What Do You Call the Opposite of Online Sales? Amazon has marched into every arena of commerce, building moat after moat — logistical, financial, customer service — to keep its rivals from catching up. It expanded into selling its own wares, into physical retail, entertainment and into all manner of home monitoring devices. And it...Read More
WSJ: “Struggling Real-Estate Giant Realogy Strikes Deal With Amazon” [Editor’s Note: The views expressed here are solely those of Ross Kaplan, and do not represent Edina Realty, Berkshire Hathaway (“Berkshire”), or any other entity referenced. Edina Realty is a subsidiary of Berkshire, and competes with Realogy subsidiary Coldwell Banker Burnet.] “We lose money on every...Read More
Winners Announced: NYC, Northern Virginia “It’s possible that [Amazon’s] plan all along was not to open a second headquarters, but to open two, smaller satellites. What’s unlikely, however, is that the deals being offered to Amazon will change significantly, even though the company is effectively halving their investment.” –“Amazon Scammed America’s Hurting Cities”; The New...Read More
100%(!) Price Hike at Whole Foods If inflation should ever rear its ugly head again, here’s a prediction about where it will first appear: no, not at the gas pump, in your cable bill, or at the pharmacy counter. More likely in the grocery aisle. Exhibit A: Whole Foods’ just-doubled price for a cup of prepared...Read More
Is There a Private Sector Solution to U.S. Health Care Mess? [Editor’s Note: The views expressed here are solely those of Ross Kaplan, and do not represent Edina Realty, Berkshire Hathaway (“Berkshire”), or any other entity referenced. Edina Realty is a subsidiary of Berkshire.] No, I don’t know how to reform the United States’ tangled,...Read More
Credit Card Signing Threshold Even if you filled your grocery cart with $20/lb. cheeses, $8.99 organic gallons of milk, exotic truffles, etc., you’d be hard-pressed to spend $1,000 at Whole Foods (at least in a single visit). So, it was surprising to learn that, at least for credit card purchases < $1,000, Whole Foods no...Read More
