"Pay high duties or lose U.S. shoppers? Some Canadian retailers forced to choose amid holiday sales"/ "Canadian retailer drops Canada Post as its carrier ahead of holiday season"

Dec. 1, 2025 "Pay high duties or lose U.S. shoppers? Some Canadian retailers forced to choose amid holiday sales": Today I found this article by Jenna Benchetrit on CBC:

With no more duty-free shipping of small packages to the U.S., Canadian online retailers will have to make a tough gamble: 

pay pricey fees on low-value shipments to get a holiday sales boost from American customers,

or lose those customers altogether?

For nearly a century, international packages valued less than $800 US could enter the U.S. duty-free under the de minimis exemption. 

That policy ended in August when an executive order from President Donald Trump went into effect.

At the time, the choice was clear for some businesses.

"We did not ship to the United States for nearly three months," said Jessica Sternberg, the owner of Free Label Clothing, an online clothing store based in Vancouver. 

But that had "a huge impact on our business because nearly 50 per cent of our business comes from the U.S."

Now, it's the holiday season — and Sternberg's small business, like many others, is relying on an online sales boost to break even. 

At the same time, shipping to American shoppers is more expensive than it has been in a long time,

"We are working so hard to stay above water," she said. 

"To expect people who are running a small business that are juggling a million different things to know everything there is to know about exporting is so unrealistic."

'We basically isolated half of our customers'

The end of the de minimis exemption has been a "huge adjustment" for small businesses, said Samuel Roscoe, a professor of business education at the University of British Columbia.

Many of them "had to scramble around and find different ways to mitigate those customs and duties charges," he said.

An e-commerce business might build the duty into the total checkout cost,

or have American shoppers pay the duties themselves upon delivery. 

But in the latter scenario, the Canadian retailers sending them could risk returns 

or surprise charges if the shopper doesn't pay.

Back in August, the Canadian Federation of Independent Business surveyed 3,315 of its members, with 31 per cent of those small and medium-sized businesses saying that they'd be impacted by the end of the de minimis exemption either directly or indirectly.

According to Roscoe, 

those that couldn't make their goods compliant under the Canada-U.S.-Mexico Trade Agreement (CUSMA) 

— or who couldn't afford to pay a customs broker for guidance 

— may have decided to stop shipping to the U.S. altogether.

Others have had to get creative, 

opening up distribution centres in the U.S. where they might ship bulk packages from Canada, 

rather than paying brokerage fees on small packages individually, 

explained Roscoe.

Sternberg had to get a little creative herself. 

Her business now lets American customers place orders once a week on Sundays — giving her team the rest of the week to do the requisite paperwork.

Still, she's worried that those U.S. shoppers have already moved on after being shut out from her site for months.

"We basically isolated half of our customers and are hoping that they come back to shop this one day for our only sale of the year," she said. 

Their annual sale is several days, but hits just one Sunday.

"And this — as most small businesses experience — this one sale is going to make up most of our profit for the year, so this is a big problem."

"I'm hoping that we do get a lot of traffic on that one day for Americans, but more so, I am hoping that our Canadian customers come and show up for us."

U.S. shoppers offer to pay duties, says business owner

One small business owner who stopped shipping to the U.S. even before the end of the de minimis exemption says she's been getting a surprising offer from American customers.

"I've had emails saying that they'll pay the duties and they'll figure it out," said Catherine Choi, who runs Hanji Gifts, a trio of South Korean-themed gift shops in Toronto.

Choi decided months ago that

 — between the imposition of American tariffs 

and the lingering threat of postal strikes 

— she wouldn't take the risk of shipping to the U.S. anymore.

That hasn't stopped American customers from asking her to. But she's opted not to reverse her policy — and is even more reluctant to do so with the end of the duty-free shipping.

"The more I [looked] into it and the more complicated it got — it's just too busy," she said. She can see that Americans are trying to shop on her site, and abandoning their carts when they realize they won't be able to check out.

At her shop on Toronto's Queen Street, elaborate Christmas cards, stocking stuffers and 2026 agendas line the walls. 

While Choi will make most of her holiday sales from Canadian customers shopping in-store, she knows she's losing out on U.S. shoppers surfing the web for deals.

