April 2019

AMAZON PRIME MEMBERS VALUE FAST SHIPPING TIME—but I’d rather see AMZN take the $800 M they plan to spend on 1 day shipping, and spend

PUBLIX, THE LARGEST EMPLOYEE OWNED GROCERY CHAIN IN THE U.S. is seeking enviro. variance to build over a stream for a $400 M distribution center

AMAZON SAYS ITS WORKERS WILL GET FASTER AT DELIVERY “not by working harder but by working smarter.” But smarter workers will push for a union

WALMART BANS FLORIDA SHOPPER FOR USING HER OWN TOTE BAG TO CARRYOUT ITEMS SHE PAID FOR. Now she’s suing the retailer: https://www.clickorlando.com/news/walmart-shopper-banned-for-stealing-sues-store-and-manager Read more on

WALMART’S ILR STORE PREPARES YOU FOR “FRICTIONLESS SHOPPING,” where you interact with no employees. Saves money, kills jobs: https://news.walmart.com/2019/04/25/walmarts-new-intelligent-retail-lab-shows-a-glimpse-into-the-future-of-retail-irl Read more on Facebook

AMAZON PROMISES 100 MILLION PRIME MEMBERS FREE, ONE-DAY SHIPPING. Initial cost of $800 M to upgrade warehouses & delivery capacity, will lower profit margins. There

WALMART BATTLES AMAZON OVER DELIVERY ‘ONE DAY’ AT A TIME. “One-day free shipping,” Walmart says, “without a membership fee. Now THAT would be groundbreaking. Stay

LAST WEEK HOME DEPOT RAN 11,948 RADIO ADS EVERY DAY—#1 radio advertiser in America. Want relief? Tell your smart speaker “Block Home Depot noise.” https://radioink.com/2019/04/22/the-home-depot-stays-number-1/

GEORGE ORWELL WOULD LOVE ALEXA: Amazon employees can use Alexa customers’ voice recordings to locate their home. Big Brother is listening to you through your

COTTON PICKERS vs. AMAZON PICKERS: THE PLANTATION MENTALITY HAS NOT CHANGED. Read more on Facebook

ONLY SEVEN DAYS LEFT TO HELP MAKE THIS PRODUCTION HAPPEN: Renata Friedman (Zurich) and three-time Drama Desk Nominee Sarah Nina Hayon (Sweat) will star in

1 OF AMAZON’S BIGGEST CUSTOMERS IS…APPLE: they compete for music and movie sales, but Apple spends $30 M/month on Amazon Web Services for iCloud storage.

HIGHER PRICES & LOWER QUALITY: WALMART DEAL TO MERGE ASDA WITH SAINSBURY IS BLOCKED by U.K. regulators. WMT “disappointed.” https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.ft.com/content/f6b758d8-671e-11e9-9adc-98bf1d35a056 Read more on Facebook

WHEN WALMART TOOK OVER MANAGING AN ILLINOIS WAREHOUSE, ITS WORKERS EXPECTED A RAISE—BUT GOT FIRED INSTEAD. 200 workers with criminal records —all of them Black—got

AMAZON WILL NOW DELIVER TO YOUR GARAGE using an app and inexpensive hardware. Delivery In-home or in-car also available. For products made in China, just

THIS PRODUCT LOOKS HARMLESS, BUT IS DEADLY: Consumer Reports says Fisher Price Rock ‘n Play Sleeper is linked to 32 infant deaths from 2011-2018 due

ACCORDING TO WALMART’S MOST RECENT SEC REPORT, IT’S CEO MADE $23.6 M LAST YEAR, OR 1,076 TIMES THE MEDIAN WORKER’S SALARY OF $21,952. In his

TARGET HAS A DIRTY CARBON FOOTPRINT, WITH SUPERSTORES 3 X THE SIZE OF A FOOTBALL FIELD, huge asphalt parking lots—but inside they sell eco-friendly “sustainable”

FORMER HOME DEPOT EXEC SEEKS GA. SEAT IN CONGRESS: “I’m going to help President Trump drain the swamp…stop liberal extremism from ruining our way of

Too rich to be taxed: Amazon is a free-rider. If you paid the $119 annual fee to become an Amazon Prime member, you paid more

CONGRATULATIONS TO UFCW 1459 FOR SHOWING THAT PEOPLE COME BEFORE PROFITS! https://www.recorder.com/Stop-and-Shop-stike-ends-25021402 Read more on Facebook

RESIDENTS ANGRY THAT WALMART IS CLOSING 1986 STORE. “We need to call Walmart to the table. I think Walmart owes the community an explanation,” says

WOULD YOU LIKE TO LIVE ON TOP OF A HOME DEPOT? Absurd, but HD has a contract to build on land on a railway line

FOR 7 YEARS AMAZON HAS BATTLED 8 SOUTH AMERICAN NATIONS OVER THE DOMAIN NAME .amazon. The company says it respects the “people, culture, history… of

MOVE ON IS CIRCULATING A PETITION TO TELL TARGET TO “CLEAN UP ITS ACT” & STOP SELLING THE WEED KILLER ROUNDUP, linked to non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma.

