Sanebull

Cashier-free? Works for me… or maybe it doesn’t because I don’t live in New York. However, if you happen to live in the Big Apple, you may be interested to hear that Amazon is expanding their cashier-free convenience stores to your state. While there will be no cashiers, there will be humans there, such as store managers.

It’s called Amazon Go… and there are already three of them in Seattle. You may be wondering – what can I get there? Well, mainly food – breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks, and some groceries and meal kits. There will also be employees in the store to answer your questions and keep the shelves stocked.

I know what you’re thinking… how is this any different from the self-checkouts at, say, Walmart? It is a lot different because you need to open the Amazon Go app to enter the store. Once the app is open and you’re in, you can take whatever you want and leave. Oh, and don’t worry – Amazon is watching you and will charge you for it later. All the fun of shoplifting with none of the “free” stuff.

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Going all-in on blockchain… with 1,500 employees working on over 500 projects that incorporate the technology into shipping, banking, healthcare, and food safety. Really…food safety? Many people associate blockchain with cryptocurrency, but it actually does have other uses. However, the greatest promise does seem to be in finance.

But this is what IBM does… they invest in up-and-coming tech and blockchain is no exception. But make no mistake – blockchains use is limited. The technology is used as a digital tracking system which can increase efficiency and enable data sharing from one industry to the next.

Enough with the research… which is about all IBM has done so far. To succeed, IBM needs to produce blockchain for commercial use and make it easy to use. In a perfect world [for IBM], the company will be able to innovate for the future. However, innovation is difficult for a company that is heavily focused on meeting the day-to-day needs of existing customers. Maybe IBM customers should stop whining and let these people build our future! Sheesh.

Jeff Bezos and company… at Amazon because this tech firm has more room to grow compared to Apple, the “other” trillion-dollar company. Cloud computing and Amazon Web Services has given Amazon the boost necessary for the money-blowing e-commerce giant to reach such heights.

They buy everything, okay… including a grocery store and online pharmacy. So why stop there? Amazon probably won’t because there are rumors of the company buying a movie theater, as well. Other possibilities include gas stations and travel – that’s not out of the question, is it? Pretty soon you are going to need a Prime membership because everywhere you shop will be Amazon.

How likely are we to see two-trillion… probably more likely than you would think considering the stock doubled over the last 12 months. The bigger Amazon gets, the more powerful it gets. Profits for the company have been snowballing (faster than Apple), and the sky is the limit for this one-time online bookstore. So yes, Amazon will be the next $2 trillion company – you heard it here first! (unless it doesn’t happen…then we didn’t say anything, got it?)

Walmart is partnering with… you guessed it – none other than Ellen DeGeneres. Ellen’s clothing line will be called ‘EV1’ and will debut online and at 2,300 locations. The collection will have around 60 items, which includes jeans, t-shirts, and sneakers. Even better, each item will cost just $30 or less (it’s Walmart, what did you expect?).

It’s all about the brand… and this brand is inspired by inclusiveness which is what Walmart aims to project. Well, inclusiveness and a better fashion sense. As a result, this partnership with a celebrity like Ellen should help Walmart attract younger and more diverse shoppers because the company now has even more to offer.

You would never consider Walmart… for clothing. However, the company has acquired Shoebuy, Bonobos, ModCloth, and Moosejaw. These acquisitions give Walmart (and you) premium clothing options as well as the good old store brand. It seems to be working, too – Walmart saw its fastest growth in a decade last quarter. And they looked good while doing it.

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Okay, his reaction wasn’t that bad… here’s what the president had to say, “I think it’s a terrible message and a message that shouldn’t be sent. There’s no reason for it.” However, Trump also acknowledged that it was Nike’s choice to make. Speaking of free choice, Nike also chooses to be a tenant at Trump properties.

A far cry from his former opposition… where Donald Trump suggested that NFL players lose their job for taking a knee during the national anthem. Trump went on to acknowledge, “In another way, it is what this country is all about, you have certain freedoms to do things that other people think you shouldn’t do, but I personally am on a different side of it.”

Ready for controversy… is Nike, which became very apparent once news broke of the company backing Kaepernick. Apart from Trump, the hashtag ‘#NikeBoycott’ was trending on Twitter and, predictably, some customers even destroyed their Nike products. Nike shares are up close to 30% this year even after the Kaepernick backlash. And hopefully, we can put this story to be now…

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