Month: August 2025
Interesting, Unexpected-
Walmart, once ordered to ‘eat the tariffs,’ is giving employees a year-round 10% discount to help them eat
By Nick Lichtenberg Fortune Intelligence Editor
In its largest employee perk rollout in years, Walmart is extending its 10% grocery discount to cover nearly all food categories for its 1.6 million U.S. workers—marking a significant boost to benefits at the nation’s largest private employer. Announced in a LinkedIn video by Kieran Shanahan, executive vice president and chief operating officer at Walmart U.S., the change is effective immediately and applies both in-store and online, signaling Walmart’s bid to support its workforce amid rising food prices and retention challenges.
In a separate LinkedIn post, JD Mahaffey, group director and global head of executive total rewards, expanded on the new benefit: Previously, Walmart’s 10% discount for employees was limited to fresh produce and select general merchandise, and most grocery items were excluded except during the November to December holiday season. With the new policy, nearly every food category is covered year-round, including staples such as dairy, frozen foods, dry groceries, meat, and seafood. In total, approximately 95% of regularly priced items in-store are now eligible for the discount.
All employees and eligible corporate staff receive a discount card after 90 days of employment. The move was prompted by persistent worker feedback that called for more comprehensive and accessible perks, particularly as food inflation has squeezed household budgets. “We’ve heard your feedback that these savings make a real difference for you and your families,” chief people officer Donna Morris wrote in a staff memo shared with Fortune. In fact, she described it as “one of our most requested benefits.”
Why is Walmart doing this now?
The expansion comes as economic pressures weigh on households nationwide. Recent government data shows food prices for staples such as eggs and meat have jumped sharply year over year. The move also coincides with heightened concerns over new tariffs that threaten to further raise prices across major retailers, Walmart included. More than half of grocery shoppers surveyed in August cited tariffs as their top worry about food costs.
By ramping up employee benefits, Walmart is responding to both external market forces and internal demand. It’s a strategic step designed to bolster recruitment and retention at a time when competition for retail talent is fierce. Analysts note the company’s efforts to improve its work culture, including earlier expansions of training programs, wage hikes for hourly staff, and the introduction of bonus programs for frontline workers.
COO Shanahan explained in the company video: “We know the impact this discount has for so many associates and their families, and one consistent piece of feedback we hear is to look at how we can make our associate discount program even better.”
How does Walmart compare with other retailers?
With the new perk, Walmart’s benefits now align more closely with those of leading competitors. Target offers a similar 10% discount on most merchandise plus 20% off select food items, while Kroger gives staff 10% off house-brand products and other categories. Hy-Vee (a Midwest grocer) and Trader Joe’s have even more generous policies, with discounts of up to 20% for employees.
The timing of the announcement is crucial, coming just days before Walmart’s quarterly earnings release and as the company grapples with both supply-chain challenges and inflation pressures. As economic uncertainty continues to roil the retail sector, Walmart’s expanded grocery discount stands out as both a smart business maneuver and a measure aimed at fostering goodwill among its massive employee base.
In May, Walmart issued a warning along with its earnings report that it may have to raise prices because of the anticipated impact of President Donald Trump’s tariffs. “We’re wired to keep prices low, but there’s a limit to what we can bear, or any retailer for that matter,” chief financial officer John David Rainey told the AP at the time.
Trump responded by ordering Walmart to “EAT THE TARIFFS.” This move by Walmart appears to confirm that Walmart can’t eat all of them, and it will at least be helping its employees take home something to eat for the pre-tariff prices they used to see.
Walmart did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
For this story, Fortune used generative AI to help with an initial draft. An editor verified the accuracy of the information before publishing. (snip)
Putin got everything he wanted, tRump failed to get anything except played.
Some examples of countries that use postal ballots include:
Australia
Austria
Canada
Czechia
Denmark
Finland
France (for citizens abroad)
Germany
Greece
Hungary
India
Indonesia
Italy
Malaysia
Mexico
Norway
Philippines
Singapore
Spain
Sweden (for citizens abroad)
Switzerland
United Kingdom
United States (various states)
‘Not about crime’: Maddow CRACKS OPEN Trump’s real motives in deploying the National Guard to D.C.
