Wayfair Raises Pay For All Of Its Us Workers To At Least $15 An Hour
Wayfair, the furniture and home goods e-commerce business, said on Thursday that all of its U.S. employees would be paid at least $15 an hour. The increase, which went into effect on Jan. 3, applies to full-time, part-time and seasonal workers at the company.
More than 40 percent of Wayfairs hourly employees working across its U.S. supply chain and customer service operations received a pay bump.
Throughout the challenges of the past year, we rolled out numerous initiatives to support our team including pay premiums, bonuses and a family dinner program, Niraj Shah, the companys co-founder and chief executive, said in a statement. Now, as we enter 2021, we are continuing to build upon our steadfast commitment to our team and their families by increasing minimum pay for all hourly employees.
The retailer, which has 16,700 employees, said it had also provided enhanced benefits to workers during the pandemic, including premium pay to frontline workers, bonuses, child care support and emergency paid time off.
The Former President Remains A Potent Force In Republican Politics
- Losing Support: Nearly half of G.O.P. voters prefer someone other than Donald J. Trump for president in 2024, a Times/Siena College poll showed.
- Trump-Pence Split: An emerging rivalry between Mr. Trump and Mike Pence, his former vice president, reveals Republicans enduring divisions.
MAGA Mall, which has a campaign arm that donates to pro-Trump candidates and causes, also sells items with messages that are more aggressive. For example, a flag depicts a caricature of Trump urinating on the name Joe Biden.
Solomon defends such items as obviously in jest.
An Honor Long In Coming
On Politics regularly features work by Times photographers. Heres what Michael A. McCoy told us about capturing the image above:
Before the pandemic, I always saw merchant mariners outside the Capitol. It took a long time for those guys to be recognized.
I am a veteran myself, having served in the infantry, and did not see a lot of Black officers. I have also spent time photographing veterans over the years.
When I arrived at this ceremony, I was reminded of my time in the military. Charles Mills was the only person of color there and, like me, is from Baltimore. The woman on the left is his granddaughter.
I stayed after the ceremony, after some other photographers had left, and was able to capture this moment.
Thanks for reading. Well see you on Monday.
Leah
Is there anything you think were missing? Anything you want to see more of? Wed love to hear from you. Email us at .
You May Like: Where To Buy Trump Suits
New England For Trump Store Owner Says Business Is Brisk
WEBSTER Unable to open successfully in a tent in Oxford, an entrepreneur recently expanded his chain of pro-President Trump merchandise stores by adding a shop on East Main Street last weekend.
The business, called New England for Trump, has 13 stores in three states. It has as its core sale items hats, flags and T-shirts. It also offers glassware, knickknacks, key chains, electronics, blankets, you name it, said owner Keith Lambert, 48, of Easton.
The Webster store is managed by Jim Ellis of Connecticut, who said merchandise has flown off the shelves.
There’s a lot of support for the president, Ellis said. There’s a lot of support for the police, because we don’t just sell Trump merchandise in our stores. We back the blue. We also support the military. We also support the Second Amendment, our rights to bear arms, and everything like that.
But Trump is definitely the main reason why we’re doing this, because he believes in everything that we stand for: for the United States and the police and everything like that.
As Lambert aimed to expand the business, he said, there was a big request to have something open southwest of Worcester.
Originally, the business opened in a tent on Route 12 in Oxford, but the town ordered it shut because it lacked a local temporary peddlers permit, Ellis said.
Lambert said the idea to sell Trump merchandise came to him 12 months ago while he attended a rally for the president in Manchester, New Hampshire.
Popup Trump Shops Selling Unauthorized Merch Says Presidential Spokesman
PORTSMOUTH Squishy stress balls that look like President Donald Trumps head, with Trump-branded bottle openers, pocket knives and bobble heads, are among dozens of items with the presidential likeness being sold at Seacoast popup stores and roadside stands.
Much of it is labeled made in China, while Trump has advocated buy American since taking office. Thats because the Chinese-made Trump merchandise hitting the local market is not affiliated with Trumps campaign, said Ken Farnaso, deputy national press secretary.