"Our online sales are higher than last year. So I know that they'd be even higher if we were able to ship to the States," she said, adding that she'll reconsider shipping to the U.S. if things go back to how they used to be.

Roscoe, the professor, called small and medium-sized enterprises the "backbone" of the Canadian economy because they employ so many people across the country.

"If their businesses and their profit margins are impacted, 

then their employees are impacted. 

They hire less people. 

And you then have sort of a knock-on effect," 

he explained.

"So just the removal of that one exemption has a ripple effect all across the Canadian economy."

With files from Laura MacNaughton

https://www.cbc.ca/news/business/canadian-online-sellers-de-minimis-holiday-sales-9.6996413

Dec. 24, 2025 "Canadian retailer drops Canada Post as its carrier ahead of holiday season": Today I found this article by Robin Della Corte on BNN Bloomberg:

This holiday season, one Canadian retailer says its using alternative carriers after relying on Canada Post for more than 10 years to deliver their products to their clients.

Province of Canada co-founder Julie Brown says with 

all their merchandise made in Canada, 

and with most of their clients in Canada, 

it made sense to use Canada Post as their carrier.

Although Canada Post and the union representing postal workers reached a tentative agreement for a new contract on Monday, it follows two years of negotiations that has led to labour disputes and strikes, causing major disruptions for businesses that rely on the Crown service.

Because of this, Brown says it was best to switch carriers.

“After last year’s strike and then this September, we just didn’t feel we had the confidence to go into the holiday season with them again, which saddened us because we’ve used them for the last 11 years,” Brown told CTV News Channel on Tuesday. 

“But we had to go a different route this holiday season. 

We just couldn’t afford to have the disruptions we had last year.”

“We had to replace them with four to five other carriers to make it work this year, but at least we didn’t have to deal with the strike,” she added.

Earlier this year, Canada Post reported losing $407 million in the second quarter. 

It also said that 2025, which will be the eighth consecutive year it lost money, 

was expected to be the worst fiscal year in the Crown corporation’s history.

The postal service has recognized that continued unresolved negotiations between it and its union, the Canadian Union of Postal Workers (CUPW), significantly impacted its business.

Butterpot Designs in Kitchener, Ont., and Lemon & Lavender in Toronto are among the other businesses who have also opted to go with other carriers this holiday season, due to lack of trust in Canada Post to deliver.

The Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB) says many Canadian businesses have expressed similar concerns.

“Businesses have learned the hard way that Canada Post is an increasingly unreliable provider of delivery services - and so many have made decisions to permanently move away from Canada Post,” Dan Kelly, CFIB President, told CTVNews.ca last month.

For Brown, she says last year’s holiday strike made her think twice about using Canada Post this time around.

“Last Christmas was really challenging on so many levels,” she said. “I felt like our entire staff, we were just dealing with it, trying to figure out what was going to happen everyday.

“We were spending more time on logistics than we were on customers and marketing,” she added.

The tentative agreement would be in effect until Jan. 31, 2029, which includes a 6.5 per cent wage increase in the first year and a three per cent increase in the second. The agreement also covers both the Urban and Rural and Suburban Mail Carrier (RSMC) bargaining units.

However, while Brown has always loved the service Canada Post provided, she says there is still too much instability to switch back right now.

“We were in quite a pickle last year, which is why this year we were like, ‘this is out of the question, we just can’t go down this path again without real certainty that we can rely on Canada Post,’” she said.

Brown adds that if Canada Post and the union are able to sort things out, they would reconsider going back to them next Christmas.

https://www.bnnbloomberg.ca/business/2025/12/24/canadian-retailer-drops-canada-post-after-11-years-ahead-of-holiday-season/

"One in four entrepreneurs in Canada looking to sell or close their business: report"/ "Second-generation Canadians weigh the cost of carrying on the family business – and their parents’ legacy"

Nov. 9, 2021 "One in four entrepreneurs in Canada looking to sell or close their business: report": Today I found this article by Alicja Siekierska on Yahoo news:

 A new report has found that more business owners are turning to mergers and acquisitions 

through the pandemic recovery as a way to address the ongoing labour shortage. 

According to a BDC study released on Tuesday, 

30 per cent of business owners say the top factor motivating the pursuit of an acquisition is getting access to new talent, 

up from 20 per cent before the COVID-19 pandemic struck. 

