Sanebull


Miscellaneous

Better consider bringing a carry-on

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And only a carry-on… because checking your bag will now cost $30 instead of $25 with United Airlines. The second bag, if you need it, will cost $40 instead of $35. However, if you have the MileagePlus Premier status, you can continue to check your luggage for free. For the rest of us, just get through security with your “carry on.”

 

For the greater good… of all airline passengers because United plans to invest in the “overall customer experience” with the increase cost. And the company is offsetting their rising costs by charging passengers more. Not that you can blame them – many are expecting airlines to see a significant drop in profits for 2018.

 

This isn’t a coincidence… because fuel and labor costs have been climbing and eating airline profits. JetBlue, Air Canada, and West Jet all increased the price of checked bags in similar amounts. So your ticket won’t cost more – but everything that you pay for after buying your ticket will cost more. And despite rising costs, United stock is up 27% this year.

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Miscellaneous

Not just a Didi problem…

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Who knew getting into a strangers car… could be just downright dangerous? Didi Chuxing, a Chinese ride-sharing firm, is dealing with the rape and murder of a passenger that occurred in August. Also, in the past four years, 103 Uber drivers and 18 Lyft drivers have been accused of sexually assaulting or abusing riders. Can these issues be resolved, or is ride-sharing just dangerous?

 

More oversight is required… by the government to ensure that these services are safer. In ten years, we went from “never ride with strangers” to paying strangers to take us places. Uber transports about 15 million riders worldwide each day. With so many rides, while it is unlikely, you can see why these things happen and continue to occur.

 

Here are some ideas… including allowing female passengers to select female drivers. A panic button could also be put into apps so that riders can call 9-1-1 quickly. At any rate, government oversight could give these companies the “push” they need to use technology to create better, safe rides.

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Mid caps

Dollar General can’t stop, won’t stop!

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I don’t care how much money I make… because I will never stop shopping at Dollar General. However, that is a moot point because I don’t make a lot. But even as the economy strengthens, consumers aren’t going to fancier retailers – they are remaining loyal to DG.

 

Wall Street THOUGHT… that people would stop going to Dollar General because of low unemployment, increasing paychecks, and the overall confidence in the economy. Consumers were expected to upgrade to Target and Walmart – you know, depending on how “well” they were doing. However, we are finding that the economic “come up” hasn’t been equal for all.

 

So, not everyone is doing well… and there are plenty of low to middle-income customers for Dollar General to cater to. But don’t give all the credit to the poor people (just kidding), the company has done some good things on their own, such as opening stores where the big box retailers aren’t. The company has also remodeled stores and added ‘queue lines’ to encourage impulse buys – candy, nail clippers, pet food. You name it; it is probably somewhere in the queue line.

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Blue Chip

Apple presents the same old, same old…

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How will Apple top the iPhone X… answer: they will not. However, the tech giant could prove me wrong on September 12th when the company announces the latest iPhones and newest gadgets. Although, many people are anticipating the same device with different colors – so we’ll see.

 

More options for you… which could include new colors, sizes, and price points (in case you don’t want to drop $1,000 on a phone). We may also see the new iOS operating system and fresh takes on the Apple Watch and Air Pods. You know – just enough of a change so that your costly technology becomes old news.

 

Apple is so predictable… or at least they have been in previous years. Every other year there is a significant update and in-between we see less exciting minor updates to existing products. And Tim Cook gets up on stage and tells you how great his company is. Last year was the exception – it was also Apple’s 10-year anniversary, so they had to do something. This year you can expect nothing new and a Tim Cook monologue – enjoy.

Blue Chip

Walmart was praying for Toys ‘R’ Us downfall

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Well someone needs to fill the void… that we all have in our hearts from the downfall of Toys ‘R’ Us. Walmart would like to be that void-filler, and they will be expanding their toy selection significantly. Not a bad idea either, considering this is the first holiday season we’ve seen without Toys ‘R’ Us in a long time. More interestingly, the now-defunct toy giant has left behind $7 billion in sales.

 

They are dead serious… Walmart announced that they will be increasing their toy selection by 30% in some stores and by 40% online. The expansion will include hundreds of exclusive brands and even in-store demos for specific toys. In short, Walmart is making sure that they have the biggest and the baddest toy selection you have ever seen.

 

Walmart isn’t the only one… that has realized the opportunity. JCPenney and Kohl’s will be enhancing their toy selection, and Party City will open somewhere around 50 pop up toy shops. However, a larger problem for Walmart could come against familiar foes Target and Amazon, as both are eyeing the same market. Ah, what a great time to be a six-year-old.

