July 2020

WHY WASN’T WALMART AT THE ANTICOMPETITIVE HEARINGS? “Amazon competes against large, established players like Target, Costco, Kroger, and, of course, Walmart—a company more than twice

COVID MADE MILLIONS SICK—BUT IT MADE BILLIONS FOR JEFF BEZOS: “During the COVID-19 crisis, we hired an additional 175,000 employees, including many laid off from

AMAZON’S “FAKE” ECONOMICS: “When customers shop on Amazon, they are helping to create jobs in their local communities.” This is the lie about “transferred sales”

BEZOS’ WEIRDEST REMARK: “Researchers …found in 2018 that AMZN trailed only the military…(in)a survey on…brand trust. Among Republicans, we trailed only the military & local

GERMAN GROCER ALDI OPENS 2,000th STORE IN U.S.,plans to open 500 more by end of 2022.Do we need 24,000,000 sf of Aldi stores? We have

HOUSE JUDICIARY’S ANTIRUST SUBCOMM. WILL QUESTION 4 TECH GIANTS TODAY FOR THE 6TH TIME VIA VIDEOCONFERENCE. Jeff Bezos testifies before Congress for 1st time. He

ON JULY 29, CONGRESS HOLDS ANTITRUST Q&A WITH ZUCKERBERG, BEZOS,COOK, & PICHAI. “Officials have questioned whether Amazon is abusing its power in the e-commerce landscape.”

NEW GLOBAL PARTNERSHIP EXPANDS WEB-BASED MARKET PLATFORM FOR FARMERS, COOPS,& SMALL BIZ. The Direct Global/Direct Co-ops & the National Cooperative Business Association CLUSA International agreement

ON JULY 15th WALMART REVEALED ITS NEW POLICY ON SHOPPER’S MASKS: “it’s critically important for everyone to wear a face covering in public & social

TURNS OUT WALMART ISN’T SERIOUS ABOUT REQUIRING SHOPPERS TO WEAR MASKS. 5 days after facing up to the need to require masks, WMT said it

DURING THE PANDEMIC, CONSUMERS ARE SHOPPING LESS—BUT BUYING MORE PER TRIP. “79% of consumers report that retail shops have reopened in their area, yet just

MILLIONS IN FEDERAL PAYCHECK PROTECTION PROGRAM LOANS WENT TO FOREIGN-OWNED COMPANIES THAT WERE NOT SMALL BUSINESSES. “Congress probably did not intend to provide assistance to

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AMAZON & WALMART ARE INVESTING BILLIONS OF PROFITS FROM THE COVID PANDEMIC— NOT IN THE USA—BUT BUYING UP INDIAN RETAILERS INSTEAD. RETAIL WORKERS IN AMERICA

ELDERLY MAN IN NEED OF PERSONAL CARE ATTENDANT IN NORTHFIELD, flexible hours mornings, up to 14 hrs. beginning early August. Pays $15.75/ hr. For details,

ASCENA, WHICH OWNS ANN TAYLOR & LANE BRYANT, FILES FOR BANKRUPTCY, pays big bonuses to top Execs, as a reward for running the biz into

SORRY, SWEETHEARTS: 800,000 S.F. CLOSED NECCO CANDY FACTORY NORTH OF BOSTON BEING LEASED TO AMAZON FOR A SORTATION WAREHOUSE.”Boost to the local economy?” These are

DESPITE A NET WORTH OF OVER $2 B, TRUMP PAYS LITTLE OR NO FICA (PAYROLL)TAX, his wealth is mostly unearned income. Besides, wages subject to

TRUMP PUSHES CONGRESS TO CUT SOCIAL SECURITY & MEDICARE PAYROLL TAX, which jobless people don’t pay. “If these taxes were suspended from Sept. 1 through

WALMART STILL LOOKING TO SELL ITS INTEREST IN BRIT GROCER ASDA: “Now is the right time to explore options for a 3rd party to invest

“WE ARE TICKLED to welcome Walmart’s newest (import) distribution center,” says County official in South Carolina.Taxpayers paid for “infrastructure improvements,”in return for 1,000 crappy WMT

FED COURT SAYS AMZN DRIVERS DO INTERSTATE COMMERCE, CAN BRING THEIR LEGAL ISSUES TO COURT,NOT BE LOCKED INTO COMPANY ARBITRATION. “Thousands of packages are handled

WALMART CANADA PROMISES “SMARTER” STORES, spends $2.5B on “faster e-commerce experience,” adding 2 huge warehouses, & “modern digital tools” to 150 superstores. “We need to

IN 2020,10 RETAILERS WILL CONTROL 60% OF ONLINE COMMERCE IN U.S. AMZN, WALMART, EBAY, APPLE & HOME DEPOT ARE THE TOP 5 CO.s. Too much

