"Amazon wins loyal Walmart shoppers as Americans stampede online" by Spencer Soper Bloomberg, August 12, 2020
Walmart shoppers are a pretty loyal bunch, but when virus-spooked Americans began avoiding stores earlier this year and shifting spending to online, far more Walmart customers went to Amazon.com than Walmart.com.
So even though Walmart too, has thrived amid the pandemic, Amazon is benefiting more.
When the coronavirus began spreading across the United States, Amazon stumbled at first. Shipping times lengthened and multiple products were out of stock. Some reports said the company’s vaunted customer service metrics were starting to slip. Amazon responded by hiring 175,000 people to keep its operations running as employees sickened or stayed away for fear of getting sick.
Amazon’s strategy, which included stepped-up safety measures in warehouses, eased investors’ fears, but few predicted the second-quarter earnings report that shattered Wall Street’s already optimistic expectations and forecast a continued surge in demand even as stores start to reopen. The shares have advanced more than 65 percent this year, compared with a 3 percent gain for the S&P 500.
Well, $omeone is getting rich beyond belief among$t the economic de$truction.
Turns out the online retail giant was perfectly situated to take advantage of a sudden shift in consumer behavior that, according to McKinsey, has compressed 10 years worth of online sales growth into three months.
A sudden shift, huh?
Amazon’s easily searchable website packed with hundreds of millions of products that can be delivered from warehouses scattered across the country stood out more than ever when the malls and Main Street went dark, and shoppers suddenly became quite forgiving of delivery delays. More than 8 in 10 thought holdups of a few days or longer were reasonable given the outbreak, according to a survey of 500 Amazon consumers conducted in June by Minneapolis-based Goat Consulting.
As always, consumers are mostly mission-shopping at Amazon, hitting the site with a list that now includes everything from hand wipes and masks to above-ground pools and home-office furniture, but another trend has emerged, too. People who once trolled the mall with no particular product in mind are starting to do the same on Amazon. Consider the surge in demand for shelves shaped like coffins and gigantic stuffed panthers — classic retail therapy for a panicked populace.
As for the first part of that, all I could think of was the disgusting jingle that is just what they need, while the second part is downright morbid and ghoulish with insult added to injury.
Coffin-shaped shelves are a therapy for the frightened populace?
Maybe it is time to put those advocating this evil and throwing it in your face to be put in a coffin forever.
Its website attracted 2.57 billion visitors in July, more than eBay, Walmart, Etsy, Home Depot, Target, and Best Buy combined, according to Marketplace Pulse.....
Bezos, owns WaPo, Bloomberg never mentions?
--more--"
Oh, look, the malls are already filling up again:
"Mall operator Simon Property Group has been in talks with Amazon about turning some empty mall spaces formerly occupied by anchor tenants like J.C. Penney and Sears into Amazon fulfillment centers, Dow Jones reported, citing people familiar with the matter. The discussions started before the pandemic, including the idea of buying out occupied space from retailers in some cases. Amazon has also been in talks with multiple mall landlords about putting its coming grocery-store chain in J.C. Penney locations, a person familiar with the matter told Dow Jones, though it couldn’t be determined if that included Simon malls. It wasn’t clear how many stores are under consideration by Amazon, and it’s possible an agreement won’t materialize, the newswire said. Simon’s stock has fallen 58 percent so far this year. It’s partnering with Brookfield Property Partners to bid jointly for J.C. Penney, which filed for bankruptcy protection in May. If Simon rents space as fulfillment centers, it would probably accept a considerable discount, Dow Jones said, but other tenants might not be pleased: Fulfillment centers don’t draw foot traffic to malls, and an agreement could help make Amazon even more competitive."
They aren't "competitive" enough even thought they dominate like a Goliath??
What was even more troubling on the Globe website was the advertisements for children's toys and masks gave me the creeps.
Even with light, there would be no paper to read:
"The Daily News is now a newspaper without a newsroom" by Marc Tracy New York Times, August 12, 2020
NEW YORK — In a move that was unthinkable before the coronavirus pandemic, Tribune Publishing said Wednesday that The Daily News, once the largest-circulation newspaper in the country, was permanently closing its newsroom at 4 New York Plaza in lower Manhattan.
