February 2021

NYTIMES The Morning: “Uber, PayPal & Walgreens will provide free rides for people to get to vaccination sites. Best Buy, Dollar General & Target will

USELESS business reporting: “In its most recent quarter while WMT as a whole grew 7.3%, its ecommerce sales advanced 69%.” Total revenue was $152 B—but

IF EACH of the 7 heirs of Sam Walton committed to investing up front $10 B ($1 B/year x 10 years) into a wage fund

“40 MILLION s.f. of additional warehouse space will be needed in the next 5 years” in Canada. “Retailers are rushing to build logistics hubs to

“NORMAN EXPLAINED that the big boxes could shift to opening warehouses or other stores designed to ship out online orders, so ‘any zoning code should

WMT has a “mediocre track record” in its international division..For years it downplayed e-commerce, allowing AMZN to take a commanding position… the biggest driving force

HOME DEPOT had “record breaking sales & earnings” in FY 20: $132 B in sales, 20% over FY 19. HD praised the “unwavering commitment” of

TODAY the SBA opens an exclusive 14-day application period for PPP loans for bIz/nonprofits with < 20 workers. Sole proprietors, indie contractors, & self-employed can

IN 2020, WMT had $520 B in sales, & made $15.2B in profit. On $386 B in sales, AMZN made $21 B in profit. WMT

SUSPECTED shoplifter shot inside a San Antonio Walmart. “I’m not going to come back here again. You never know when your last day is, just

IN TWO county elections, “controlled growth” voters on Maryland’s shore tossed out a “slew”of pro-sprawl county commissioners. Anti-big box sentiment reaches political “fervor.” https://www.baltimoresun.com/news/bs-xpm-2002-09-14-0209140202-story,amp.html Read

workers. Illegal bribes. https://paydayreport.com/amazon-offers-2000-resignation-bonuses-to-bust-union-drive/ Read more on Facebook

HAVE YOU got a Walmart mini warehouse near you? You will soon. The mini uses “robots & employees to quickly complete online orders for delivery

KROGER is closing 2 of it’s 15 grocery stores in Seattle because the city passed a $4/hr. Covid “Heroe’s pay” wage hike. Grocery stores “operate

YOU PICK THE HEADLINE. After multiple lawsuits for racial, sexual, gender, & age bias, Home Depot apparently believes it can use grants to wipe away

BRIT SUPREME COURT RULES 7-0 UBER DRIVERS ARE EMPLOYEES, NOT INDEP. CONTRACTORS, with benefits like paid holidays & min. wage. Upends the Uber exploitation of

DON’T EXPECT TO SEE A DOLLAR GENERAL ANYTIME SOON IN SOUTH DEERFIELD, MA. 8 abutters have filed an appeal of a ZBA special permit. The

Harvard’s Belfer Center says “Mass. has been stumbling in its attempt to meet the challenge posed by COVID-19…Among the 50 states, on 3 of the

WALMART MADE $574 BILLION IN REVENUE THIS PAST YEAR—BUT STILL CAN’T AFFORD TO PAY A STARTING WAGE OF $15/HR. “Our people make the difference,” WMT

WALMART RELEASES Q4 EARNINGS. Sales “accelerating due to [govt.] stimulus spending.” “Continuing customer shift towards e-commerce.” Walmart may be the biggest beneficiary of Biden’s proposed

LEAKED DOCUMENTS FROM AMAZON INDIA : “Amazon has been giving preferential treatment to a small group of sellers [“Special Merchants”] on its India platform…misrepresented its

UBER HELD “ENGAGEMENT & LISTENING SESSIONS” WITH ITS DRIVERS to create “a new model for independent work” to “improve the quality of work…while preserving the

IS IT ANY WONDER THAT RUSH LIMBAUGH DIED OF LUNG CANCER? Read more on Facebook

TELL CONGRESS THAT ALLOWING OPIOID DRUG COMPANIES TO CLAIM HUGE TAX DEDUCTIONS FOR THEIR “SETTLEMENTS” WITH THE GOVERNMENT IS WRONG! https://actionnetwork.org/petitions/tell-congress-us-taxpayers-should-not-pay-for-big-pharmas-opioid-abuse-settlement?source=direct_link&&link_id=3&can_id=bf105c37430844170c83cc823f42ff2a&email_referrer=email_1080399&email_subject=re-tell-congress-us-taxpayers-should-not-pay-for-big-pharmas-opioid-abuse-settlement Read more on Facebook

MASS GOV. MAKES NO BUDDIES WITH HIS NEW COVID “VACCINE BUDDY” PROGRAM. https://thefiftypluslife.com/2021/02/mass-gov-made-no-buddies-with-vaccine-buddy-plan/ Read more on Facebook

BEN & JERRY’S HAS JOINED THE LIST OF OVER 600,000 RESTAURANT-MEMBERS OF UBER EATS. The British-Dutch conglomerate Unilever, which bought the ice cream co. 21

UBER REPORTS A SMALLER ANNUAl LOSS due to Uber Eats, which brings in more revenue than rides. Food deliveries in the last 3 months more

20 Y.O. WOMAN IN LA. ON VALENTINE’S DAY KILLS FATHER OF HER CHILD WHILE HE WORKS AT WALMART, the most dangerous place in America to

ARGUMENT OVER VIDEO GAME AT PA. WMT LEADS TO SHOT FIRED AT EMPLOYEE. WMT allows people to bring guns into store Instead of checking them.