SEARS SUES FORMER CEO FOR TRANSFERRING $2 BILLION IN ASSETS TO HIMSELF & OTHER SEARS SHAREHOLDERS. Former CEO Ed Lampert says claims are “fanciful.” Sad

USDA ASKS WALMART & AMAZON TO TEST GROCERY ORDERING ONLINE WITH FOOD STAMPS. 2 year pilot in N.Y. Fine concept—but couldn’t they find some smaller

TARGET TO SELL HOME MEDICAL TESTS FOR SEXUALLY TRANSMITTED DISEASES in 1,600 stores, partnering with Austin-based EverlyWell: “None of our tests are intended to be

BLOCKING THE TRUCKS:”Stop & Shop has been keeping its stores open with managers and temporary staff, but in solidarity with the strikers, many unionized truck

AMAZON COULDN’T SCALE THE GREAT WALL IN CHINA, CLOSING SOME WAREHOUSES. 15 years ago, AMZN bought a Chinese online platform for $75 M, but soon

DON’T BREAK UP AMAZON SAYS BETO O’ROURKE: Get FTC to scrutinize smaller businesses that “fly under the radar… further reviews of mergers & acquisitions…sometimes at

DAY 7 OF THE STOP & SHOP STRIKE: EMPTY AISLES & EMPTY CASH REGISTERS AT THE GREENFIELD, MA. STORE. The last strike was in 1988.

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LYFT WILL GIVE 300 LOW INCOME FAMILIES IN ATLANTA $2 RIDES TO LOCAL GROCERY STORES & FARMERS MARKETS in 6 month project. I assume Walmart

LOTS OF SHOPPING CARTS, BUT NO SHOPPERS. The empty Stop & Shop store in Greenfield, MA around 5 pm April 16th. The parking lot is

WALMART AGREES TO PAY STOCKHOLDERS$160 M for hiding a bribery scandal in Mexico, and filing false statements to the SEC, triggering a steep drop in

AMAZON WORKERS GO ON STRIKE IN GERMANY, ITS 2ND LARGEST MARKET, over better pay and working conditions. Workers in 4 warehouses want to pushback “a

ON THE STOP & SHOP PICKET LINE with UFCW 1459 shop steward Taunette Greene and Chelsea Perras. This is the company spending $1M/year to a

THE NATIONAL COUNCIL FOR OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY & HEALTH (COSH) LISTS AMAZON IN ITS “DIRTY DOZEN” for 7 deaths at its warehouses since 2013, and a

AMAZON DOESN’T WANT YOUR CASH: it’s pushing cashier-less AMZN GO stores, where you pay using your smartphone. But cities are pushing back. Many shoppers rely

HOW TO PUNISH YOUR LOYAL WORKFORCE: Spoke with a Stop & Shop worker on strike in Greenfield today. After 26 years at the company, he

WMT & AMZN SPAR OVER WAGES & TAXES: AMZN challenges WMT: “Match our employee benefits and our $15 minimum wage. Do it! Better yet, go

WALMART WANTS TO SELL YOUR SHOPPING HABITS TO BRAND PRODUCTS, “monetizing” what you buy by pitching digital ads to manufacturers. Without your consent, YOU become

7 MONTHS AGO MACY’S SALES DECLINE WAS SCARING INVESTORS. Now Macy’s is opening 36 tiny (1,500 sf) “experiential stores” called “Story at Macy’s,” which change

KROGER SPRAWL: 2ND LARGEST GLOBAL RETAILER (1/3rd the sales of #1 Walmart) BUYS 335,000 SF WAREHOUSE IN OHIO WITH BRITISH PARTNER, WITH 8 YEAR TAX

“WE’RE SPENDING MORE & MORE ON REMODELS” Walmart CFO admits, converting superstores to double as “fulfillment centers.” Only 5 new WMT stores planned this year!

IN RESPONSE TO SEN WARREN’S CORP TAX PLAN to levy a 7% tax on corporate profits above $100 M, AMZN says it “pays all the

DON’T STOP & SHOP! SUPPORT THE 31,000 UFCW WORKERS ON STRIKE AT 240 STORES. “Instead of a contract that recognizes the value & hard work

IN 2014 THE SCOTUS RULED THAT “PICKERS” IN AN AMAZON WAREHOUSE WEREN’T ENTITLED TO PAY WHILE WAITING IN A SECURITY LINE, BUT the 6th Circuit

AMAZON TAKES 4TH SIP TO SELL WINE? Since 2000, Amazon has attempted 3 times to sell wine online using 3rd party vineyard vendors. AMZN charged