarketer.com/content/digital-investments-pay-off-for-walmart-in-ecommerce-race) of all US online sales today. But Walmart has upped its ecommerce game — buying Jet.com for $3B, renovating its website, launching online grocery pickup, and (now) free 1-day shipping. That keeps Amazon honest. Bezos can't just jack up Prime prices and lie back on 2-day delivery. When Amazon and Walmart compete, lazy online shoppers win.

Walmart one-ups Amazon Prime: Free. One-day. Shipping. (boom)

__Top 10 lists are fun...__ This one isn't. A California jury awarded $2B from __[Bayer](https://www.robinhood.com/stocks/BAYRY)__ to two non-Hodgkin Lymphoma suffers. Blame Bayer's Roundup weedkiller for causing it (according to the verdict). It’s the [8th biggest](http://fortune.com/2019/05/14/bayer-stock-monsanto-verdict/) product-defect award ever, so Bayer’s appealing as its shares fell 2% Tuesday.

*FYI, the World Health Org. thinks Roundup probably causes cancer. America’s EPA doesn’t.*

__What’s the return policy on Monsanto?…__ Germany’s top chemical company was built through the humble [invention](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aspirin) of Aspirin in 1899. A century later, Bayer dabbled in high-finance by acquiring US-based __Monsanto__ last year for $66B. Here's what it's received from the St. Louis company:

- __Added profits:__ Bayer snagged Monsanto for the __$2B in annual profits__ it was generating on genetically-modified crop seeds, plant fertilizers, and other blasphemies to organic eating. 
- __Added lawsuits:__ It's lost three lawsuits connected to Monsanto's Roundup so far, with verdicts of __$2B, $289M, and $80M__. There are ~13K [more](https://psmag.com/news/monsanto-ordered-to-pay-2-billion-in-cancer-lawsuit-13000-more-plaintiffs) suing.
- *__The result:__ Bayer stock is down 44% since its Monsanto wedding day in June of ’18.*

__Look out for major baggage…__ The merger and acquisition process involves “due diligence” — pretty much a full corporate checkup to make sure there’s nothing unexpected in the company being acquired. Bayer [missed](https://www.barrons.com/articles/bayers-acquisition-of-monsanto-how-not-to-do-m-a-51553296373) this giant legal liability when it acquired Monsanto. Look out for weeds.

Victims get $2B from Bayer for cancerous weedkiller

__Unpop the collar...__ Ralph Lauren's latest quarterly earnings would [impress](https://investorplace.com/2019/05/ralph-lauren-earnings-drop-rl-stock/) Anna Wintour: Revenues beat analysts' expectations and profits hit $32M. It's even gift-bagging that all for __[Ralph Lauren](https://www.robinhood.com/stocks/RL)__ shareholders by increasing the [dividend](https://learn.robinhood.com/articles/6jGOO5O2YvyoZzlEUtIq0F/what-is-a-dividend/) they receive by 10%. Then shares fell 4% off the catwalk.

__Malloting a croquet ball while riding a purebred steed...__ Doesn't really work for post-Millennial Gen Z. Ralph knows it needs to replace aging customers with young blood. Here's its approach, which its CEO calls the "Next Great Chapter Plan":

- __Extra influencer marketing:__ It just signed 23-year-old model [Taylor Hill](https://www.instagram.com/p/BuZSzOSBI3L/) and her boyfriend to flaunt the polo horses on Insta. #powercouple
- __The "Drop":__ It markets limited edition streetwear stuff that can only be bought on the app. The kids these days love exclusivity and mobile shopping.
- __"Family is who you love":__ That's the name of the new ad campaign — [TV spots](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eAjq_y-U7jY) nudging perceptions of the brand to a new direction. Less country club prep, more modern families. 

Wear

__Not all sales are created equal...__ Although investors were impressed by two of the big items (sales and profits), they were bummed to see sales drop in Ralph's home closet. That's a sign that the fundamental changes the company's working on might not be working.

- 📉 Sales in __North America__ (which is 50% of total company sales) fell 7%.
- 📈 Sales in __Europe__ (31% of total) rose 4%.
- 📈 Sales in __Asia__ (19% of total) popped up 6%. 

Walmart one-ups Amazon Prime: Free. One-day. Shipping. (boom)

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