Acquiring new technologies is cited as the second top factor, with 25 per cent of entrepreneurs citing it as an important motivation, 

up from 14 per cent pre-pandemic. 

This comes as one in four Canadian businesses look to sell or close their business within the next five years. 

"The labour shortage is having an impact because it's very difficult right now to recruit people, so it's limiting the growth for many companies," Pierre Cléroux, BDC's chief economist said in an interview.

"Usually you make an acquisition to get into another market 

but on top of that, you get access to a pool of workers you wouldn't have otherwise had, so I think that's a motivation that we're going to see more and more (of) in the next few years."

Many businesses in Canada are struggling to retain and recruit workers amid the ongoing labour shortage. 

According to a BDC report released in September, 

55 per cent of entrepreneurs are having difficulty hiring workers and have been unable to fill jobs for three to four months. 

Another 26 per cent are having difficulty retaining workers, resulting in a situation that could threaten Canada's economic growth prospects. 

While hiring is still a struggle, business acquisitions have rebounded quickly following the worst of the pandemic. 

The BDC report found that mergers and acquisitions worth up to $5 million surpassed pandemic lows in the first quarter of 2021, 

while M&A activity worth between $5 million and $100 million recovered in the second quarter of the year. 

The report says the key factors fuelling the M&A recovery include 

low interest rates, 

strong demand for Canadian companies in COVID-19-proof sectors such as 

healthcare and technology, 

as well as private and public investment funds flush with capital.  

"The number of transactions really slowed in 2020, but things are now back to normal. We were surprised to see it came back so quickly," Cléroux said. 

"A lot of entrepreneurs are getting older, the economy is performing well, interest rates are low, so it's a good time to make an acquisition." 

The BDC report is based on a survey of 1,563 Canadian entrepreneurs conducted online in May and June, and was supplemented by a series of interviews with entrepreneurs in the manufacturing, retail and service sectors.

Alicja Siekierska is a senior reporter at Yahoo Finance Canada. Follow her on Twitter @alicjawithaj.

One in four entrepreneurs in Canada looking to sell or close their business: report (yahoo.com)

Jul. 4, 2025 "Second-generation Canadians weigh the cost of carrying on the family business – and their parents’ legacy": Today I found this article by Rianna Lim on BNN Bloomberg:

In the corner of her family’s downtown Toronto restaurant, Jeanette Liu’s young son eats a plate of chili chicken as customers gather around tables and servers bustle across the floor.

Her son spending the summer at Yueh Tung is “full circle” for Liu, 

whose own childhood memories are flooded with the sound of clattering dishes and the smell of her parents’ cooking in that very space for decades.

She also remembers her parents’ gruelling 15-hour days as they proudly served customers who lined up out the door, 

chasing what she describes as their “Canadian dream” 

after they moved to Toronto from India in the early 1980s.

“My dad worked seven days a week. 

He only took one day off during Christmas Day, only for the morning, 

and then he would go right back into work by himself to prep for the next day,”

Liu recalled.

Yueh Tung quickly became a place where members of their community could enjoy traditional Chinese cooking with Indian flavours, she said.

Liu and her sister Joanna decided to fully inherit the restaurant six months ago, 

not only so their parents could retire 

but so they wouldn’t have to face the fallout of U.S. President Donald Trump’s tariffs, 

the rising cost of running a small business 

and changes in public dining habits. 

All of those factors have made it difficult to sustain their Canadian dream from decades ago, she said.

Amid the economic uncertainty, second-generation immigrant business owners like Liu say they’re grappling with 

how they can carry on their parents’ legacy 

– and what it could cost them.

“We didn’t want them to retire 

knowing that everything that they built 

and put all of their hard work into 

ended in this way,” 

Liu said.

“It’s really difficult. 

Rent has gone up, 

inventory has gone up, 

groceries have gone up 

and you can only increase your menu so much without having your customers get sticker shock.”

Alan Liu, who has no relation to Jeanette Liu, is the owner of Salad King, a Thai restaurant with two locations in Toronto’s downtown. 

His family moved to Canada from Hong Kong in 1990 in search of new opportunity, 

and his parents soon took ownership of the restaurant before passing it on to him in 2010.

Due to the impact of tariffs, Liu said his food costs over the past few months have gone up “much faster than we’ve ever seen.” 

