WALMART THROWS $100 M AT “RACIAL EQUITY.” 352,000 Blacks work at WMT—1 in 5 workers. WMT will do everything it can to support Black Lives
KROGER CEO TELLS HIS BLACK EMPLOYEES: “We see you. We hear you. We support you.” WMT CEO tells his Black workers:”We hear you, we see
HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY SHERIFF WANTS HELP IDing HUNDREDS OF FL. RESIDENTS WHO “STORMED” INTO WALMART & TOOK $116k IN MERCHANDISE. WMT gets to “give back” to
COVID HAS DEVASTATED THE ELDERLY. “Trump’s approval rating on the handling of the coronavirus was lower with seniors than with any other group other than
3M SUES AMAZON SELLER OVER COUNTERFEIT FACEMASKS. “Certain bad actors…sought to exploit the crisis & prey on innocent parties…scams involving…altered products, unlawful price-gouging, fake offers.
WAREHOUSE OWNER IN MI. SUES AMZN FOR $10 M FOR LEAVING BLDG. IN “DEPLORABLE”CONDITION.AMZN wanted its negotiations kept secret from the public. https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.woodtv.com/news/grand-rapids/lawsuit-amazon-damaged-gr-facility-it-ultimately-didnt-lease/amp/ Read more
“WORKING CLASS PEOPLE PILFERING CONVENIENCE STORE GOODS IS DEEMED ‘LOOTING.’ BY CONTRAST, RICH FOLK AND CORPORATIONS STEALING BILLIONS OF DOLLARS DURING THEIR CLASS WAR IS
COVID MADE BRICK & MORTAR STORES SICK: overall sales falling -14% in 2020. ECommerce sales rising +18%—-but are still less than 15% of all sales.
EX-AMAZON ENGINEER SPEAKS OUT: “A combination of antitrust & living-wage & worker-empowerment legislation…offers a clear path forward…The warehouse workers are weak & getting weaker…they’re gonna
FORMER AMZN EXEC SAYS COMPANY “is a symptom of the problem. It’s an imbalance of wealth, of power, across the macro- economic structure.” All AMZN’s
NEW AMAZON WAREHOUSE IN CA. HEAVILY DAMAGED BY FIRE. 3rd party operates the bldg. AMZN says “minimal customer impact.” Act of God—or an angel? https://www.cnn.com/2020/06/05/us/amazon-redlands-fire-trnd/index.html
THE UNEMPLOYED DON’T BUY NEW CLOTHES. Fewer vacations weddings to dress up for. Apparel sales fell -22% (-$100B) in 2020 vs 2019. This includes online
ELON MUSK SAYS BREAK UP AMAZON—FOR ABSURD REASON: they wouldn’t publish a book critical of covid lockdowns. AMZN then said it would print the book.
eGROCERY SALES GREW 5.5-FOLD IN THE LAST 9 MONTHS (+$5.4B). After covid ends, do big box grocers really want to keep paying pickers to do
2 WALMART EMPLOYEES STABBED WHEN THEY TRY TO STOP A MAN WHO WAS ALLEGEDLY STEALING CANDY & A SOFT DRINK. WMT manual tells staff to
“IF BLACKS CAN’T BREATHE, AMERICA CAN’T BREATHE.” Former selectman Bill Forbes, Anna Morrison. George Floyd Rally Greenfield, MA Read more on Facebook
A HOME DEPOT IN MY STATE FINED $22,000 for excavating soil contaminated with lead & arsenic without notifying the state. HD has a long enviro
WALMART HIDES ITS GUNS DURING THE GEORGE FLOYD STREET UNREST. Firearms & ammo still for sale at WMT, despite mass shootings inside its stores. If
3 AMAZON WAREHOUSE WORKERS FILE COVID LAWSUIT: employees “were…encouraged to continue attending work & prevented from adequately washing their hands or sanitizing their workstations.” Workers
AT ITS (VIRTUAL) ANNUAL MTG, WMT CEO SAYS: “Despite operating in a difficult & volatile environment, our associates have been amazing. They have performed incredibly
WHEN HE WAS 13 YEARS OLD, DONALD TRUMP WATCHED POWERFUL MEN LIKE ELMER GANTRY AND BILLY GRAHAM WOO EVANGELICALS BY HOLDING UP A BIBLE. “You
FED. JUDGE REFUSES TO DISMISS LAWSUIT AGAINST WMT FOR OVERCHARGING MEAT, advertising false unit prices for meat & fish products placed on sale close to