Clips from The Majority Report on Zohran, Israel holding a Palestinian American in prison, and ways to stop tRump
Buddhists Protest, Monarch Coups, in Peace & Justice History for 8/16
| August 16, 1953 Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, the constitutional monarch of Iran, dismissed the elected prime minister, Dr. Mohammad Mosaddeq, without the approval of the parliament. In appointing Gen. Fazlollah Zahedi in his place, the Shah was following the coup plan, code-named TPAJAX, developed by the CIA under the direction of Kermit Roosevelt (grandson of President Theodore), and Great Britain’s intelligence service, MI6. About Mohammad Mosaddeq The real story according to CIA records (Yes, it is still there; also it’s a .pdf) |
| August 16, 1963 Buddhists staged protests across South Vietnam against the government of President Ngo Dinh Diem, a Catholic who removed Buddhists from important government positions and replaced them with Catholics. Buddhist monks protested Diem’s intolerance of other religions and the methods he used to silence them. Several Buddhist monks immolated themselves in protest of the war being waged against insurgents in the south, and against North Vietnam.  20,000 Buddhists in silent march for peace, Hue, South Vietnam. 1966  The Buddist monk Quang Duc became the first to kill himself in an anti-government protest in Vietnam in June, 1963 |
https://www.peacebuttons.info/E-News/peacehistoryaugust.htm#august16
Open Windows & Clay Jones
Historical Vision by Clay Jones
Don’t let fascists rewrite history Read on Substack
The Trump regime sent a letter to the Smithsonian Institution on Tuesday, requesting/demanding a “comprehensive internal review” of eight of its museums to bring the organization in line with Trump’s cultural directives ahead of the country’s 250th anniversary celebrations
The letter reads, This initiative aims to ensure alignment with the President’s directive to celebrate American exceptionalism, remove divisive or partisan narratives, and restore confidence in our shared cultural institutions.
The museums are the National Museum of American History, the National Museum of Natural History, the National Museum of African American History and Culture, the National Museum of the American Indian, the National Air and Space Museum, the Smithsonian American Art Museum, the National Portrait Gallery, and the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden.
What will these reviews determine? That the African American History Museum is too Black? This is more fascism.
The letter also stated, “Within 120 days, museums should begin implementing content corrections where necessary, replacing divisive or ideologically driven language with unifying, historically accurate, and constructive descriptions across placards, wall didactics, digital displays, and other public-facing materials.”
The beatings will continue until morale improves. (snip-you bet there’s MORE)
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Lock him up by Ann Telnaes
Crimes against democracy Read on Substack
The news media keep referring to Trump’s law & order agenda, which sets off my irony antenna. How about also mentioning in this coverage that Trump is a convicted felon and seditious ex-president who violated his sacred oath of office?
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Deep State Sandwich by Clay Jones
And this is why we can’t have $5-dollar foot longs anymore. Read on Substack
One of the editors who receives my cartoons wrote me today saying that he didn’t understand this cartoon, and would wait for the blog to explain it. Then he followed that with, “Hey, did you hear about the WNBA dildo throwers? Dude…
Anyhoos… Cops in Washington, DC have arrested a man who viciously attacked Border Patrol…with a Subway footlong sandwich. Maybe, if he had just thrown a 6-incher, there wouldn’t have been any ruckus over it, and Pam Bondi would have only charged him with a misdemeanor or would have been given a simple citation.
Baghdad wasn’t filled with violent insurgents until the US military invaded in 2003. It wasn’t long after the occupation of Iraq began that the terrorists showed up to kill Yankee devils, and I’m not talking about the Red Sox. Now, people who wanted to kill Americans didn’t have to travel so far.
W and Cheney promised a quick war, and they were right in that Saddam’s military was defeated in short order, but they ignored us when we told them the real fight would come after. Remember when they claimed we would be “greeted as liberators?” Yeah.