AMAZON FILES PRE-PREEMPTIVE LAWSUIT AGAINST NY ATTY. GEN. who is investigating AMZN over Covid worker safety issues. AG also wants warehouse worker productivity goals lowered.

WALMART NOW HAS MORE THAN 170,000 PERSONAL SHOPPERS, who pick online orders, load them into cars. This adds nearly $4 B a year to WMT’s

WALMART ADMITS IT “MADE A MISTAKE” IN FL. VACCINE ROLLOUT. Several thousand people under age 65 with underlying conditions were given appointments. https://www.clickorlando.com/news/local/2021/02/12/walmart-mistakenly-allowed-high-risk-floridians-under-65-to-make-vaccine-appointments/ Read more

WITH TRUMP GONE, TIK TOK DOESN’T HAVE TO DO A DEAL WITH WALMART. “The deal was mainly designed to entertain demands from the Trump administration.

“No nation can succeed that tolerates violence or the threat of violence as a method of political intimidation, coercion, or control. We all know that.

THREE MONTHS AGO, STOP & SHOP BOASTED THAT IT WOULD BE “AMONG THE FIRST” TO OFFER COVID VACCINES. TODAY, WMT is offering the vaccines to

THREE TIMES AMAZON HAS BEEN ORDERED TO “STOP SALE” OF ILLEGAL HEALTH RISK PESTICIDES. 3 YEARS AGO AMZN PAID $1.2 M TO SETTLE 4,000 EPA

SENATE REPUBLICANS WERE NOT ABLE TO HOLD DONALD TRUMP ACCOUNTABLE FOR HIS TREASONOUS ACTIONS. FORTUNATELY, AMERICAN VOTERS, UNCONSTRAINED BY PARTY LOYALTY, WERE. Read more on

GERMAN GROCER COULD BE 3RD LARGEST IN U.S. Aldi has 1,800+ stores already, & is adding 700 more, behind Kroger & Walmart. It’s stores are

COVID HAS PUSHED MORE SHOPPERS ONLINE, CAUSING STORES LIKE HOME DEPOT TO OPEN 1.5 M SF WAREHOUSES (like Amazon). This sprawling monster in Dallas is

I LIVE IN A SMALL (17,700) NEW ENGLAND TOWN THAT HAS KEPT WALMART OUT FOR 28 YEARS—but other box stores like BJs & Home Depot

UBER EATS COURIERS—WHO ARE CONTRACTORS, NOT EMPLOYEES—“DEMORALIZED” BY LOW PAY. “I’m making so little now that I’m thinking what is the point of even getting

CALIFORNIA AWARDS $40 M TO AN AD AGENCY FOR A COVID VACCINE PR CAMPAIGN to urge people to get the shot. $40 M could have

UNION UNREST AT ALBERTSONS WAREHOUSES IN PHOENIX, DALLAS & CHICAGO over the co.’s failure to address driver’s & workers’ exposure to unnecessary COVID safety risks.

AS UNION MEMBERSHIP FALLS, THE INCOME HELD BY THE TOP 10% RISES. That’s why “employers spend roughly $340 M annually on ‘union avoidance’ consultants to

PRICE CHOPPER/TOPS MERGE, CREATING 292 GROCERY STORES WITH 32,000 WORKERS IN NO. EAST. 3 years ago Tops was in bankruptcy, took on so much debt

WALMART HAS BEEN AROUND 59 YEARS AND THEY STILL HAVEN’T ANY CLUE HOW TO STEM THE TIDE OF GUN VIOLENCE IN THEIR STORES https://www.cbs42.com/news/local/trussville-walmart-employee-arrested-in-shooting-at-store/ Read

SEN KLOBUCHAR FILES COMPETITION & ANTITRUST LAW ENFORCEMENT REFORM ACT, giving Feds resources to strengthen prohibitions on anticompetitive conduct, forbid mergers that lessen competition. “Our

FED JUDGE IN MA. DISMISSES LAWSUIT FROM WHOLE FOODS (AMZN)WORKERS WHO WERE NOT ALLOWED TO WEAR “BLACK LIVES MATTER” FACEMASKS TO WORK. “Title VII (of

“I THINK BRADY SHOULD HAVE WORN HIS MAGA HAT AFTER THE GAME. BUT, HEY, THAT’S OK. A THANK YOU FOR THE $960,000 PPP LOAN FOR