All official Team Trump merchandise is made in America, he said. If the label says its made in a foreign country, its not campaign merchandise.
President Trump, as of Saturday afternoon, was being treated at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center after experiencing mild coronavirus symptoms.
The presidential campaign website has an online store where red caps with the slogan Make America Great Again are advertised as Proudly Made in USA. Yard signs, flags, T-shirts, buttons and bumper stickers all make the same American-made claim.
In contrast, flip over a Trump ball cap or face mask at a roadside Trump stand and the label will likely say it was made in China. Trump stands have recently appeared under tents on the sides of roads in Rye, Hampton Falls, Seabrook and Portsmouth.
The Stratham the store is at 275 Portsmouth Ave.
Almost all of it is branded as made in China.
You May Like: What Are The Chances Trump Gets Reelected
What To Read Tonight
-
In Georgia, the Republican primary race for the office that oversees elections remains a dogfight ahead of Tuesdays voting and its one of the purest tests yet of whether the 2020 election lie can be weaponized to win elections, reports Maya King.
-
Senator Bernie Sanders is targeting the American Israel Public Affairs Committee and its affiliated super PAC, declaring war on the group for opposing his endorsed candidates in Democratic primaries.
-
A group chat provided to The New York Times by one of its participants offers a road map to Roger Stones involvement with people who sought to overturn the 2020 election, Alan Feuer reports.
-
A conservative lawyer who was the architect of a strategy to overturn the 2020 election said in a court filing that he had received handwritten notes from Trump, Luke Broadwater reports.
viewfinder
Why Open A Trump Store
For the owners of The Trump Store Green Bay, Jacque Gregg and Seth Hansen, opening a Trump merchandise store had everything to do with supporting the president.
Walking into their store at 2600 S. Ashland Ave. in Ashwaubenon, you are surrounded by the president’s name its on signs, flags and T-shirts. Right inside the door stand two large cardboard cutouts of the president and the first lady next to a sign listing the prices of the merchandise inside. Unsurprisingly, the store does not require customers to wear masks, but masks are not discouraged either.
The shop is fully covered in flags and signs, with phrases like, Keep America Great Again, Back the Blue, and Trump, because we cant all be on welfare.
An employee of the shop, Eric Jansen, said that they mainly see Republicans in their store.
Its pretty understood once they walk in,” he said. “They are so happy its almost like little kids in a candy store.
In Green Bay, Jason Caudill, manager of The Trump Shop, 508 S. Military Ave., has a similar theme but a wholly different motivation.
Caudill said he was working in Los Angeles as an actor before COVID-19 arrived and the jobs dried up. He moved back to his hometown, Sarasota, Florida, where he learned that his cousin, Shane DeVooght was selling political merchandise in several states through his company, Superiorland Concessions. DeVooght offered Caudill a position managing the Green Bay shop.
You May Like: What Is Trump Doing About Healthcare
Simon & Schuster Drops Senator Hawleys Book
Simon & Schuster said on Thursday that it would cancel the publication of an upcoming book by Senator Josh Hawley, a Missouri Republican and Trump ally who challenged the results of the presidential election and was accused of helping incite the mob that stormed the Capitol on Wednesday. His book, The Tyranny of Big Tech, was scheduled to be published in June.
We did not come to this decision lightly, Simon & Schuster said in a statement. As a publisher it will always be our mission to amplify a variety of voices and viewpoints. At the same time we take seriously our larger public responsibilityas citizens, and cannot support Senator Hawley after his role in what became a dangerous threat.
The senators office didnt immediately respond to a request for comment.
The subject of Mr. Hawleys book, which was already available for preorder on Amazon and other retailers, is not about the election or Mr. Trump, but about technology corporations like Google, Facebook and Amazon. Its cancellation was remarkably swift and raised questions about how publishers will approach future books by conservatives who have supported Mr. Trumps efforts to invalidate the election.