He predicted his cost for chicken will likely go up by as much as 50 per cent by the end of summer.

“Looking at a second-generation business you kind of have to go, 

‘OK, so this is what we’re good at. 

This is what we love doing 

and we’ve been doing this for 35 years. 

But the market is changing,’” 

he said.

“Is this a temporary change? 

Is this long-term change? 

And how are we going to survive beyond that?”

He prides himself on keeping the restaurant affordable for families and students 

but said in addition to tariff impacts, 

people’s eating habits have changed since the COVID-19 pandemic. 

More people are working from home 

and they are generally eating out less 

and reducing their spending, 

he said.

In the two decades his parents ran Salad King, he said they never experienced this level of economic precarity. 

They weathered recessions 

and even a partial building collapse the year he took over, 

he said, but nothing like this.

The whole thing has him feeling “punch drunk,” Liu said.

“It means you’ve been punched so many times in the head that you no longer feel anything. You’re basically perpetually stunned and perpetually in survival mode.”

Family-run restaurants aren’t the only ones feeling the pinch of the current economic climate.

Maria Cronk, who inherited a Kingston, Ont., boutique from her mother, 

said one of her suppliers has raised their prices because of tariffs and she expects to see others do so in the future.

“I think that our consumers are at their limits for what they want to pay,” Cronk said, speaking from the back storeroom of Fancy That. 

She also noted that some clothing lines have told her they don’t have production plans for next spring because they can’t afford it.

Cronk’s mother immigrated to Canada from Sweden in the early 1970s and opened the store.

Cronk took over after her mother became ill, and now her own daughters have become involved.

Continuing a family business — and passing it on — means going through all sorts of ups and downs, said Cronk. But what makes it worth it, she said, is the hard work and love her family has poured into it.

“I’m so proud of what my mother started with 

and what I’ve been able to create on my own, 

even without her,” 

said Cronk. 

“It’s not about the money. 

It’s about building this community of people.”

Back at Yueh Tung, Jeanette Liu cashes out customers and wraps takeout orders, while her sister Joanna fires a wok in the kitchen and makes plates of noodles.

“I feel like my parents always just told me — and it’s very true of immigrant culture — you put your heads down and you work,” Liu said.

Just two months ago, the restaurant was on the brink of closure. 

They took to social media for “one last push,” and Yueh Tung has had more diners since, which she hopes will last.

Yueh Tung is not just a restaurant 

– it’s symbolic of their parents’ sacrifice 

and the community they found in Canada, 

Jeanette said.

“Carrying on the legacy was really the crux of everything having to do with us taking over the restaurant,” she said.

Yueh Tung has been the eighth member of their family, said Liu, who grew up with four siblings.

“My hope is that when I bring my dad back in, when my mom comes back in to dine as guests, they will be able to really sit and feel everything that they put into this restaurant and receive it back.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 4, 2025.

Rianna Lim, The Canadian Press

https://www.bnnbloomberg.ca/business/company-news/2025/07/04/second-generation-canadians-weigh-the-cost-of-carrying-on-the-family-business-and-their-parents-legacy/

My opinion: I like this article because it's about working at a restaurant.  

It's also about working hard to achieve your goals.

This kind of reminds me of working at the Soup Place #1 in 2008 -2010.  The managers were Chinese immigrants and the restaurant lasted for 10 yrs, until the mall closed them down.

They were replaced by Fat Burger, and that restaurant was average.  At least Fat Burger lasted 10 yrs until COVID -19 closed them down.

"U.S. lawmakers urge Starbucks CEO to restart union talks"/ "Starbucks workers kick off 65-store U.S. strike on company’s busy Red Cup Day"

Nov. 10, 2025 "U.S. lawmakers urge Starbucks CEO to restart union talks": Today I found this article by Waylon Cunningham on BNN Bloomberg:

Twenty-six U.S. senators and 82 House representatives have written to Starbucks CEO Brian Niccol, urging the company to resume talks with its workers union, the lawmakers said on Monday.

“We have heard of a troubling return to union busting,” states the letter from the group of senators led by Senator Bernie Sanders, which was seen by Reuters. 

It said Starbucks must “bargain a fair contract in good faith with these employees.”