Join the exodus as de Blasio and Cuomo will forever be known as the men who destroyed the greatest city in the history of mankind.
The tabloid will continue to be published and The Daily News was not the only Tribune Publishing paper to lose its office space Wednesday. A Tribune Publishing spokesman confirmed that the Annapolis, Md., newsroom of The Capital Gazette would also be shutting down.
The company also said that three other newspapers — the Orlando Sentinel in Florida, The Morning Call in Allentown, Pa., and the Carroll County Times in Maryland — will lose their newsrooms as well. They will continue to be published with employees working from home as they have been during the coronavirus pandemic.
Look, you can write some pretty good novels or poems looking out a window, but how do you actually do real reporting sitting in front of keyboard? By sending emails to contact people so you can to write your stories and.... wait a minute..... that's what we bloggers do!
You fools are now bloggers.
Good luck making money at it!
I'm $ure you all have $pon$ors, but who will go there knowing it's all made up?!
No real reporting going on because you are surfing a couch like the rest of us!
In its 20th-century heyday, The Daily News was a brawny tabloid that thrived when it dug into crime and corruption. It served as a model for The Daily Planet, the paper that counted Clark Kent and Lois Lane among its reporters, and for the tabloid depicted in the 1994 movie “The Paper.”
It has been in financial trouble for decades. Mortimer B. Zuckerman, the New York real estate developer and media mogul, bought the paper out of bankruptcy in 1993. He sold it to Tribune Publishing, then known as Tronc, in 2017 for $1. (That is not a misprint.)
Two years ago, the new owner slashed the newsroom staff in half and ousted its top editor, Jim Rich, who had reinvigorated the tabloid as an anti-Trump answer to The New York Post, the rival paper owned by Rupert Murdoch. The company replaced Rich with Robert York, a media executive who has spent most of his career in San Diego.
The longtime home of columnists Jimmy Breslin, Dick Young, and Liz Smith, The Daily News reveled in its role as the voice of the average New Yorker. Etched into the stone above the entrance of its former home, the Daily News Building on East 42nd Street, is a phrase attributed to Abraham Lincoln: “God must have loved the common man, he made so many of them.”
The paper moved downtown in 2011. With fewer readers buying copies from newsstands, The Daily News, under Tribune Publishing, has emphasized its website, and now its New York Plaza office is up for grabs.
“We have determined that we do not need to reopen this office in order to maintain our current operations,” Toni Martinez, a human resources executive at Tribune Publishing, wrote in an e-mail to the staff, which was reviewed by The New York Times. “With this announcement, we are also beginning to look at strategic opportunities and alternatives for future occupancy.”
--more--"
Looks like the Globe has the upper-hand when it comes to the contract negotiations.
Goodbye, Globe employees. Welcome to our ranks.
Did your employer and you wittingly know you were going to $elf-immolate your entire indu$try?
Was this part of the Great Global Cull that they bargained for, or will the Globe -- $uch a$ it i$ -- survive?
You can go get your shot as the recession may linger because the antiviru$ efforts are failing, and funny(in a devili$h way) how $ome $ectors remain untouched after all these months despite the jockeying for po$ition.
"Americans Rush to Be Their Own Bosses as Covid Hits Job Market" by Michael Sasso Bloomberg News, August 12, 2020
Whether out of necessity or a fondness for working in one’s pajama bottoms, Americans are filing paperwork to become their own bosses at a clip one economist calls “off the charts.”
No dress code?
The number of people applying for Employer Identification Numbers, which new businesses file with the IRS, has doubled in recent weeks over year-ago levels and has outpaced the rate seen during the Great Recession. Most are so-called nonemployers such as sole proprietors, although economists have spotted a surprisingly strong increase in applications for businesses likely to hire staff.
Among the new entrepreneurs is Angie Bledsoe, a 43-year-old digital analytics professional in Kansas City, Mo., who was earning close to $150,000 a year until she lost her job in the pandemic’s economic shock. She initially hoped to return to her former employer when the economy rebounded, but she started calling contacts for job leads when that looked unlikely.
