Blog

WALMART+ WAS BUILT TO CHALLENGE AMZN PRIME, but WMT says: “We are marketing the program & long-term it will be important to us. But we’ve

70% OF THE PRIVATE WORKFORCE IN CANADA work for companies with <100 employees. From 2003 to 2017, 85.3% of all new jobs (1.2 million jobs)

COVID HAS BEEN GREAT FOR HOME DEPOT. In Q1, customer transactions rose 19% to 447.2 M, typical shopper bought $82.37 per visit, up 10%, net

FEDS RUN OUT OF PPP LOAN FUNDS, leaving millions of small biz in the pipeline. “The $292 B for the 2nd round of PPP ran

AMZN IS SPENDING $300 M TO IMPROVE ITS WORKER SAFETY RECORD to cut its accident rate in half by 2025. This is an admission that

“GIVEN THE SIGNIFICANT interest in trading cards, we recently began limiting MLB, NBA, NFL and Pokémon purchases to one item per guest, per day, and

TOP SELLER ON AMAZON says Bezos’ support for Biden’s plan to hike corporate taxes means nothing since AMZN pays no income tax. “AMZN has historically

AT LEAST 1 PERSON THINKS JC PENNEY IS COMING BACK! The co-owner, mall developer Simon Property Group, says shoppers are returning to malls “with some

OWNER OF STOP & SHOP, GIANT, FOOD LION & HANNAFORD’s admits “click-and-collect” is “a more profitable fulfillment model, than the rather expensive last-mile delivery.” It’s

I AM NOT RAISING THIS ISSUE BECAUSE OF ANY REFERENDUM THAT HAS ALREADY HAPPENED. I am raising it for all the referendums that will never

AMERICAN EXPRESS SURVEY finds “81% of biz owners still believe the benefits of owning their own business outweigh the challenges… 77% plan to prioritize offering

I WAS INVITED TO BE ON THE WHMP BILL NEWMAN SHOW THIS MORNING to explain the Greenfield, MA charter referendum controversy. I invited Charter chairman

AMAZON HIRING 75,000 WAREHOUSE & DELIVERY WORKERS AT $17/hr + $1,000 sign up bonus & $100 for covid vaccine. AMZN strives to be “Earth’s safest

WAGE GAP: WMT CEO DOUG “MCMILLION” had total compensation of $22.57 M in 2021, owns “Shares valued at 100 times his annual base salary.” That’s

CANADIAN SOFTWARE FIRM LIGHTSPEED partners with Google to allow small biz to post product ads on Google using the Lightspeed platform. Direct Global has also

CANADIAN SOFTWARE FIRM LIGHTSPEED partners with Google to allow small biz to post product ads on Google using the Lightspeed platform. Direct Global has also

“WALMART HAS SPENT $67 M from 2010 – 2019 on federal lobbying… WMT’s lack of indirect lobbying assoc. disclosure presents reputational risk when it contradicts

WALMART IS URGING SHAREHOLDERS TO VOTE NO on a resolution to report on whether “Walmart’s racial justice goals align with the starting pay for all

HOME DEPOT HOMICIDE: hammers & nails, sure. But bullets too. Big box stores like HD are unable to safeguard shoppers from deadly violence on their

COSTCO BREACH OF WARRANTY & FRAUD: Lawsuit says Free Replacement Warranty for the Interstate Batteries cost consumers the difference between the original purchase price &

AMZN DRIVERS WANT LIMIT ON DAILY STOPS, decent health ins., and a pension. “we demand to be treated with respect.” (Having a union would help

UNION APPEAL OF AMZN WAREHOUSE WORKER VOTE begins. AMZN accused of anti-union threats, firing worker who handed out union cards, placing a voter mailbox near

WALMART BUYS TELEHEALTH CO. MeMD. I would not entrust my real or virtual health to cheap care providers like WMT or AMZN. Don’t cut corners

WALMART SAYS ITS GROCERY BIZ IS “LOSING SHARE RAPIDLY…WMT is not first & preferred.” Renewal rates for Walmart+ need improvement. Goliath rattled? https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.vox.com/platform/amp/recode/22423706/walmart-memo-retail-amazon-target-instacart Read more