House representatives, led by the House Labor Caucus and Representative Pramila Jayapal, penned a similar letter sent on Monday. No Republicans signed either letter.

Sides blame each other

Talks between Starbucks 

and Starbucks Workers United, which represents roughly 9,500 workers, began in April last year but have since stalled. 

Both sides blame the other for ending talks and say they are ready to return to discussions.

Starbucks said in a statement the union represents only 4% of its workforce and that the company already offers “the best job in retail.” 

Starbucks offers employees who work at least 20 hours a week benefits including

healthcare, 

parental leave, 

and tuition for online classes at Arizona State University.

Starbucks Workers United has filed more than 100 charges against the company since December for 

alleged unfair labor practices, 

such as retaliation against unionizing baristas, 

according to the letters.

The letters also said Starbucks “has the money to reach a fair agreement,” noting that in 2024 Starbucks spent several billion dollars on dividends and stock buybacks and compensated Niccol $95 million, which largely covered shares he left at Chipotle.

Starbucks said its stock actions benefited workers who own shares through a company program as well as institutional investors and pension funds.

The union said last week workers are prepared to strike if a contract is not finalized by November 13, the company’s high-sales “Red Cup Day,” 

and that strikes could hit more than 25 cities initially and escalate if there is no progress.

Niccol has sought to overhaul U.S. store operations in a bid to win back customers. 

The coffee company suffered six quarters of sales declines before October 29, 

when the company reported 1% global sales growth.

Starbucks in September shut more than 600 stores, 

including its flagship unionized outlet in Seattle, 

and trimmed its corporate workforce as part of the turnaround efforts.

(Reporting by Waylon Cunningham Editing by Rod Nickel)

https://www.bnnbloomberg.ca/business/2025/11/10/us-lawmakers-urge-starbucks-ceo-to-restart-union-talks/

Nov. 13, 2025 "Starbucks workers kick off 65-store U.S. strike on company’s busy Red Cup Day": Today I found this article by Dee-Ann Durbin on BNN Bloomberg:

More than 1,000 unionized Starbucks workers went on strike at 65 U.S. stores Thursday to protest a lack of progress in labor negotiations with the company.

The strike was intended to disrupt Starbucks’ Red Cup Day, 

which is typically one of the company’s busiest days of the year. 

Since 2018, Starbucks has given out free, reusable cups on that day to customers who buy a holiday drink. 

Starbucks Workers United, the union organizing baristas, said Thursday morning that the strike had already closed some stores and was expected to force more to close later in the day.

Starbucks Workers United said stores in 45 cities would be impacted, including 

New York, 

Philadelphia, 

Minneapolis, 

San Diego, 

St. Louis, 

Dallas, 

Columbus, 

Ohio, 

and Starbucks’ home city of Seattle. 

There is no date set for the strike to end, and more stores are prepared to join if Starbucks doesn’t reach a contract agreement with the union, organizers said.

Starbucks emphasized that the vast majority of its U.S. stores would be open and operating as usual Thursday. 

The coffee giant has 10,000 company-owned stores in the U.S., 

as well as 7,000 licensed locations in places like grocery stores and airports.

As of noon Thursday on the East Coast, Starbucks said it was on track to meet or exceed its sales expectations for the day at its company-owned stores.

“The day is off to an incredible start,” the company said in a statement.

Around 550 company-owned U.S. Starbucks stores are currently unionized. 

More have voted to unionize, 

but Starbucks closed 59 unionized stores in September as part of a larger reorganization campaign.

Here’s what’s behind the strike.

A stalled contract agreement

Striking workers say they’re protesting because Starbucks has yet to reach a contract agreement with the union. 

Starbucks workers first voted to unionize at a store in Buffalo in 2021. 

In December 2023, Starbucks vowed to finalize an agreement by the end of 2024. 

But in August of last year, the company ousted Laxman Narasimhan, the CEO who made that promise. 

The union said progress has stalled under Brian Niccol, the company’s current chairman and CEO. 

The two sides haven’t been at the bargaining table since April.

Workers want higher pay, better hours

Workers say they’re seeking better hours and improved staffing in stores, where they say long customer wait times are routine. 

They also want higher pay, pointing out that executives like Niccol are making millions and the company spent US$81 million in June on a conference in Las Vegas for 14,000 store managers and regional leaders.

