Albertson Cos, the Boise grocery-chain operator backed by Cerberus Capital management, has held preliminary talks to merge with Sprouts Famers Market, In. The discussions which took place in recent weeks, are at an early stage and may not lead to a deal. The talks have involved a plan to take organic grocer Sprouts private and add it to Albertsons’ portfolio which included the Safeway store brand. Mergers are becoming more common in the grocery industry, due to an increasingly competitive food retail environment as well as new grocer concepts that have launched in recent years. If a deal does come to fruition, it could also make Albertsons more competitive. Buying a grocer like Sprouts would give Albertsons intel into organic and specialty foods as well as prepared foods. Grocers including Albertsons, Kroger and Wal-Mart have expanded their offerings of organic food in response to changing consumer tasted in recent years. That has put pressure on natural grocers to cut prices to better compete with the mainstream retailers. A sale may attract multiple suitors and lead to a competitive bidding process that could potentially push valuation higher.
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The basic policy with regard to shoplifting is one of prevention. This is usually best accomplished by cheerfully greeting customers and asking if they need assistance, as shoplifters do not like to be recognized and avoid stores with friendly, attentive employees. If an employee becomes aware that someone may be leaving the store with unpurchased merchandise, he or she should report the incident to management immediately. Do not engage them. Under no circumstances may any employee pursue or otherwise chase in an attempt to detain a suspected shoplifter within the store or outside the store premises. To do so places your safety and the safety of your co-workers and customers in jeopardy. The Company will not tolerate any violation of this policy, and any employee that decides to pursue or otherwise chase in an attempt to detain a shoplifter will be subject to disciplinary action up to and including termination irrespective of whether anyone was injured.
They kill jobs, resulting in a race to the bottom. Working class Americans have faced a tough struggle the least few decades as jobs have become more scarce. Using self-checkout machines reduces the number of jobs, therefore reduces the number of man hours. This puts downward pressure on the wages of existing jobs as the available unemployed labor pool increases.
Self-Checkout machines don’t pay taxes. Each job killed is a reduction in taxes paid by a potential employee. It’s also a reduction in taxes paid by the employer. This decrease in taxes paid means less revenue for government and, consequently, less services that it can provide to those in need. Customers dislike these machines. While most people are tech savvy and can navigate their way through self-checkouts with ease, it can be problematic for others. Sometimes bar codes and coupons don’t scan properly, products require age verification, or customers need assistance. In these types of instances, lines can become backed up. And some customers still like the personal interaction with cashiers. They don’t want the work of checking themselves out. Potential for Theft. Because employees are unable to monitor customer transactions as closely, it’s easier to steal. Some examples would be replacing bar codes of high priced items with lower priced items or just not scanning an item or two. When caught, it’s possible for customers to plead ignorance or blame it on an equipment malfunction. “Right to work” sounds like a good idea. But in reality, these laws have nothing to do with providing rights or work. Right-to-work laws make it optional for workers protected by a Union contract to help pay for the expenses that the Union incurs while guaranteeing the rights of all employees. Why is that a big deal? By limiting Unions’ resources and weakening the ability of workers to have a say about their jobs, these laws drive down everyone’s wages, benefits, and overall living standards. Ignoring the facts, corporate-backed politicians are embracing these deceptive policies. They want to make every state a right-to-work state to increase profits for CEOs and hurt efforts to restore balance to our economy. With millions of Americans still unemployed, right to work is an ill-timed distraction from the issues that matter to the middle class—and the wrong choice for our states. Of the 10 states with the highest poverty rates, 9 of them are so-called “Right To Work” states.
Alabama: 16.7% Louisiana: 18.3% South Carolina: 18.3% Arizona: 15.2% Mississippi: 20.1% Tennessee: 15.0% Arkansas: 15.9% Oklahoma: 15.6% Texas: 16.2% |
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