August 2021

PA. DEVELOPER BUYS 135,268 SF DEAD SAM’S CLUB IN FL. FOR $17M, 6 months later flips it to Home Depot for $26 M. SAM’S closed

SMALL TOWN IN VERMONT TRIES TO PRETEND BAD LAKESHORE WATER QUALITY has no impact on property values. That’s how “Muck Wars” began. https://www.wcax.com/2021/08/30/new-help-homeowners-facing-muck-problem-maquam-bay/ Read more

AMERICAN INDEPENDENT BUSINESS ALLIANCE invites independent business alliances, neighborhood associations, & local economy-minded business networks to join the Shop Indie Local movement, a year-round campaign

235,000 HOVERBOARDS RECALLED BY WMT, AMZN: Razor’s Hovertrax 2.0 hoverboard has a “battery pack, which could overheat & start to smoke or cause a fire.”

ELDERLY/DISABLED TRANSIT IN MY COUNTY IS SO BROKEN: Medicaid requires a 3 day advance reservation for a medical appt—so same day MD visits are out.

GROCERY DELIVERY COMPANY SHIPT, OWNED BY TARGET, NOW ALLOWS YOU TO CHOSE YOUR “PREFERRED SHOPPER” TO PICK YOUR ORDER. Shipt says “preferred shoppers” get higher

SURVEY SAYS 45% OF SHOPPERS WHO BUY GROCERIES ONLINE use home delivery. “Consumer’s reliance on e-commerce — are here to stay.” But this is an

“STORE OPENINGS ARE NOT A MEANINGFUL GROWTH DRIVER FOR WALMART.” The company built too many & too large brick & mortar stores, got pushed online

BIDEN INVITES AMAZON, GOGGLE, APPLE CEOs TO HELP THE GOVT. WITH CYBERSECURITY, while at the same time the govt. is pursuing anti-trust investigations against the

BIDEN INVITES AMAZON, GOGGLE, APPLE CEOs TO HELP THE GOVT. WITH CYBERSECURITY, while at the same time the govt. is pursuing anti-trust investigations against the

BIDEN INVITES AMAZON, GOGGLE, APPLE CEOs TO HELP THE GOVT. WITH CYBERSECURITY, while at the same time the govt. is pursuing anti-trust investigations against the

WMT LAUNCHES “GO LOCAL” DELIVERY SERVICE THAT WILL GET PRODUCTS FROM LOCAL MERCHANTS to their customers—for an undisclosed fee—but not in branded vehicles like Prime

HOME DEPOT FIRES WORKER WHO WORE “BLM” ON HIS APRON to raise awareness of racial discrimination & harassment issues where he works. HD dress code

WALMART PARKING LOTS & BATHROOMS ARE EXCELLENT PLACES FOR DRUG DEALS & SHOOTOUTS. Be thankful if your town doesn’t have one. The most dangerous place

AMZN WANTS YOU TO KNOW THEY LIKE TO SHOP TOO! They buy $120 B in goods from 200,000 US companies: equipment, supplies & services—to put

“LABOR CHALLENGES” PROMPT BJs to give full-time workers a $300 “1 time appreciation bonus”, $150 for pt-timers. Managers got undisclosed amt. “Labor pressure” has put

Front yards in New England just don’t compare to this majesty in California (Richmond). Read more on Facebook

AMZN, WMT, CANADIAN TIRE ARE ALL BUILDING OR BUYING PORT CAPACITY to protect their supply chains, making it harder for other retailers to access goods.

Win Two Seats on A Virgin Galactic Space Flight! “Live out your astronaut dreams…Experience weightlessness & awe-inspiring views of Earth.” Escape low wages, abject poverty

“COMPRESSED MARGINS” AT HOME DEPOT? Lumber prices doubled. Yet HD made $41 B in Q2 sales, & made $13 B in profits last year. Profiting

FACEBOOK FACES NEW ANTITRUST LAWSUIT FROM THE FTC. FB “harms consumers by keeping them trapped in Facebook’s social media ecosystem, with fewer alternative apps.” FB

A GROUP OF RESTAURANTS ARE SUING NYC FOR ITS MASK MANDATE, saying their industry is being singled out. Do they realize dead people don’t eat

AMZN WILL OPEN A FEW 30,000 SF DEPARTMENT STORES IN OH & CA, selling its own brand of clothing, furniture, & electronics. More sprawl we

HAVE YOUR LOCAL BUSINESSES CREATED A “SHOP DOWNTOWN” LOYALTY PROGRAM? Lots of local biz are organizing a stronger online presence. See Direct Global for more.