AMZN ENDS $2/HR. HAZARD PAY FOR WORKERS BUT PANDEMIC CONTINUES. “Staff put themselves at risk every day…with the harsh regime & difficult targets the workers
“Let marriage be held in honor among all, and let the marriage bed be undefiled, for God will judge the sexually immoral and adulterous.” Hebrews
HAVE YOU NOTICED THIS CORRELATION: THE LOWER AMERICA SINKS INTO THE FINANCIAL DEPTHS OF DESPERATION, THE HIGHER AMZN STOCK CLIMBS? Read more on Facebook
HISPANIC CHICAGO ALDERMAN UPSET BY ANTI-IMMIGRANT SIGN AT HOME DEPOT: “When returning items, please have a valid U.S. ID ready only, foreign identification is no
WALMART CFO ADMITS HIS COMPANY WAS “slower than we should have been on eCommerce.”But Walmart has been even slower to raise wages. Brett Biggs tells
MY COLUMN: IN ONTARIO THE GOVT. CAN APPOINT A MANAGER TO HELP NURSING FACILITIES STRUGGLING WITH AN OUTBREAK OF COVID CASES. “We will be better
SBA HAS OK’D $511 B IN PPP SMALL BIZ LOANS—BUT $138 B STILL LEFT. Loan forgiveness problems remain: 8 weeks too short to spend funds,
“AMERICANS DESERVE ASSURANCES THAT THE GOVT. ISN’T SPYING ON THEM AS THEY MOVE AROUND THE INTERNET… there is no explicit… authorization for the govt. to
ANY SMALL BIZ THAT TOOK A PPP LOAN FOR< $2M WILL NOT BE AUDITED BY SBA to prove they needed the loan. More than 20%
“WHOA, SOLDIER! WHERE’S YOUR GLOVE? WHAT HAPPENED TO YOUR MASK? HAVEN’T YOU LEARNED A THING FROM YOUR PRESIDENT?” Read more on Facebook
WALMART WORKERS LIVE STREAM THEIR FIRST “BOARD” MEETING, calling for hazard pay, better PPE, and a workers seat on WMT’s Board of Directors. Sign the
WALMART TO SELL USED CLOTHING, partnering with resale platform ThredUp. Previously-owned clothing, shoes, handbags to be sold only on Walmart.com. 7 months ago WMT sold
AMAZON’S CHIEF OF OPERATIONS TAKES A COVID SWAB TEST—but does the company’s PR damage control sent to TV stations after 60 Minutes drubbing pass the
WMT’S 2020 ONLINE SALES ROSE TO $41B (+44%)—a distant 2nd place to AMZN’S $261B (+17%). The % increase is smaller at AMZN, but it sold
WALMART CFO SAYS THEY’RE HELPING “MOM & POP” BIZ by letting them sell products “on our marketplace…with WMT fulfillment services, we’re making it easier for
GOOD NEWS FOR SPRAWL-BUSTERS: WMT’s CFO at Bernstein’s Strategic Decisions: “In the U.S…brick & mortar formats, going forward, is probably going to be less prevalent
WALMART TELLS CONSUMERS: “WE’LL SHOP. YOU PICK UP. FREE.” But it’s not free. WMT had to hire >140,000 personal shoppers to do what you used
RELIANCE, OWNED BY INDIA’S RICHEST MAN, MUKESH AMBANI, LAUNCHES A NEW GROCERY DELIVERY SERVICE, JIO MART, to offer free grocery delivery from mom & pop
HEY, SIRI, ARE YOU SECRETLY LISTENING TO IPHONE USERS HAVE SEX? Apple employee says the company was recording everything, without Siri being activated. Apple claims
DONALD THE REAPER. Cartoon by Mark Dolk, illustrator from the Netherlands. Twitter @vrjrdgstknng Read more on Facebook
8th AMAZON WAREHOUSE WKR DIES FROM COVID, 800 TEST POSITIVE, UNIONS HELP WKRS TO DEMAND SAFER WORKPLACE. https://www.nytimes.com/reuters/2020/05/21/business/21reuters-health-coronavirus-amazon-com-workers-insight.html Read more on Facebook
The strategies written here were produced by Sprawl-Busters in 2006 at the request of the United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW), mainly for citizen groups that were fighting Walmart. But the tips for fighting unwanted development apply to any project—whether its fighting Dollar General, an Amazon warehouse, or a Home Depot.
Big projects, or small, these BATTLEMART TIPS will help you better understand what you are up against, and how to win your battle.