tagged w/ Walmart
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The recent run-up in wheat prices to their highest level in almost two years highlights the growing problem of food inflation here in the United States and around the world. The global grain market is a fragile thing, like most food markets. A major disruption anywhere has the potential to send prices soaring, cause governments to start hoarding their supplies, and even lead to riots.
Wheat futures prices closed above $8 per bushel on the Chicago Board of Trade earlier this month, the highest settlement price for a most-active contract since August 2008, after Russia placed a temporary ban on grain exports in the face of a devastating drought.
That’s a price spike of nearly 70% in two months!
The move then spilled over into other grains. Corn and soybeans remain at more than 10% above their mid-June levels.
Expect ripples across the food chain. Prices for everything will rise. Prices for cocoa, coffee and pork bellies have already gone up. Beer brewers will pay more for barley, as the barley crop will be down by 20%. All flour-related products – breads, biscuits and the like – will be more costly. As The Financial Times reported, “Food executives are also warning about surging prices for feeding and malting barley, which could push higher the retail cost of products from poultry to beer.”
READ THE ENTIRE ARTICLE: http://morichesdaily.com/2010/08/food-inflation-growing-problem/The recent run-up in wheat prices to their highest level in almost two years... more
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Walmart has been quitely raising prices – JPMorgan Chase recently released a study of a Virginia Walmart found that in the past six weeks the retailer raised prices on overage of 6%, but on some products, as high as 60%. UP TO 60%! That isn’t a typo.
The rising prices are found throughout the store. Groceries, laundry and cleaning supplies have all been affected by the major price hikes..Walmart has been quitely raising prices – JPMorgan Chase recently released a... more
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The Citizens Campaign for the Environment (CCE) released the report Thursday, which rated the reusable bag policies of fourteen long island grocery chains. CCE was formed in 1985 by a small group of concerned citizens who recognized the need to provide public involvement to advance stronger environmental policy.
The report card displays wide-ranging results, with grades running from A+ to F. Stores were rated on a number of criteria including sale and promotion of reusable bags, signage within the store and in parking lots to remind consumers to bring bags, monetary incentives, employee education, and consumer education on reusable bag options.
Read the Report http://morichesdaily.com/2010/08/long-island-grocery-store-report-card-lists-3-failures/The Citizens Campaign for the Environment (CCE) released the report Thursday, which... more
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By Ed Smith's math, the CEO of Walmart earns more in an hour than his employees will earn in a year.
Alderman: Walmart CEO earns more in 1 hour than workers earn in a year.
Smith, an alderman in Chicago, presented posters at a city council meeting showing that Walmart CEO Michael Duke's $35 million salary, when converted to an hourly wage, worked out to $16,826.92. By comparison, at a Walmart store planned for the Windy City's Pullman neighborhood, new employees to be paid $8.75 an hour would gross $13,650 a year.
Smith's numbers could be a bit off. Equilar, an executive compensation research firm, calculates that Duke earned just south of $20 million in 2009 and $28 million in 2008, not counting millions of dollars in potential performance awards. But the alderman argued that there's still a "sad" contrast between Duke's compensation and the wages of his employees.
"How can you go to bed at night and sleep knowing you make this kind of money and the people working for you can hardly buy a package of beans and rice?" he asked in an interview with ABCNews.com.
Related
Walmart, meanwhile, said that its wages across the country are competitive in local markets and that on average, hourly employee pay -- which includes more experienced workers but not managers -- ranges from $10 to more than $12.
The retail giant made no apologies for Duke's salary.
"I don't think Mike Duke needs, as the CEO of a Fortune 1 company, needs me to defend his compensation package," said Walmart director of community affairs Steven Restivo, referring to Walmart's status as the largest company on the planet.
The debate over Walmart wages has been a thorny local issue in Chicago, where city aldermen on Wednesday reluctantly approved plans for a new Walmart store. It also speaks to continued concerns nationwide over the pay gap between top executives and their rank-and-file employees.
A study last fall by the Institute for Policy Studies, a liberal Washington D.C. research group, found that CEOs in the country's S&P 500 companies make, on average, 319 times more than the average American worker.