TYPICAL WORKER COMPENSATION GREW 18% FROM 1978 to 2020. CEO pay rose 1,322%. CEOs make 351 x as much as typical workers. “The economy would

IN TERMS OF TOTAL RETAIL SALES, CHINA’S ALIBABA AT 1.2 T is bigger than combined sales at Amazon + Walmart of $1.17 T. Just a

AMZN NOW SELLS MORE THAN WMT: $610 B in annual sales for AMZN, 8% more than $566 B for WMT. Combined that’s $1.2 T not

ALDI’S, ONE OF THE 2 GERMAN GROCERY STORES THAT INVADED AMERICA, now has 2,100 stores, 25 warehouses, in 37 states. Hiring 20,000 new workers at

IN THE LAST DECADE, HOME DEPOT OPENED AN AVERAGE OF ONLY 5 NEW STORES PER YEAR, but raised sales per store. Sales soared 123% to

“Who wouldn’t be thrilled to add Amazon’s name recognition to the top-tier companies that have chosen the Turlock Regional Industrial Park as home for multimillion

LAWMAKERS SAY AMZN’S NEW PALM-ID SYSTEM “raises serious questions about plans for this data & its respect for user privacy…how AMZN may use the data

HD PAYS $816,000 TO SETTLE COBRA LAWSUIT BROUGHT BY WORKERS who say HD failed to give info they needed to continue health ins. after leaving

64% IN SURVEY SAY GROCERY STORES SHOULD REQUIRE MASKS. People who said they “will probably not” wear masks in public indoor spaces has fallen to

BULLETS FLY: THESE HEADLINES DRIVE TOP WALMART EXEC’S CRAZY—because WMT has become the most dangerous place in America to shop. Bullets fly in Nashville Walmart

Redwood Train video near Santa Cruz CA., for children 3 and under. [fb_vid id=”3062004094019420″] Read more on Facebook

HOME DEPOT’S GOAL IS TO OFFER “SAME DAY & NEXT DAY DELIVERY TO 90% OF THE U.S. POPULATION.” Building 150 new huge warehouses, just to

BEN & JERRY’S REFUSAL TO SELL ICE CREAM IN ISRAELI- OCCUPIED TERRITORIES creates chilly relationship with its owner, Unilever. Does the Israeli Prime Minister control

IF WALMART & AMAZON THOUGHT THEIR POLITICAL ANTITRUST PROBLEMS IN INDIA WERE OVER, the Indian Supreme Court shows its only just begun. India top court

THE MURRAY COUNTY, GA. HEALTH DEPT. IS GIVING PEOPLE WHO GET VAXXED A $10 GIFT CERTIFICATE TO WALMART for each dose, which is why Georgia

FAMILIES OF THE 23 VICTIMS OF THE 2019 EL PASO WMT MASS MURDERS want WMT to reveal crime & security issues at other WMT stores.

SHOPLIFTING, TEXAS STYLE: “Chaos erupted” outside of a Texas Walmart. Shoplifting suspect fatally shot by police. Instant death penalty for minor property crime. Shoplifting suspect

OUR MA ATTORNEY GENERAL IS SUING LYFT FOR VIOLATING STATE EMPLOYMENT LAWS & EXPLOITING DRIVERS, while our Regional Council of Governments plans to give Lyft

IT TOOK PUBLIC SHAMING FOR HOME DEPOT TO HELP A 95 Y.O. with a new, damaged dryer. “We want all of our customers to have

NLRB HEARING OFFICER says AMZN’s conduct during an Alabama warehouse union organizing campaign “precluded a fair vote.” Unions are stepping up their efforts to win

AMZN WINS A TEMPORARY VICTORY IN INDIA, whose Supreme Court blocked the richest man in India from buying a supermarket chain AMZN covets. But AMZN

WMT FOUGHT UNIONIZATION, BUT NOW HAS TO GIVE WAREHOUSE WORKERS WEEKLY BONUSES to keep them from quitting. If these workers had a union, they’d get

STARTING AUG 30, AMZN WHOLE FOODS WILL CHARGE A $9.95 “SERVICE FEE” FOR 2 HOUR GROCERY HOME DELIVERY in Detroit, Boston, Chicago, Providence, Portland &

HOME DEPOT IS REQUIRING ALL EMPLOYEES & VENDORS TO WEAR MASKS, but says: “We’ll ask customers to wear masks while in our stores & continue