Tom Spence, Regnerys president and publisher, said the company did not have any further deals with Mr. Cruz at the moment but would work with him again. Mr. Spence also said that if Simon & Schuster canceled Mr. Hawleys book deal, We would be interested.
Trump Shops Pop Up In Rural Minnesota Owned By Florida Entrepreneur
BUFFALO, MINN. Owned by a Floridian and selling merchandise largely made overseas, Trump Shops are popping up throughout rural Minnesota and neighboring states.
The reason is simple, said Paige McNeal, who manages the Trump Shop her father owns in this Wright County city as well as about 20 others in Minnesota, the Dakotas, Wisconsin and Illinois.
For decades, her family has been in the business of selling political merchandise, McNeal said, and “there’s always been a small market every four years.
“But there’s never been anything like this.”
“This” is President Donald Trump, who’s galvanized his supporters with an endless stream of Trump-themed merchandise. The president himself, as well as his campaign, has made millions selling Trump clothing and tchotchkes.
And as veteran political merchandisers, McNeal’s family knew a golden opportunity when they saw one.
The Trump Shop shelves are filled with just about any item a Trump-lover could desire. Hats, T-shirts and scarves. Mugs, shot glasses and can koozies. Flags and bumper stickers and watches and Trumpy Bears.
Some of the messages express straightforward support. “Trump: Keeping America Great,” reads one hat.
Others are more aggressive. “Trump: Make Liberals Cry Again,” reads another.
And some items, including watches and shirts, are emblazoned with an expletive.
“We’re small businesspeople, entrepreneurs,” she said. “It’s what made America great.”
Read Also: Is Trump Planning To Cut Social Security
A Dearth Of Biden Merch
Todd L. Belt, director of the political management program at The George Washington University in Washington, D.C., told the Deseret News in 2019 that hes never seen any other type of political merchandise take off the way Trumps MAGA hats did. The expansion of Trump merchandise to the point where retails shops are profitable can be explained, in part, by what Belt called the performance of identity.
Showing other people which side youre on has become more magnified lately. And thats part of the hyperpartisan landscape were in, he said.
But on social media, people have noticed that there seems to be no equivalent business opportunity for Democrats or liberals.
Biden merchandise is available on the online White House gift shop and is made by private sellers at online shops like Zazzle and Etsy, but there are no traveling Biden shops at least none that are getting any publicity. A Google search for Biden pop-up shop yields a for a table in Tennessee where people were selling Biden buttons, signs and bumperstickers. Eleven people had responded to the post.
That said, the popularity of Trump merchandise doesnt necessarily correspond with electoral college votes.
Last year, Boyts said, a local reporter asked him who he thought would win the election. I said I bet every dollar that Trump will win because I dont get calls from people wanting to buy Joe Biden stuff. You would have thought … but thats not how it played out.
Stocks Climb To Record As Wall Street Keeps Its Focus On Democrats Spending Plans
Stocks rose to another record on Thursday, a day after chaos erupted in Washington when a pro-Trump mob overran the Capitol building, as investors focused instead on chances for increased federal spending by a Biden administration and a Congress under unified Democratic control.
The S& P 500 climbed by 1.5 percent, adding to a string of records since President-elect Joseph R. Biden Jr. won the presidential election.
The S& P is up nearly 13 percent since that Nov. 3 vote, but only now, after Democrats won two Senate seats in runoff elections in Georgia on Tuesday, do investors feel they have a complete view of the implications of the political season.
Across stock, bond and commodities markets, they are betting that Democratic control will soon translate into another major round of Federal stimulus spending, raising the chances of a much stronger economic recovery over the coming months a view that helped traders look past violence in Washington and to the impact of a government unified under Democratic leadership, analysts said.
The political cycle of 2020 has ended. Weve finished the senatorial elections. Weve finished the House elections. Weve finished the presidential elections, said Randy Watts, chief investment officer for ONeil Global Advisors, a financial advisory firm. So I think the market is happy, as many investors are, to finally get that behind them and be able to focus on policy and economics and corporate profits.
