John Bumstead, who sells refurbished Apple products, said in a Facebook post last month that about seven lawyers and an economist from the FTC interviewed him about the deal.

Talks began after Reliance's negotiations with China's Alibaba Group to sell a stake in the retail entity fell through due to differences over valuation, the financial daily reported citing two senior industry executives.

Amazon workers picketed outside the facility, briefly delaying a few trucks and waving signs with messages along the lines of "We're human, not robots."

Many retailers host annual sale events. But Amazon “celebrates" Prime Day. Many chief executives write notes to their shareholders. But Jeff Bezos pens annual letters with “lessons" and “principle themes" and “important words" to behold. Many companies open satellite offices.