Eventually, the pandemic led her to reassess things. Why not start her own digital marketing firm and spend more time at home with her kids? she thought. “After exploring all of that, I went, ‘I really have this draw toward entrepreneurship, and maybe this is the opportunity I need to do that,’ ” Bledsoe said.
Been lockdown with lemons, make lemonade (have to drink it yourself, though).
Recessions often see an increase in people starting their own ventures as jobs evaporate, said John Haltiwanger, a University of Maryland economics professor who studies business formations. It happens at the same time that existing businesses are going bankrupt or quietly folding — in the pandemic downturn, thousands of small businesses have already disappeared across the country; however, “individuals are thinking, ‘What am I going to do?’ ” Haltiwanger said. “Particularly, ‘What am I going to do in this new normal?’ ”
The piece of $hit pre$$ profe$$or then makes a false comparison to the Great Recession of 2008-09.
Huiyu Li, a senior economist at the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco, said applications for nonemployer businesses have grown strongly over the last few years, so the recent growth spurt is less surprising in that context; however, the increase in the past few weeks “has been off the charts,” she said.
It’s possible some are filing with the IRS to claim benefits under the federal Pandemic Unemployment Assistance program, which helps independent contractors and other self-employed people, but states typically require people to show income from 2019 to claim the assistance benefits.....
Is there theft or fraud going on?
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Related:
"National discount department store chain Stein Mart filed for bankruptcy on Wednesday after 112 years in business, and announced that it will close most, if not all, of its 280 stores....."
Other things the Globe is talking about:
"Tesla is splitting its richly valued shares in a 5-for-1 exchange, a move designed to make the stock less expensive for individual investors after the company become the world’s most valuable automaker. Each stockholder of record on Aug. 21 will receive a dividend of four additional shares of common stock for each one they own, the electric-car maker said in a statement. The shares, which have more than quadrupled since March to close above $1,600 last month, rose 7 percent before the start of regular trading Wednesday."
Musk is a cowboy of the modern day.
Related:
Lyft lost more than $437m in the second quarter
The coronavirus outbreak meant few people were looking to use its ride-hailing service (not what I was told yesterday), and it is your love that is lifting me higher, readers.
"Airbus is stepping up development of its newest plane, pouring resources into the A321XLR even as it pulls back spending on other projects to save cash. The jet, dubbed XLR for ‘‘extra long range,’’ would be the longest-distance version yet of Airbus’s top-selling A320-series narrow-body. It has racked up more than 450 orders since its launch last year, and the European planemaker sees it as resistant to the historic collapse in demand for aircraft brought on by the coronavirus. The model has proved attractive to carriers eager to fly further with the economics of a single-aisle plane, and now has 24 customers, including American Airlines, JetBlue, and United. Its range of 4,700 nautical miles is 15 percent more than the existing A321 LR."
That big old jet airliner, don't carry me too far away. oh, oh big ol' jet airliner, 'cause it's here that I've got to stay.
"Airbnb Inc. reported tumbling revenue and mounting losses in the second quarter, but the home-sharing startup is still eyeing a stock market debut before year’s end, according to people familiar with the matter. Revenue is down at least 67 percent from the more than $1 billion the company reported in the same period last year, a shift that reflects the magnitude of the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on global travel....."
"Microsoft began taking orders for its dual-screen Surface device in the United States on Wednesday, an attempt to re-enter the mobile handset market with a product that blends the features of a tablet with those of a phone. The Android-powered Surface Duo starts at $1,399 and will be available Sept. 10, said Microsoft chief product officer Panos Panay. The device will be sold on Microsoft.com as well as by AT&T Inc. and Best Buy Co. It is the thinnest Surface ever, with screens that unfold completely to serve as a phone or act like a book to provide more space for different apps."
Who the hell is going to be able to afford another BG pos?
"Producers of maple syrup, a major agricultural product in northern US states, are now eligible for financial relief to help mitigate the impact of the coronavirus pandemic. Maple syrup is an economic driver in states such as Vermont, New York, and Maine, which are the top three producers in the United States. The industry, like many sectors of agriculture, has taken a hit from the pandemic, which canceled events such as Maine Maple Sunday."
