Business: “Pay tip first” culture has turned tips into bribes
With tipping out of control, tips have turned into bribes: Pay up front or then get crappy service.
Retail: Walmart to have “quiet hours” 8-10 am
Starting Nov 10, Walmart will move to "quiet hours" in stores from 8am to 10 am. This is great for those who have sensory overload issues.
Automation: Starbucks to increase use of automation
Starbucks will improve efficiency by adding more automation.
Business: Beyond Meat to lay off 1 in 5 workers
The business model never made any sense: Beyond lays off 19% of non-production workforce; reevaluates SKUs, China | Alt Meat (alt-meat.net) “Fake meat” sold at 2x to 3x the price…
Business: Oregon UFCW wants to prohibit self serve gas stations
UFCW wants to prohibit self serve gas station in Oregon. Oregon is a nutty state.
Automation: Cost of running fast food restaurants
The cost of running fast food restaurants is becoming very expensive, for many reasons. The result will be increased use of automation and customer “DIY” systems like app and kiosk…
Workforce: Ageism is ingrained in the work world
Employers much more likely to hire someone less than 45 years old. After that, participation in the labor force begins to drop off sharply. According to an OECD report which…
Automation: Multiple restaurants working to add robots
Automation continues to be added to many restaurants, which will lead to a reduction in head count.
Legal: High real estate sales commissions might be on their way out
The standard 5-6% real estate seller's commission comes under anti-trust legal scrutiny, and might be on its way out.
Health: More workers taking more sick leave days
More workers are taking more sick days, post pandemic, often as "mental health" days. The biggest increase is among young workers.