IPS associate fellow Sam Pizzigati said that in the 1970s, that ratio was 30 to 1
"We've seen, over the past three decades, a tenfold-plus increase in the gap between top executives and average American workers," Pizzigati said. "That Chicago alderman is putting his finger on a very real problem in American economic life.By Ed Smith's math, the CEO of Walmart earns more in an hour than his employees... more
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Wal-Mart Stores Inc. is putting electronic identification tags on men’s clothing like jeans starting Aug. 1 as the world’s largest retailer tries to gain more control of its inventory. But the move is raising eyebrows among privacy specialists.
The individual garments, which also include underwear and socks, will have removable smart tags that can be read from a distance by Wal-Mart workers with scanners. In seconds, the worker will be able to know what sizes are missing and will also be able tell what is on hand in the stock room. Such instant knowledge will allow store clerks to have the right sizes on hand when shoppers need them.
The tags work by reflecting a weak radio signal to identify the product.
They have long spurred privacy fears and visions of stores being able to scan an entire shopping cart of items at one time.
Wal-Mart’s goal is to eventually expand the tags to other types of merchandise.
http://www.boston.com/business/markets/articles/2010/07/24/privacy_concerns_raised_as_wal_mart_puts_smart_tags_on_mens_clothing/Wal-Mart Stores Inc. is putting electronic identification tags on men’s clothing... more
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No, not for online purchases, this is an in store only deal. Which may actually be the ticket to increasing foot traffic (well a little bit) WalMart has slashed the price of the iPhone 3GS 16GB Model to a eye-popping 97$USD. However, this is also a clear signal that "out with the old, in new with new" will be rining true when Apple makes its highly anticipated June 7th Debut of the Apple iPhone 4G.
Anticipation aside, the question should be asked, "How is WalMart able to sell the iPhone 3GS in stores for 97$ while retailers like Apple.com and even the Apple Store are still selling the iPhone 3GS for 199.00" How did WalMart who only recently started selling iPhones in November of 2008 get the ability and/or authorization to sell iPhones for less than the Apple Store?
So even though it is exciting to know that WalMart is selling the 3GS for 97$ obivously because the 4G is on the way, how does WalMart get to be the first to start selling 3GS at such a "Bargin" price?No, not for online purchases, this is an in store only deal. Which may actually be the... more
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Good old Walmart has slashed the price of the iPhone 3GS to a mere $97. The significance of this of course is that it looks like the 3GS is ready to replace the iPhone 3G when, gasp, a new iPhone comes out.Good old Walmart has slashed the price of the iPhone 3GS to a mere $97. The... more
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A sharply divided federal appeals court has exposed retail giant Wal-Mart to billions of dollars in legal damages after it ruled that a massive class action lawsuit alleging gender discrimination over pay for female workers can go to trial.A sharply divided federal appeals court has exposed retail giant Wal-Mart to billions... more
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"I don't care if Ricky Martin is gay. I still want to have sex with him." Stand-up comedian Chris Martin emcees at Cameldy at the Camel April 4, 2010 in Richmond, Virginia."I don't care if Ricky Martin is gay. I still want to have sex with... more
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"Riverdance is to Irish music what the Olive Garden is to Italian food." Chris Martin does stand-up comedy at Cafe Diem's Comedy Night in Richmond, Virginia March 29, 2010. MC is Roy Rogers."Riverdance is to Irish music what the Olive Garden is to Italian food."... more
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"ABBA was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. I thought Neil Young said rock and roll would never die." Stand-up comedian Chris Martin opens for The Recliners March 19, 2010 at Cafe Diem in Richmond, VA.
Chris Martin Comedy"ABBA was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. I thought Neil Young said... more
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The 40th Anniversary of Earth day has rumbled some excitement among our “big box” manufacturers and retailers; finally we have huge companies like Kraft and Walmart getting in tow with small upcycling companies, namely TerraCycle, to close the life cycle loop of items destined for the landfill.
“Upcycling” is the term given to taking trash and making it into something useful, and TerraCycle is the hottest new upcycling start-up. Beginning in 2001, Tom Szaky began selling fertilizer in reused plastic bottles that he collected from school PTAs. The business then extended to product designs for Capri-Sun drink pouches, yogurt containers, and chip packets. TerraCycle has been upcycling and innovating, or “upnovating”, so much over the last nine years, that Szaky has earned himself title of “Number 1 CEO in America under 30″ by Inc. magazine and “Innovator of the Year”. (See the video below.)