Oh, pour some sugar on me (in the name of love).
{@@##$$%%^^&&}
"Boston Licensing Board to host ‘emergency’ hearings following complaints about COVID-19 rule-breaking; The virtual hearings will take place this week with beer garden operators, and licensees in Allston, Brighton, the Seaport, and South Boston" by Steve Annear Globe Staff, August 12, 2020
When out on the town, people are apparently getting too close for the city’s comfort.
The Boston Licensing Board is holding a series of online hearings this week with liquor license holders across the city to address “numerous complaints” lodged against bars and restaurants for failing to comply with certain COVID-19 regulations.
Wow, when did Bo$ton turn into East Berlin?
The mandatory emergency meetings are being held with all businesses with a liquor license for on-premises alcohol consumption in the Seaport and South Boston, and all establishments in Allston and Brighton with a liquor license, officials said.
Officials said the board and the Inspectional Services Department have received complaints about people not practicing social distancing, business owners not monitoring patrons who are waiting in line, and not adhering to rules around smoking and pets on patios and other areas where food is served, among other issues.
The five hearings to address each group will take place via Zoom on Thursday and Friday.
I'll bet their $tock has done ju$t that.
Those who fail to attend their hearing this week could be subject to disciplinary action, officials warned in a public notice.
They need the tax revenue after unconstitutionally and criminally shutting the economy.
A board spokesperson said in a statement that the information hearings are meant to “engage in a dialogue with licensees, discuss complaints received, and also answer any questions. The vast majority of licensees in the city are good operators and are working hard to adapt their policies and procedures based on the incoming public health metrics and advisories,” the statement said.
Do you understand this?
The virtual hearings are similar to one held in June for North End restaurant owners. At that time, the city said it had received dozens of complaints about safety violations in the densely packed neighborhood, specifically about new outdoor dining spots along the streets and sidewalks.
The city said it would not tolerate any further violations of the rules because “your right to occupy a city space is a privilege” as they do random inspections, and if a restaurant is found to be in violation of the rules, guests will be asked to leave immediately and the restaurant's license will be revoked on the spot.
Feel free to throw bottles and boo the tyranny.
During the hearing, officials said they planned to crack down on COVID-19 violations by conducting random checks.
Like a GE$TAPO -- except they let you party in the beer houses!
“Your right to occupy a city space for outdoor dining is a privilege,” said Kathleen Joyce, chairwoman of the Licensing Board, at the time. “With that privilege comes responsibility, and the responsibility includes following our rules and regulations — and not just some of them.”
I heard you the first time, bee-ach.
The hearings follow Governor Charlie Baker’s announcement last week that the state would delay its reopening plans and implement a series of steps to curb the spread of coronavirus, including reducing the limit on outdoor gatherings from 100 people to 50.
The cowardly tyrant dropped that decree late Friday evening before leaving for the weekend.
Baker also said officials will focus on ensuring that bars aren’t “masquerading” as restaurants by serving light snacks with alcoholic beverages. Several breweries temporarily closed their patio spaces this week in order to comply with Baker’s new rules on food and drinks.
Shove the witty pun where the sun don't shine, tyrant!
On Monday, the Licensing Board sent a letter with guidance about the state’s new rules.
The letter advised restaurant and bar owners to avoid the formation of lines and to “ensure that patrons waiting to be seated are wearing masks and social distancing.”
The letter, sent by Lesley Delaney Hawkins, the board’s general counsel, said the rules “will be strictly enforced by the Board and the Boston Police Department.”
Is that why they let all the murders and rapists out of the jails?
To make room for those exercising their God-given freedoms?
“Claims of ignorance of the law, the Legislation, or the advisory are not a defense,” the letter said.
I warned you back in May that the soft police state would get rigidly hard!
Complaints on the BOS:311 online reporting service that date back a month show people filing grievances about a long line at a Seaport beer garden.
“ZERO social distancing at the line outside,” the complaint said. “At least 100 people crowded together.”