Dochi Spoltore, a barista from Pittsburgh, said in a union conference call Thursday 

that it’s hard for workers to be assigned more than 19 hours per week, 

which leaves them short of the 20 hours they would need to be eligible for Starbucks’ benefits. 

Spoltore said she makes US$16 per hour.

“I want Starbucks to succeed. My livelihood depends on it,”

Spoltore said. 

”We’re proud of our work, 

but we’re tired of being treated like we’re disposable.”

The union also wants the company to resolve hundreds of unfair labor practice charges filed by workers, 

who say the company has fired baristas in retaliation for unionizing 

and has failed to bargain over changes in policy that workers must enforce, 

like its decision earlier this year to limit restroom use to paying customers.

Starbucks stands by its wages and benefits

Starbucks says it offers the best wage and benefit package in retail, worth an average of US$30 per hour. 

Among the company’s benefits are 

up to 18 weeks of paid family leave 

and 100 per cent tuition coverage for a four-year college degree. 

In a letter to employees last week, Starbucks’ Chief Partner Officer Sara Kelly said the union walked away from the bargaining table in the spring.

Kelly said some of the union’s proposals would significantly alter Starbucks’ operations, 

such as giving workers the ability to shut down mobile ordering if a store has more than five orders in the queue.

Kelly said Starbucks remained ready to talk and “believes we can move quickly to a reasonable deal.” 

Kelly also said surveys showed that most employees like working for the company, 

and its barista turnover rates are half the industry average.

Limited locations with high visibility

Unionized workers have gone on strike at Starbucks before. 

In 2022 

and 2023, 

workers walked off the job on Red Cup Day. 

Last year, a five-day strike ahead of Christmas closed 59 U.S. stores. 

Each time, Starbucks said the disruption to its operations was minimal. 

Starbucks Workers United said the new strike is open-ended and could spread to many more unionized locations.

The number of non-union Starbucks locations dwarfs the number of unionized ones. 

But Todd Vachon, a union expert at the Rutgers School of Management and Labor Relations, said 

any strike could be highly visible 

and educate the public on baristas’ concerns.

Unlike manufacturers, Vachon said, 

retail industries depend on the connection between their employees and their customers. 

That makes shaming a potentially powerful weapon in the union’s arsenal, he said.

Improving sales

Starbucks’ same-store sales, or sales at locations open at least a year, rose one per cent in the July-September period. It was the first time in nearly two years that the company had posted an increase. 

In his first year at the company, Niccol 

set new hospitality standards, 

redesigned stores to be cozier and more welcoming, 

and adjusted staffing levels to better handle peak hours.

Starbucks also is trying to prioritize in-store orders over mobile ones. 

Last week, the company’s holiday drink rollout in the U.S. was so successful that it almost immediately sold out of its glass Bearista cup. 

Starbucks said demand for the cup exceeded its expectations, but it wouldn’t say if the Bearista will return before the holidays are over.

---

Dee-Ann Durbin, The Associated Press

https://www.bnnbloomberg.ca/business/2025/11/13/starbucks-workers-kick-off-65-store-us-strike-on-companys-busy-red-cup-day/

My opinion: This part stood out to me: 

Dochi Spoltore, a barista from Pittsburgh, said in a union conference call Thursday 

that it’s hard for workers to be assigned more than 19 hours per week, 

which leaves them short of the 20 hours they would need to be eligible for Starbucks’ benefits. 

Spoltore said she makes US$16 per hour.

“I want Starbucks to succeed. My livelihood depends on it,”

Spoltore said. 

”We’re proud of our work, 

but we’re tired of being treated like we’re disposable.”

Also this:

But Todd Vachon, a union expert at the Rutgers School of Management and Labor Relations, said 

any strike could be highly visible 

and educate the public on baristas’ concerns.

Unlike manufacturers, Vachon said, 

retail industries depend on the connection between their employees and their customers. 

That makes shaming a potentially powerful weapon in the union’s arsenal, he said.

