They don't get to record it as revenue, but they do get to sit on the cash, earning interest etc on it. Companies loooove gift cards. It's free money.
For a company health perspective, it's better to use it so they're at least put the cost-of-goods. Best option would be to sell the gift cards to someone who was going to shop there anyways.
You might see short term savings on some things during the economic turbulence, but overall it will make things more expensive in the short and long term.
For things that Canada is a net exporter of, like Canola, you might see a sudden oversupply when exports stop, and then cheaper products. In the long term, farms will adjust or go out of business. The expenses that come along with that wind up on the consumer eventually.
For manufactured items, if a business is shifting to solely domestic markets, they lose a lot of economies of scale which again increases costs.
Overall, free trade is a mixed bag. It ultimately saves consumers money, but leads to larger multinational businesses and reduced national autonomy.
Unwinding free trade gives up the reduced costs and costs a lot of money in retooling and reestablishing supply chains etc.
Water rights are the opposite of late stage capitalism. It's silly to enforce when we're talking about a residential rain barrel, but when we're talking on much larger scales is critical. When creeks are drying up because landowners are building catchment ponds, water rights start to look pretty good.
Sure, Amazon doesn't want hundreds of extra lawsuits, but the staff also don't want to waste their money on legal fees for a suit that's a guaranteed loss. Case law is very well-established.
What's with the assumption that it's the law that is keeping Amazon from mass-firing staff who won't come in?
The approach they're taking is just a smart business decision. It allows them to spread the disruptions out so they're more manageable, to keep employees who's skills justify flexibility in the WFH rules, and prevents the PR impact of a mass termination.
The laws are pretty different for contract workers vs W2 employees. W2 employees can have contracts, but it's really rare outside of unions. Conditions of employment can in most cases be changed at the employers discretion.
I feel a little bit like I'm defending Amazon here, but I'm really trying to highlight that our worker protections are crap in the US. Unions are really the way to go if employees want security. Tech industry has way too few unions.
This is true for contract workers, but I believe we're talking about W2 employees, who rarely have a contract if they're not part of a union.
Do you have experience with employment law?
An employee could argue discrimination, but they'd have to have evidence that it was due to a protected class to have any success, and those cases are notoriously hard to prove. In every state that I'm aware of, they can fire people selectively for not coming into the office, while keeping others employed.
Employment laws are state-by-state, but I don't know a single one where it's illegal to fire someone for not coming into the office.
What's your definition of a computer? Chromebooks might not be your preferred computer, but they meet every definition of computer that I'm aware of, and I know plenty of people who love them. I know at least two people who run a business from them. They're not for me, but they're great for others.
They did change the API right around then, which is how this data would get pulled.
I have a baby monitor, and considered using an IP camera before buying it. The reason I like mine is because I've got a separate little handheld monitor on RF instead of wifi. There's a handful of situations where it's fine in very handy. Our nanny could use it without us having to set her up with any tech. Works while traveling without having to deal with hotel Wi-Fi or hot spots. Works outside much further than my wifi reaches. I like the RF.
Similar here. We used to be great at avoiding the corporate stores until we had a kid. Convenience and selection wins when you're overstressed and sleep deprived.
I think we've done great at rolling back to local-only shopping this year. No Amazon, no target. Costco still gets out visits, but overall we're being much more thoughtful about who gets our money and we're spending significantly less also.