SBA SAYS MANY SMALL BIZ “are still struggling to recover.” Minority-owned “are hurting the most.” Here’s how to get $5,000 grants in “Supplemental Targeted Advances”

HANDS DOWN: AMZN unveils at Whole Foods its device that uses your unique “palm print signature” to checkout & pay & enter a store. If

PEPSI GAVE $500 K TO U.S. CHAMBER OF COMMERCE, which lobbies against FOR THE PEOPLE ACT, which ends state voter suppression laws. Tell Pepsi you’ve

UNION WINS CASE AGAINST MACY’S, 11,000 workers recoup commission pay they lost when customers use “scan & pay” apps. WMT & TGT have similar apps.

IN 2019, A CA. JUDGE AWARDED WALMART WORKERS $102M over wage statement violations. WMT has settled another 4 year old wage lawsuit over inaccurate, confusing

WALMART OWNS 77% of FlipKart, India’s online shopping service, made $6.1 B in revenue from India in 2019. Giving aid to India in their covid

UNITED NATIONS SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM THROWS SUPPORT BEHIND DIRECT GLOBAL INITIATIVES, Local Driver Co-op. A voice for gig workers & Mom & Pop retailers. https://markets.businessinsider.com/news/stocks/united-nations-announces-its-support-of-direct-global-and-its-sustainable-development-initiatives-1030387274

WORKERS AT TRADER JOE’S paint a dismal picture of how they’ve been treated during the pandemic. “Countless employees have gotten sick with Covid-19 contracted at

“FEW COMPANIES HAVE BENEFITTED FROM THE PANDEMIC…as much as AMZN…the company’s business continues to be buoyed by the pandemic.” $108.5 B in Q1 revenue. So

IN 1992, BILL CLINTON promised “to end welfare as we’ve come to know it.” 29 years later, Joe Biden said “Let’s end cancer as we

MY FAV BIDEN JOBS PLAN QUOTE: “Wall St. didn’t build this country. The middle class built this country. And unions build the middle class. And

UBER GIG DRIVER SPEAKS OUT: “The fares are getting really bad…this is absolutely a disaster..If we don’t drive…they don’t make money.” Caravan of Courage –

WALMART SAYS “90 % of Americans live within 10 miles of a Walmart.” Pres. Biden says: “90% of Americans now live within 5 miles of

COVID HAS KILLED 3.1 M PEOPLE, but it’s been a financial windfall for grocery chains like Albertsons, which has expanded its contracts with Adobe to

Photos from Local Driver Coop’s “Caravan of Courage” in Toronto—gig drivers pushing out Uber & Lyft from behind the steering wheel: https://m.facebook.com/media/set/?vanity=localdrivercoop&set=a.4043875252339795 A rainy day

HELLO FRESH MEAL DELIVERY SERVICE agrees to pay $14 M to settle a class action lawsuit over their marketing calls to people on the Do

“READY TO TAKE ON THE WORLD” at $15/hr. No college degree needed to sort packages for Amazon. Must be at least 18 years old, &

COVID PUSHES SHOPPERS TO AMZN. Senate needs to pass PRO Act. Now! Don’t allow a repeat of Amazon’s union-busting tactics: Pass the PRO Act now!

INFO-GRAPHIC FROM AMERICANS FOR TAX FAIRNESS: If you earn less than $400,000 you will not pay higher taxes for Biden’s American Families Plan. But here’s

SAM WALTON SAID OFTEN “Respect for the individual” was key to his biz strategy. One WMT worker told me: “I believe that’s true. I just

HERE’S THE OFFICIAL LAUNCH TODAY OF THE LOCAL DRIVER COOP taking place in Toronto, NYC, SF & LA. Gig drivers “Caravan of Courage” gets in

“CARAVAN OF COURAGE” IS TODAY with gig drivers driving past UBER/LYFT in 4 cities. No more exploitation. Here are some of the virtual press conference

WALMART SAYS: “We have a responsibility to help bring about change beyond the walls of our company.” Inside their walls are 848,574 woman hourly workers,

NEW TRAININGS FOR ESSENTIAL WORKERS offered by US Dept. of Labor. The Fair Labor Standards Act and the Family and Medical Leave Act provide protections