What I Wrote Last Week
Business
The dark side of touch-screen tipping. I have been living in the US for more than 7 years, yet I am as annoyed by the tipping culture here as ever. And it has become progressively worse. I understand that getting rid of tips may increase labor costs and prices, but I’d like to give it a try. The current situation is just insulting and frustrating to consumers. We never take part in any labor agreements between merchants and their employees. Yet, we are coerced into paying part of workers’ salary and it has got to the level of abuse. This has to stop.
Coke and Pepsi stocks are both struggling — but one beverage giant has more to worry about than the other. A quick overview of the latest results from Coke and Pepsi, as well as the competition between the two iconic brands
Amazon Executives Discussed How Its Policies Hurt Sellers, FTC Suit Says. “Internal documents cited in the unredacted parts of the complaint made public on Thursday show that Amazon executives acknowledged that requiring Amazon sellers to have the lowest price on Amazon or risk being buried in search results and other negative consequences had a “punitive aspect.” One executive acknowledged that many sellers “live in constant fear” of being penalized on Amazon for running afoul of its pricing policy. Many of the ads Amazon executives acknowledged were irrelevant to search queries and created “harm to consumers,” according to one Amazon executive. Jeff Bezos, Amazon’s founder and former chief executive, instructed his team to accept higher rates of irrelevant ads in search queries, as the ads were high margin, the FTC complaint says.”
Citi to Cardholders: Go Paperless or Else. Financial institutions are striving to cut expenses and mail cost, including paper statements, is a significant item that is easier to eliminate than others. What Citi is trying to do is interesting as it tests the limit of federal regulations on customer communication. Other banks will keep an eye out as this will set the trend, if allowed by regulators.
In an attempt to turn profitable, Allbirds is relaunching its original shoe. In business, having a gimmick alone is often not enough. There must be fundamental competitive advantages. When I look at Allbirds, I struggle to find anything the company does that can help it fight off intense competition in the shoe wear industry. There are some loyal fans excited about the ethical mission, but they are the minority and that’s not enough to move the needle. Coca Cola had success with the original taste, failed with several experiments and got back on track after reversing course. But Coca Coca is very different from a niche brand like Allbirds.
Shopify is working with bigger retailers like Banana Republic as it gears up for the holiday sales season. “Enterprise clients are now flocking to Shopify at an extremely high rate “higher than we’ve ever seen before.” Shopify of getting into the enterprise market through a subsidiary, and then potentially prove out its worth to the larger parent organization. “I think that Shopify is using these opportunities as like that foot-in-the-door to introduce the platform and the concept to the retailer“
Other stuff I find interesting
A Few Laws Of Getting Rich. Another quality post littered with insightful gems by Morgan Housel
Even Short Runs Have Major Health Benefits. “In one of those studies, he and his colleagues analyzed long-term health and exercise data collected from around 5000 European adults ranging in age from 20 to 92. Compared to nonrunners, people who ran between one and 2.4 hours per week at a slow or moderate pace enjoyed the greatest reductions in mortality — greater even than among runners who logged more miles at a faster pace. For example, a 15-year study on over 55,000 Americans ages 18 to 100 found that running just five to 10 minutes per day at a slow pace (under six miles per hour) was associated with “markedly reduced risks” for all causes of death. It was also enough to extend a person’s life by several years.”
CNBC has a mini documentary on HOA and how it is hurting American communities while it is supposed to be a helpful contribution. The idea that you pay someone that can tell you what you can’t do in your own home doesn’t sound right to me. What HOA did to the family in the CNBC clip was horrible and it’s baffling that there is no agency that can keep these monsters in check. I hope this clip and the monologue from John Oliver will turn the public scrutiny on HOA and take its power away.
How forest schools boost children’s immune systems. Finland has one of the best education systems in the world, especially for kids. I personally would love my kids to be educated in Finland and go to a forest school. Develop stronger immunization system, have a better sense of responsibility towards nature and local community and stay away from heavy schooling at early age? Sign me up!
Pregnancy Is an Endurance Test. Why Not Train for It? “Working out regularly beforehand also allows you to continue at a similar clip while you’re pregnant. If you’ve been inactive before pregnancy, your options are more limited because doctors advise against pushing far beyond your typical activity level during pregnancy“.
Stats
Consumers are expected to spend more than $1,650 this holiday season
Netflix ads-tier has 15 million montly global active users as of October 2023
Apple’s smartphone growth in India in Q3 2023 was 34%
There were 5.6 infant deaths per 1,000 live births in 2022
Minh Quang Duong 
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