How about minding your own goddamn business, Ma$$hole?!
Nothing better to do in your wretched, pathetic life?
Another complaint last month said people were “all jammed up on one another with no social distancing” while waiting in line at a Seaport beer garden. The complaint included a picture of people standing close together without wearing masks.
In other neighborhoods cited in the Licensing Board’s hearing notices, people reported businesses not following social distancing rules and positioning outdoor tables “right on the sidewalk where people try to walk,” or allowing “drinking outside of patio space, people at bar and crowding.”
HOW DARE THEY!!??!!
Of course, race riot protests and the sacking of cities is just fine!
--more--"
Looks like no more hooking up, kids.
Related:
Mass. reports 229 new confirmed coronavirus cases, 18 new deaths
Yeah, “RESPECT the VIRU$,” -- or el$e!
"Across the United States this summer, restaurants and bars, reeling from mandatory lockdowns and steep financial declines, opened their doors to customers, thousands of whom had been craving deep bowls of farro, frothy margaritas, and juicy burgers smothered in glistening onions, but the short-term gains have led to broader losses. Data from states and cities show that many community outbreaks of the coronavirus this summer have centered on restaurants and bars, often the largest settings to infect Americans. It is unclear overall what percentage of workers transmitted the virus among themselves or to patrons or whether customers brought in the virus. Since late June, scores of popular restaurants throughout the country, including in Nashville, Las Vegas, Atlanta, and Milwaukee had to close temporarily because of cases among employees. Texas and Florida also had to close bars this summer after a surge of new cases hobbled those states....."
One thing I will say for the American people, they get pretty creative:
"The group crowded into the bus and began dancing, sipping drinks, and blowing hookah smoke into the air. For about a half-hour early Sunday, requisite masks and social distancing were nowhere in sight on board New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority bus #7239. It had been taken over for a pop-up party. Now, authorities are investigating the group of revelers, saying they broke multiple health and safety laws put in place amid the coronavirus pandemic. “It’s really an egregious, unfortunate incident that not only breaks the law, but also violates transit rules and puts our bus operator at risk, as well as putting the group at risk,” MTA bus president Craig Cipriano told reporters. It happened around 3:30 a.m. Sunday in Queens, according to CBS New York. By the time MTA supervisors showed up, the group had vanished. Noting drivers have encountered assault in recent months as they enforce coronavirus-related rules, Cirpriano said the transportation authority is “working with our NYPD partners to get more policing on buses.”
You are looking at the 21st-century speak-easy!
Bravo!
{@@##$$%%^^&&}
At least you can still go to the pub overseas:
"The British government on Wednesday changed the way it compiles coronavirus deaths, a move that reduced the country’s official death toll by more than 5,000. The Department of Health said the new total is 41,329, down from 46,706. That is still Europe’s highest death toll. The government announced last month that it was reviewing the way death statistics were compiled, after academics pointed out that in England the tally included anyone who has tested positive for COVID-19 and later died, with no cut-off point between positive test and death. That means some people recorded as coronavirus deaths may have died of other causes — and the proportion would increase over time. That could explain why England has been showing far higher daily death tolls than Scotland, which only counts deaths that occur within 28 days of a positive test. Public Health England said Wednesday that it will also adopt a 28-day cut-off date, bringing it into line with the rest of the UK. People who die more than 28 days after testing positive, but fewer than 60 days, will be added to the total only if COVID-19 appears on their death certificate."
They lowered it by more than that and it was reported a week ago, so WTF Bo$ton Globe?
Burying the overcounts while inflating the death totals?
Fooled again, huh?
The Globe should be ashamed of itself, except it is a shameless piece of $hit.
If they bought you an ice cream would it make everything all right?
"Relations between the British government and ice cream maker Ben & Jerry’s chilled Wednesday in a spat over the treatment of migrants. The feud began Tuesday when the Vermont-based dessert brand directed a tweet at Britain’s interior minister, Home Secretary Priti Patel, who has vowed to stop asylum seekers crossing the English Channel from France to England in small boats. Hundreds of people have made the dangerous crossing in the past weeks of calm summer weather. The company tweeted: “Hey @PritiPatel we think the real crisis is our lack of humanity for people fleeing war, climate change and torture.”