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Miscellaneous

Here’s what Vodafone just dropped (hint: it’s not a call)

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Vodafone actually dropped… $8 billion on a merger with TPG, a major fixed-line broadband provider. The deal will help Vodafone be more competitive in Australia’s telecom market during a time where the country attempts to move to faster mobile networks.

 

More 5G talk… and the merger will position Vodafone to invest in 5G technology and offer faster service. Vodafone is one of the world’s most significant wireless network providers, and TPG plans to begin building a mobile network to go along with their fixed-line services. Together, the companies will be bidding on part of Australia’s 5G wireless spectrum.

 

Investors clearly liked it… because shares of TPG skyrocketed by 16% and Hutchinson Australia Telecommunications (who holds a stake in Vodafone Australia) skyrocketed even more by 52%. Together, the two will attempt to conquer the shifts in technology and consumer demand occurring in the “Land Down Under.”

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Fang

Will Amazon ‘feel the Bern?’

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Looks like its Bernie being Bernie… and Senator Bernie Sanders suggested that we start charging Amazon and other big companies a special tax. The special tax would be the result of large corporations underpaying employees which ultimately requires said employees to rely on government assistance. Bernie wants companies like Amazon to start paying a “living wage,” which by his estimate is about $15 per hour.

 

Come on, Jeff… you make so much money and pay your employees so little – what gives? While this man rolls around in his billions, Amazon employees rely on food stamps, Medicaid, and subsidized housing. Thus, Sanders plan is to levy a massive tax on companies that equals the value of the government benefits these employees are receiving.

 

But Amazon says “not so fast”… because the information that Sanders is posting is misleading at best. The underpaid workers in question either worked at Amazon for a short-period or chose to work part-time. The full-time, hourly pay for a fulfillment center employee is actually over $15 per hour – including cash, stock, and incentive bonuses. And Bezos invites you to compare his company’s compensation with any other large retailer. Walmart, on the other hand, had no comment…

Miscellaneous

Tariffs on alcohol? This trade war has gone too far…

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Jack Daniels is raising prices… but don’t worry, because they will be doing so in the European Union, which is far away from most of us. But for the rest of you – I am sorry because American bourbon is under attack by China, the EU, and Mexico. So is this a coordinated effort to ruin the lives of Jack Daniels lovers? No. The higher prices are retaliation for steel and aluminum tariffs set in place by Donald Trump.

 

Prices are up in some places… but Jack Daniels would like to avoid hiking prices everywhere if they can. The stiff competition in the liquor market and an optimistic view of the trade-war should keep costs at bay for a while. However, these taxes will undoubtedly put a dent in company profits because 25% of sales are made in the EU.

 

When will the madness end… well, there is a preliminary trade deal in place between the United States and Mexico, so that’s good news. However, China isn’t blinking and plans to put tariffs on up to 25% of American products. The most affected product will be automobiles – which is not nearly as important as alcohol, according to, erm….research.

Mid caps

Better pizza. Better controversies. Papa John’s.

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Kicking him while he’s down… is what former CEO John Schnatter is accusing the pizza chain of doing. And who knows better than Papa John himself? Possibly no one, but Schnatter still finds himself on the outside looking in and believes he is being used as a scapegoat for the company’s problems. And if you’re one of the few that don’t know why Schnatter is out, it is because he blurted out the n-word last month during a conference call.

 

It’s your fault, Steve… for the current rough patch the company has hit, according to Schnatter. Schnatter believes the new CEO, Steve Ritchie, is doing a poor job and uses tactics that are vindictive and controlling. But in the same breathe Schnatter said he believes “Steve’ll make a great executive somewhere else.” You know – the type of place where being vindictive and controlling are positive attributes?

 

Papa John’s is done with Papa John… but he will not go away. You can remove him from the pizza boxes and commercials, but you can’t remove the man himself (unless Steve Ritchie is feeling particularly vindictive after this, then maybe). And like a distraught ex-lover, Schnatter will not go away or take “no” for an answer…

Fang

Google will deliver a laboratory to your dorm room

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Virtual reality laboratories… allow you to skip the classroom, danger, and social aspect of biology class in college. These remote virtual labs are brought to you by Google and Labster, a remote virtual lab company. The courses available (30 of them) include gene therapy, cytogenetics, and RNA extractions.

 

It is better than real life… according to an Arizona State University student who was impressed with the VR labs ability to enhance the real world experience. It’s realistic, too – even requiring you to go to the eyewash station after spilling chemicals on yourself. Thus, students can make mistakes that won’t end in disaster. Other features include chatting with virtual patients and the use of virtual microscopes.

 

Making education more convenient… because these VR labs give students the option to get lab work done on their own time. In the past, the online aspect of college has been mostly limited to lectures and not available for hands-on projects. But, as with any new technology, they are still working on the limitations – such as bringing multiple classmates into the experience at once. Do we really need that?