NEVADA FINES WALMART,HOME DEPOT “FOR NOT PROPERLY COMPLYING WITH STATE’S COVID 19 SAFETY MEASURES.” Walmart was the largest violater, fined $30,844. HD paid $8,675, mostly

UNION, 13 SENATORS, CALL ON GROCERS TO REINSTATE HEROES PAY. “More than 4,600 union grocery store workers have contracted COVID-19…Continue with increased pay for frontline

BLACK LOANS MATTER. SMALL BUSINESS PPP LOANS TREATED BLACK APPLICANTS UNFAIRLY. “Black business owners are more likely to be hindered in seeking coronavirus financial aid

THE SORRY STATE OF “INDUSTRIAL” DEVELOPMENT IN AMERICA: “As retailers continue to migrate online, they’re supercharging the industrial real estate sector with increased demand for

SPURNED BY NYC FOR ITS HQ, AMAZON NOW “LEADS NEW LEASING OF INDUSTRIAL SPACE IN NYC. But it’s NOT for “industry”—it’s just product storage &

AMAZON OPENS HEALTH CENTERS FOR ITS OWN WORKERS, but someday you will be able to visit the AMZN doctor—or the Walmart doctor—if you prefer. Wall

2 YEARS AGO, WALMART USED ITS TRUMP CORP. TAX CUTS TO BUY A $16 B SHARE IN FLIPKART, AN ECOMMERCE PLATFORM IN INDIA. This week

AS OF JULY 20, YOU WILL NEED TO WEAR A MASK AT WALMART. A “HEALTH AMBASSADOR” near the entrance in a black polo shirt will

WALMART SELLS TRUCKLOADS OF JUNK FOOD LIKE DEEP-FRIED OREOS, THEN OPENS A HEALTH CENTER TO MAKE MONEY ON YOU WHEN YOU GET DIABETES. CREATING DEMAND.

STOCK ANALYSTS, LIKE OPPENHEIMER, BELIEVE WALMART + IS GOING TO TAKE CUSTOMERS AWAY FROM AMAZON PRIME BECAUSE WMT IS 5.8 CENTS CHEAPER PER DAY! Will

SOUTH FLA’s 1st SUPER-TARGET OPENED IN 2001 & WAS SHUT DOWN IN 2018 “after several years of decreasing profitability.” Now its being demolished to create

RESIDENTS & SMALL BUSINESSES IN JACKSONVILLE, FL. SUE CITY & TRUMP CAMPAIGN TO BLOCK REPUBLICAN NATIONAL CONVENTION as a “nuisance injurious to the health and

ELDERLY MAN MOVING TO NORTHFIELD, LOOKING TO HIRE PERSONAL CARE ATTENDANT. Pays $16.94 per hour, flexible AM hours. Up to 14 hours per week. Moving

IN APRIL, GERMAN DISCOUNT FOOD MARKET LIDL OPENED A 700,000 SF DISTRIBUTION CENTER, ITS 3RD, IN A TINY TOWN IN MD. That’s 12 times the

GERMAN FOOD MARKET LIDL FORCES BIG BOX GROCERS ACROSS U.S. TO CUT PRICES. “Lidl exerted a significant level of pressure on leading retailers [like WMT,

WALMART IS HIRING MEDICARE INSURANCE AGENTS, wants to be “a center of wellbeing…to help millions of people find the best Medicare insurance available.” Seniors’ health

FLA. GOV SAYS IF WALMART & HOME DEPOT ARE OPEN, SCHOOLS SHOULD BE OPEN. Conversely, if schools should be closed, so should WMT & HD?

AMZN, WMT, TGT ALL STOP CARRYING WASHINGTON REDSKIN PRODUCTS AFTER FEDEX SAYS THE FOOTBALL TEAM’S NAME NEEDS TO CHANGE. Can we convince Fedex to raise

AMZN OPENS 1ST WAREHOUSE IN WALMART’s HOME STATE, an 826,000 sf, 5 story building, plus a nearby 85,000 sf “delivery station” warehouse.But only $15/hr jobs

GREENFIELD, MA. HOMEOWNERS: 52 DAYS AGO THE CITY COUNCIL STRIPPED YOU OF YOUR RIGHT UNDER STATE LAW TO JUDICIAL DUE PROCESS BY ALLOWING A ONE

INSTEAD OF RAISING WAGES, AMAZON GIVES ITS WORKERS “A SPECIAL ONE-TIME THANK YOU BONUS” & puts out a press release bragging about the bonus “totaling

BLACK LIVES MATTER PROTESTERS CLOSE 4 STORES IN LITTLE ROCK, WANT WALMART TO PAY ITS WORKERS BETTER. “We feel like that’s wrong for a company

UBER BUYS POSTMATES FOR $2.6 B. Postmates delivers groceries, pharmacy items, alcoholic drinks & party supplies. “Anything you want delivered to your home, Uber is