TerraCycle’s products have extended from fertilizer to reusable shopping totes, kid’s backpacks, pencil cases, lunch boxes, as well as plant pots, clocks, coasters, and picture frames.
The best part is that these products are made from items that would otherwise end up in landfills (emitting harmful chemicals and toxins) so that makes buying trash from Walmart at midnight on a Thursday okay.
(Read more and watch the video on the original post!)The 40th Anniversary of Earth day has rumbled some excitement among our “big... more
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Monday, here are some cool links.
Angry man at Burger King gets instant karma (Kibe Loco)
- Fish Punchers (Atom)
- The FATS of Life (Bottom of the Ladder)
- Tuper Tario Brothers - Tetris / Mario mashup (boingboing)
- Japan's pretty manholes (Urlesque)
- White noise generator screams back at you (Gizmodo)
- Bama to display national championship football trophy at WalMart (Buzzfeed)
- 7 outlandish coffins (Asylum)
links previously deemed cool
Monday, here are some cool links.
Angry man at Burger King gets instant karma (Kibe... more
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"Collector's edition" copies of the multiplayer game Tabula Rasa marked down to only $25! Too bad that the servers required to play the game shut down on Feburary 28, 2009."Collector's edition" copies of the multiplayer game Tabula Rasa marked... more
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New Jersey police have arrested a 16-year-old boy and charged him with using a public-address system in a Wal-Mart store to ask "all the black people" to leave, reports the Philadelphia Inquirer. He faces up to a year in a juvenile detention center if convicted on charges of harassment and bias. Police say they scoured Facebook and other online postings for comments about the incident and found instances of "kids bragging," notes the New York Times.
They also had store images of the youth and two others near the phone in question before the announcement and rushing from the store afterward. Anonymous tips helped seal the arrest. The teen allegedly picked up the phone and said something along the lines of, "Attention, Wal-Mart shoppers: Will all the black people please leave the store. Thank you."
Ads by Google
http://www.newser.com/story/83820/police-arrest-16-year-old-in-wal-mart-race-incident.htmlNew Jersey police have arrested a 16-year-old boy and charged him with using a... more
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They fired Joe for having marijuana in his urine sample. He only used it out of work on his own time as part of his medical treatment for sinus cancer, and was even awarded the WalMart Associate of the Year award for his outstanding performance on the job. They won't rehire him though. Like he'd ever want to work for them again.They fired Joe for having marijuana in his urine sample. He only used it out of work... more
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Someone got into WalMarts PA system and asked 'All black people to leave the store.'
Only in America.
Two South Jersey Wal-Mart customers who heard a racist message broadcast over the store's public address system say the whole ordeal is no laughing matter.
Sheila Ellington and Virginia Tinsley were shopping inside the Washington Township Wal-Mart along Rt. 42 in Turnersville, N.J. just before 5 p.m. on Sunday when they say a man came over the PA system and said: "Attention Wal-Mart customers: All black people leave the store now."
"It was a disgusting comment," Ellington said. "Once I heard that, I was absolutely shocked and appalled."Someone got into WalMarts PA system and asked 'All black people to leave the... more
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Medical marijuana is legal in Michigan but WalMart claims it has the right to fire anyone who uses it anyway. When a routine drug screening detected marijuana in his system, Joseph Casias was fired as a matter of policy.
Former WalMart Associate Of The Year at the WalMart store in Battle Creek, Joseph Casias, showed them his medical marijuana card to no avail. "I was told they do not accept or honor my medical marijuana card," says Casias.
"I gave them everything," he says. "110 percent every day. Anything they asked me to do I did. More than they asked me to do. 12 to 14 hours a day."
WalMart spokesman Greg Rossiter explained, "In states, such as Michigan, where prescriptions for marijuana can be obtained, an employer can still enforce a policy that requires termination of employment following a positive drug screen. We believe our policy complies with the law and we support decisions based on the policy."
Sorry Joe. At WalMart you're not a person. You're just another employee number.Medical marijuana is legal in Michigan but WalMart claims it has the right to fire... more
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Despite medical marijuana being legal in Michigan, WalMart has fired a cancer patient and former employee of the year who tested positive for the drug, which was recommended by his doctor.Despite medical marijuana being legal in Michigan, WalMart has fired a cancer patient... more
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pcole
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added this
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3 years ago
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