Well, two out of three ain't bad and I'm grateful they are dead.
"Three people were killed and six others injured Wednesday when a passenger train derailed in northeast Scotland after heavy rain and flooding hit the area. Prime Minister Boris Johnson said a police investigation will aim to find out what caused the derailment and ensure “nothing like this happens again. As I understand there was about a month’s worth of rainfall in a very short period, which undoubtedly aggravated the problem there,” he added....."
They were on the midnight train to Georgia that was the last train to Clarksville.
You can take your mask off at the station:
"On Tuesday, as Florida set a daily record for COVID-19 deaths, Marion County Sheriff Billy Woods prohibited his deputies from wearing masks at work. His order, which also applies to visitors to the sheriff’s office, carves out an exception for officers in some locations, including hospitals, and when dealing with people who are high-risk or suspected of having the novel coronavirus. In an e-mail to the sheriff’s department obtained by the Ocala Star-Banner, Woods disputed the idea that masks are a consensus approach to battling the pandemic. ‘‘We can debate and argue all day of why and why not. The fact is, the amount of professionals that give the reason why we should, I can find the exact same amount of professionals that say why we shouldn’t,’’ Woods wrote in the e-mail. A majority of epidemiologists and other health experts say face masks and social distancing are key to slowing the spread of the novel coronavirus, which has ravaged Florida. The state has recorded more than 542,000 cases and more than 8,600 deaths. Police nationwide have faced scrutiny over inconsistent use of masks by officers, even in large cities such as New York and Philadelphia where face coverings are mandatory. Many large departments only suggest that officers wear masks, ABC News recently found, while those that require them, including the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, make exceptions for incidents where masks might impede officers in the line of duty. Woods is among the first law enforcement officials to outright ban masks for his deputies, though. Meanwhile, in Miami, officials have issued more than $14,000 in fines to people who refuse to wear masks, though most of that has not been collected, The Miami Herald reported on Tuesday. Fines under the mask rule, which took effect last month, start at $50 per infraction but can reach $500 if left unpaid, and the state of Illinois, where coronavirus cases have been rising, enacted a measure on Friday making it a felony to assault a retail worker who is enforcing a mask-wearing policy....."
How do you expect them to replace all the lost tax revenue, and I'll bet he and his office come down with positive COVID test.
The dissenters always do, as they empower retail workers to act like little Stasi enforcers.
I hope they are prepared to have their ass beaten.
Also see:
"Colombian officials say they have arrested two Florida men wanted in the United States on charges they illegally sold a bleachlike chemical as a miracle cure for the coronavirus and other diseases. The Colombian prosecutor’s office said Tuesday that seven Americans had died from using the substance. Mark Grennon is the archbishop of the Genesis II Church of Health and Healing, based in Bradenton, Fla., which is centered on use of the toxic chemical as a supposed sacrament it claims can cure a variety of illnesses from cancer to autism to malaria and now COVID-19. A Miami federal judge in April ordered the self-styled church to stop selling the substance, but it was ignored. The organization also has operated in Mexico, Australia, and other countries....."
He should;d have gotten into the va¢¢one biz, and with all due respect, it looks like cover for a child-trafficking operation.
What do you think he was bringing back from Taiwan?
"A Chinese official lashed out at Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar on Wednesday for visiting Taiwan amid an ongoing pandemic back home, accusing him of putting politics ahead of the lives of the Americans. The comments came a day after Azar accused China of failing to warn the rest of the world about the coronavirus. “He abandoned the millions of people who are struggling with illness and visited Taiwan instead to stage a political show,” Foreign ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian said at a daily briefing. The Trump administration has repeatedly accused China of withholding information from the World Health Organization and the international community as the virus began to take hold. China denies the charge, saying it communicated information as soon as it had it. On Wednesday, Azar visited a face mask factory and paid respect to the recently deceased former Taiwanese president, Lee Teng-hui, before leaving Taiwan."
Time for a moment of silence.
