Deaths prompt Fisher-Price recall

EL SEGUNDO, Calif. – Fisher-Price says it is recalling a model of its baby soothers after the deaths of four infants who were placed on their backs unrestrained in the devices and later found on their stomachs.

In a joint statement with the Consumer Product Safety Commission, Fisher-Price said Friday it is recalling its 4-in-1 Rock ’n Glide Soothers, which are designed to mimic the motion of a baby being rocked in someone’s arms.

The fatalities between April 2019 and February 2020 were a 4-month-old from Missouri, a 2-month-old from Nevada, a 2-month-old from Michigan and an 11-week-old from Colorado, according to the statement.

Fisher-Price, a division of El Segundo, California-based Mattel Inc., is also recalling a similar product, the 2-in-1 Soothe ’n Play Glider, although there were no reported deaths connected to it.

Walmart closing Thanksgiving

NEW YORK – Walmart says it will close its U.S. stores on Thanksgiving for the second consecutive year.

The nation’s largest retailer and biggest private employer said Friday that it wants to give workers time off for all their “hard work and dedication” to the company. It follows the decision by Target Corp., which announced in January it would be closing its stores again on the annual late-November turkey feast.

“Closing our stores on Thanksgiving Day is one way we’re saying ‘thank you’ to our team,” wrote Dacona Smith, executive vice president and chief operating officer for Walmart U.S., in a corporate blog.

The move shows how the pandemic will have lasting effects on the retail industry’s strategies, even as the coronavirus ebbs.

From wire reports