And you can say that cops weren’t being assaulted with sandwiches before Trump ordered the federalization of Washington, DC. Federalizing DC has not been greeted with warmth. It’s been greeted with derision and Subway sandwiches. I hope it wasn’t an Italian BMT. Those are my favorites. Remember the crab salad sub? What happened to those?
On Wednesday night, around 11 p.m., a man approached several Border Patrol officers in Washington, DC, in front of a Subway sandwich shop. Sean Charles Dun, the sandwich guy, reportedly called the heavily armed officers “fucking fascists,” yelling, “I don’t want you in my city!” before hurling a wrapped Subway sandwich at the chest of a Border Patrol cop, which bounced off his riot gear harmlessly. Kash Patel, a joke of an FBI director (this doesn’t help), shared a video of the incident. Dunn was later caught, “I did it. I threw a sandwich.”
The video is hilarious as you watch several cops chase a sandwich-throwing man in a pink shirt down the street. I get the whole chasing thing when they had a free sandwich. Maybe it was chicken teriyaki. You bastard!
Attorney General (ha!), Pam Bondi said, “This is an example of the Deep State we have been up against for seven months as we work to refocus DOJ.” That’s not a joke. She literally tweeted that. J6 was a little harmless protest, and the real danger is these deep-state sandwich fuckers. First, they sex traffic babies out of the basement of a DC pizza parlor, and now they’re throwing sandwiches at federal law enforcement. (snip-but wait, there’s MORE!)
“Nimble Native”
Political cartoons / memes / and news I want to share. 8-16-2025
Way To Turn Things Around!
A Harry Potter-Themed Board Game Is Donating All Profits to Trans Charity
Publisher Czech Games Edition said they were “devastated” that the product was causing “harm instead of joy.”
Forget “100 points to Gryffindor,” 100% of profits going to trans charities sounds even better.
Czech Games Edition, the publisher behind the new board game Codenames: Back to Hogwarts, has announced that the total sum of profits made by the game will go to trans charities following consumer backlash against the Harry Potter tie-in product.
The gaming publisher announced the decision in a social media post issued on Friday. “We are all devastated that the project we were so excited to share with you caused harm instead of joy,” the August 8 statement reads. “Over time, the harmful views of the story’s creator have escalated into harmful actions. We apologize unreservedly for not doing more to consider that possibility, and for subsequently announcing the game without taking preemptive actions to mitigate the pain it would cause.”
Codenames is an award-winning word-based board game that has sold over 15 million units since its launch in 2015, per The Guardian. Czech Games Edition announced its first Harry Potter board game tie-in, Codenames: Harry Potter, in 2019, months before Rowling started making public anti-trans proclamations.
The company went on to say in its August 8 statement that it was “not prepared for the volume of the response” to Back to Hogwarts and that, aside from donating profits, it will ensure that “an amount equal to or greater than the fee paid to license this product” will go toward organizations that support the trans community. The company will determine which organizations receive the money based on community feedback, per the apology statement, prioritizing “those that offer direct, practical help to people in need.”
Czech Games Edition first announced Back to Hogwarts on July 23, per board game news website Wargamer. After two days of consumers pointing out the issues with licensing the J.K. Rowling-owned property, the company issued a statement saying that “we fully respect and understand those who do not wish to engage with this game,” and requesting an “ongoing conversation” characterized by “care, empathy and respect — both online and in person.”
On July 30, after continuing backlash, the company issued a follow-up statement saying that “our aim was never to cause harm,” and that it was working toward a “concrete solution” at the time.
Rowling’s anti-trans politics are well-known by now, as are her own monetary contributions to the movement, including her legal fund, which is hoping to push trans people out of public life. As Rowling’s views have grown louder and more vitriolic, actors attached to projects in the still-growing Harry Potter universe have made several statements condemning her views. One San Francisco bookstore has even announced that it would stop selling books about the Boy Wizard on its shelves, encouraging people who want to read them to seek out used copies instead.
Scottie's Playtime 