Amazon.com abruptly stopped buying products over the past two weeks from many of its wholesale vendors, encouraging them to instead sell their products directly to consumers on Amazon’s marketplace.

Amazon Prime customers across the United States now can pick which day of the week they want to receive their packages. By offering the option of a specific day for delivery, the Seattle-based retail giant says this will cut its carbon footprint, reduce packaging since the items likely will arrive in fewer boxes, and make shipping more predictable.

A widebody cargo plane hauling packages for Amazon with three people aboard abruptly plunged out of the sky and slammed into a bay Feb. 23 as it was preparing to land in Houston.

Amazon.com Inc.’s role in the shuttering of New England Motor Freight and the “body blow” dealt to XPO Logistics Inc. is raising alarms for trucking and logistics firms that do business with, or compete against, the popular online retailer.

Amazon.com announced it will disclose its carbon footprint later this year, giving consumers and investors new insight into the environmental cost of its popular two-day shipping.

Amazon.com led a $700 million equity investment in Rivian Automotive, the electric pickup and SUV maker preparing to deliver its first vehicles next year.

Amazon.com is pulling out of a plan to build a headquarters in New York City, after a backlash from some residents and politicians, the e-commerce giant said.

Defending the incentive package to attract Amazon.com Inc.’s HQ2 to New York City, Mayor Bill de Blasio said the prospect of the tech giant bringing tens of thousands of jobs to the area was “mission critical.”

Walmart Inc. is big in almost every way — 4,755 stores, 1.5 million employees and $380 billion in revenue in the United States alone. But one part of the world’s largest retailer remains minuscule. “We have a tiny ad business,” CEO Doug McMillon told investors in October. “It could be bigger.”