This article of how Starbucks isn't treating or paying their employees very well reminds me of this:

This is from my Mar. 2021 blog post:

"#MeToo movement becomes #WeToo in in victim-blaming Japan"/ "Outrage as women in Japan told not wear glasses in the workplace"

Aug. 17, 2020 Saying: I found this on Facebook:

"You never look good when you are trying to make someone else look bad."- Unknown

Cham: Sometimes people need to be exposed for who they are hahah or maybe I should stop being petty

Tracy Au: There's a difference between trying to make someone look bad, and exposing them for who they are. It's like those #MeToo accusers and victims, they are plainly telling everybody about the perpetrators. They're not trying to make them look bad.

Tracy's blog: "#MeToo movement becomes #WeToo in in victim-blaming Japan"/ "Outrage as women in Japan told not wear glasses in the workplace" (badcb.blogspot.com)

Last week, I posted 1 blog post instead of the usual 3.  

Here are the 2 for last week:

"Canadian workers say they face barriers amid growing union push at Starbucks"/ "Workers at experimental Starbucks-Amazon store push to unionize"

https://badcb.blogspot.com/2025/12/canadian-workers-say-they-face-barriers.html

"Starbucks upgrades Amazon Just Walk Out technology powered NYC stores for improved smartphone experience"/ "Starbucks Barista Strike Expands on Fifth Day of Closures"

https://badcb.blogspot.com/2025/12/starbucks-upgrades-amazon-just-walk-out.html

Here are the 2 for this week:

"Starbucks says customers have to buy something or leave, reversing open-door policy from 2018"/ "Soon, even your Starbucks latte can come with protein. Is the trend healthy, or just big business?"

https://badcb.blogspot.com/2025/12/starbucks-says-customers-have-to-buy.html

"Starbucks shuttering stores, laying off 900 workers in Canada and U.S."/ "Starbucks CTO resigned Monday, interim named"

https://badcb.blogspot.com/2025/12/starbucks-shuttering-stores-laying-off.html

My week:

Sun. Dec. 14, 2025 Leo poll:

    

My opinion: No, because there are different things that cause stress to different people.

You may have a really stressful job in a small town.

You may find there is too much traffic in big cities, and that you find that stressful.

Mon. Dec. 15, 2025:

Lise Raphaelle D, Saint-Jérôme, Quebec, would like to know:

How much do social media ads influence your purchasing habits?

Not at all    53.66% (2815)

A little    32.86% (1724)

Moderately    10.52% (552)

A lot    2.36% (124)

Extremely    0.59% (31)

My opinion: Not at all.

Tues. Dec. 16, 2025:

Treanna R, St. Catharines, Ontario, would like to know:

How do you usually remove snow after a heavy snowfall?

Shovel    37.98% (1682)

Snow removal service    22.17% (982)

Snow blower    21.31% (944)

Included in rent (service provided by landlord)    17.93% (794)

Salt or abrasives    0.61% (27)

My opinion: I shovel.

Wed. Dec. 17, 2025:

Jeral A, Toronto, Ontario, would like to know:

Which era do you prefer for films and TV shows?

2010s to present    45.81% (1933)

1990s–2000s    2.84% (1386)

  

1970s–1980s    16.66% (703)

Before 1970    4.69% (198)

My opinion: 2010s to present.  

Thurs. Dec. 18, 2025:

Adriana P, Arundel, Quebec, would like to know:

For Christmas, do you ask your guests to bring a dish, or do you prepare everything yourself?

I am not hosting this year    33.91% (1523)

I prepare everything myself    30.88% (1387)

A bit of both    19.44% (873)

I don’t celebrate Christmas    8.08% (363)

My guests bring a dish    7.68% (345)

My opinion: I am not hosting this year.

I would want my guests to bring a a dish and I will too.  It's like a potluck.

Fri. Dec. 19, 2025:

April H, Nanaimo, British Columbia, would like to know:

Do you use your public library’s services?

No    55.09% (2344)

Yes    44.91% (1911)

My opinion: I went there last year for help with tech and to return this book I found.  I hardly ever go there because I don't read books.  I read the business news of CBC and BNN Bloomberg Mon -Fri.

Wed. Dec. 17, 2025 Snow storm: There is a huge snowfall.  I shoveled snow at 12pm.  I know I will have to shovel later in the afternoon.

Around 2pm: However, my mom said she sees a woman shoveling our sidewalk.  I see she is also shoveling the neighbor's too.

Fri. Dec. 19, 2025: When it gets from -10 and lower, I don't go out unless I have to for work or a job interview.