Read Also: Who Does Trump Support In Alabama
Trumps Out Of Office But The Maga Merchandise Machine Keeps Chugging
President Bidens recent criticism of ultra-MAGA Republicans has led to a new business opportunity for entrepreneurial conservatives.
-
Send any friend a story
As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. Anyone can read what you share.
Give this article
Denouncing ultra-MAGA Republicans in a recent speech about fighting inflation, President Biden clearly saw an opportunity to tie the party to Donald Trump and the far-right fringe.
Ronald Solomon, the president of the clothing and merchandising company MAGA Mall, also saw an opportunity.
Now, he says, demand is way up for ultra-MAGA hats.
Every time theres some attack on people like that, they gladly wear it and theyre proud of it, he said.
Solomon, an investment banker and lifelong Republican whose activism stretches back to making phone calls as a teenager for Ronald Reagan in 1976, began selling Trump-inspired merchandise in 2016. Solomon had initially volunteered for Senator Ted Cruzs presidential campaign, but he switched sides as the Make America Great Again movement took off.
Fast-forward to the present day, and the MAGA Mall website offers more than 180 hats and over a dozen product categories, including greeting cards, rhinestone caps and Not My Dictator T-shirts featuring Democrats like Biden and Gov. Steve Sisolak of Nevada.
Solomon, who also travels to Republican events to sell his products, said that he had about a quarter-million hats alone in inventory.
Lvmh Completes Its Acquisition Of Tiffany And An Executive Shake
The Tiffany-LVMH saga has finally come to a well-polished, multifaceted end. LVMH, the French conglomerate, completed its acquisition of the American jewelry brand on Thursday, and it was out with the old and in with the new executives, anyway. The fresh slate of power players comes with a pedigree steeped in LVMH tradition, and is sure to set off a new round of speculation over the future leadership of the worlds largest luxury group.
After a brief transition period, gone will be Reed Krakoff, Tiffanys chief artistic officer and former New York Fashion Week designer, who tried to update the brand the blue box built with Lady Gaga as a celebrity face and ironic $1,000 silver tin cans. Also leaving will be Daniella Vitale, the chief brand officer, who joined from Barneys after that retailer went bankrupt.
In their place comes Alexandre Arnault, the 28-year-old second son of Bernard Arnault, LVMHs chairman and chief executive. The younger Mr. Arnault has been named executive vice president, product and communications.
Its the next step in the ascension of Alexandre Arnault within the family business. He was previously head of Rimowa, the LVMH-owned German luggage brand, and was also the only LVMH family member to accompany his father to the opening of a new Louis Vuitton factory in Texas where President Trump did the ribbon-cutting honors.
Also Check: When Does Trump Speak Again
‘i Took It To Another Level’: Entrepreneur Opens Pro
SOMERSET Recent polls show that President Donald Trumps approval rating has been slipping, if not plummeting.
USA Today this week cited a University of New Hampshire poll with 60 percent of respondents giving a thumbs down of Trumps overall performance in the Oval Office.
Another poll of three battleground states including Florida, where Trump defeated Hillary Clinton in 2016 has him garnering less than favorable reviews.
But Keith Lambert doesnt give a whit about those polling numbers.
Since last October, when he opened his first New England for Trump retail store in Easton, Lambert has opened nine more.
The most recent of these had its soft opening a week ago on Route 6 in Somerset in a small, but highly visible commercial plaza building at 899 Grand Army Highway.
The drive-thru of the former Mega Donuts is still there, but to anyone driving by or pumping gas across the street at Cumberland Farms the place is completely unrecognizable from how it once looked.
Lambert, 48, views himself as the quintessential entrepreneur.
When I see something and like it, its boom I do it right away, he said.
His Somerset store sits on the southwest side of the corner of Brayton Point Road and Route 6, which is very likely the single most heavily traveled intersection in town.
Other nearby businesses, besides Cumbys, include Stop & Shop, Ocean State Job Lot, Somerset Liquors, Webster Bank and CVS.
Its a great site. Its got lots of transient and local traffic, he said.
