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Featured Article, Resource filed under Independent Business | Written by Nick Stumo-Langer | No Comments | Updated on Sep 7, 2017

With Whole Foods Deal, Amazon’s Empire Grows – Episode 28 of the Building Local Power Podcast

The content that follows was originally published on the Institute for Local Self-Reliance website at https://ilsr.org/whole-foods-amazon-episode-28-of-the-building-local-power-podcast/

The latest Building Local Power podcast episode features a discussion between ILSR initiative director Christopher Mitchell and co-director Stacy Mitchell on the Amazon-Whole Foods deal. The conversation features a number of issues, including why Amazon’s growth isn’t that innovative after all due to their market power as a crushing force for consolidation. Much of the conversation is an extension of our Amazon’s Stranglehold report, co-authored by Stacy and ILSR researcher Olivia LaVecchia. Continue reading

Article, Resource filed under Independent Business | Written by Nick Stumo-Langer | No Comments | Updated on May 18, 2017

Tech Startup Allows Communities to Support Local Businesses – Episode 20 of the Building Local Power Podcast

The content that follows was originally published on the Institute for Local Self-Reliance website at https://ilsr.org/tech-startup-local-businesses-episode-20-of-the-building-local-power-podcast/

This week in Building Local Power, we’re discussing independent businesses and the communities that support them. Host Christopher Mitchell and ILSR co-director and Community-Scaled Economies initiative director Stacy Mitchell interview Katrina Scotto di Carlo from Portland, Oregon. di Carlo is the co-founder of Supportland (now called Placemaker), which work to bolster independent businesses by offering new marketing and technological… Continue reading

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Resource filed under Independent Business | Written by Olivia LaVecchia | No Comments | Updated on Feb 7, 2017

How Amazon Undermines Jobs, Wages, and Working Conditions (Fact Sheet)

The content that follows was originally published on the Institute for Local Self-Reliance website at https://ilsr.org/amazon-workers-fact-sheet/

ILSR and Jobs with Justice partnered to produce a fact sheet that looks at how Amazon is undermining wages and conditions for working people, and driving growing inequality. Continue reading

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Article filed under Independent Business | Written by Olivia LaVecchia | No Comments | Updated on Feb 7, 2017

When It Comes to Working People, Amazon Isn’t Innovative at All

The content that follows was originally published on the Institute for Local Self-Reliance website at https://ilsr.org/amazon-workers/

When shoppers interact with Amazon, they see an innovator. But behind the scenes, Amazon relies on a labor model that looks a lot more like the past than the future, with fewer reliable jobs, declining wages, and increasing inequality. We’ve partnered with Jobs With Justice to produce an article and fact sheet that breaks down how this powerful corporation is undermining working people — and what we need to do. Continue reading

Featured ILSR Press Room filed under Independent Business | Written by Nick Stumo-Langer | No Comments | Updated on Jan 12, 2017

Response to Amazon’s Jobs Announcement, January 2017

The content that follows was originally published on the Institute for Local Self-Reliance website at https://ilsr.org/response-to-amazons-jobs-announcement-january-2017/

Stacy Mitchell, co-director of the Institute for Local Self-Reliance, and co-author of the recent report, “Amazon’s Stranglehold: How the Company’s Tightening Grip is Stifling Competition, Eroding Jobs, and Threatening Communities,” responded to the announcement on jobs made today by Amazon:

“Amazon’s jobs announcement this morning has it in the headlines as a job creator. But there’s a dirty secret about jobs at Amazon. As we found in our recent report on the company, as Amazon gains market share, it destroys more jobs than it creates,” Mitchell said. Continue reading

Article, Resource filed under Independent Business | Written by Nick Stumo-Langer | No Comments | Updated on Dec 1, 2016

Amazon’s Growing Stranglehold – Episode 6 of the Building Local Power Podcast

The content that follows was originally published on the Institute for Local Self-Reliance website at https://ilsr.org/amazons-growing-stranglehold-episode-6-of-the-building-local-power-podcast/

In this episode, Chris Mitchell, the director of our Community Broadband Networks initiative, interviews Stacy Mitchell (no relation) ILSR Co-Director and Senior Researcher for the Community-Scaled Economies initiative about their latest report: Amazon’s Stranglehold: How the Company’s Tightening Grip is Stifling Competition, Eroding Jobs, and Threatening Communities. Mitchell details the main points from the recent report including the startling fact that nearly $1 of every $2 spent online are spent on Amazon. Continue reading

ILSR Press Room filed under Independent Business | Written by Nick Stumo-Langer | No Comments | Updated on Nov 25, 2016

Indie toy store owner finds her place among big box stores

The content that follows was originally published on the Institute for Local Self-Reliance website at https://ilsr.org/indie-toy-store-owner-finds-her-place-among-big-box-stores/

Minneapolis Star Tribune – November 25, 2016 by John Ewoldt Sometimes spreading the word on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, TV ads and I-94 billboards isn’t enough for Jessica Persons. The owner of Flying Circus Toys — a small, independent store in the Albertville Premium Outlets — said people get to the mall and still can’t find… Continue reading

ILSR Press Room filed under Independent Business | Written by Nick Stumo-Langer | No Comments | Updated on Nov 15, 2016

Small Retailers Face Threats at Every Turn

The content that follows was originally published on the Institute for Local Self-Reliance website at https://ilsr.org/small-retailers-face-threats-at-every-turn/

The Epoch Times – November 15, 2016 by Charlotte Cuthbertson NEW YORK—Small retail stores across the country are facing unprecedented pressures that go beyond the normal ebb and flow. High rents have finally cracked a crop of retailers that had adapted and weathered the intrusion of the internet and chain stores thus far—think shoe stores,… Continue reading

Article, ILSR Press Room filed under Independent Business | Written by Rebecca Toews | No Comments | Updated on Nov 25, 2015

‘Tis the Season for Indie Retailers

The content that follows was originally published on the Institute for Local Self-Reliance website at https://ilsr.org/tis-the-season-for-indie-retailers/

Contact: Rebecca Toews Rebecca@ILSR.org 612-808-0689   Amid the hype of online and big-box shopping this weekend, it’s easy to overlook the growing popularity of independent retailers. I invite you to contact Amazon.com’s greatest nemesis, Stacy Mitchell, for a story about Main Street’s Black Friday Takeover. You’ve probably seen Stacy’s research on TedTalks, Bloomberg, and The Wall Street Journal, where… Continue reading

Rule filed under Independent Business | Written by ILSR Admin | No Comments | Updated on Jan 23, 2015

Protecting Chain Retail Workers

The content that follows was originally published on the Institute for Local Self-Reliance website at https://ilsr.org/rule/san-francisco-retail-workers-bill-rights/

Enacted at the end of 2014, the San Francisco Retail Workers Bill of Rights requires large retail and restaurant chains to give workers advance notice of their schedules and offer part-time employees access to more hours before hiring additional people. Continue reading