Did Remote Working Doom a San Francisco Macy's? (sfstandard.com) 215
"These days in San Francisco, every major business closure triggers a rush to assign blame," argues the San Francisco Standard:
When Macy's announced this week that it would shutter its flagship store in Union Square, it unleashed a wave of mourning and recriminations... Mayor London Breed and other local pols like state Sen. Scott Wiener tried to allay fears that Macy's was leaving because of crime, noting the planned closure is one of 150 nationwide. But in a tough election year, it seems few had the appetite to listen to her call for nuance...
The unavoidable truth is the pandemic hollowed out downtown San Francisco's offices and led to an exodus of tech staffers who preferred remote work. It meant the loss of thousands of people who had reason to regularly stroll by Macy's and so many other corporate retailers. Meanwhile, everybody else had even less reason to go shopping in an urban core. Why bother dressing up and schlepping downtown when you could get the same layaway deals online...? [R]etail has been recovering. But it should be no surprise that the recovery has happened largely in suburban markets, which have not experienced a mass exit of workers... Elsewhere, the reality is simple: Malls and department stores have been dying for the last decade, struggling to attract young people and redevelop growing vacant space into desirable uses.
Although Macy's is a legacy name, industry reports show it has been in a real doom loop of its own making. Everyone is angry about retail "shrinkage," an industry term for losses in inventory due to external theft, employee theft and mismanagement. However, reporting by CNBC and others has demonstrated that while corporate retailers may be seeing a bump in retail shrink, it is a smaller factor than other operational missteps. Industry experts suggest that "shrink" can be an excuse for poor inventory management and staffing issues, and brands like Lowe's, Foot Locker and Walgreens are now downplaying organized theft as a primary cause of revenue loss. The reality is that a swath of American retail chains have needed to downsize to remain profitable... [R]eactionary cries for police crackdowns on petty theft and homelessness miss how similar retail shutdowns are happening in cities with tougher crime laws and less visible poverty. Consider that Macy's has already conducted layoffs and cut employee benefits to remain afloat, triggering a worker strike in 2022. Then there's Macy's faltering credit card revenue, which the company said accounted for nearly triple the revenue loss as retail shrink.
While The Standard has reported on Macy's workers blaming theft for the closure, my own visit to Macy's on Tuesday and conversations with longtime sales associates in multiple departments suggested that low staffing, an aging clientele and dips in seasonal shopping have greatly affected business...
Turns out, "scary people stealing things" is a boogeyman that feels more tangible than the obscure machinations of a faltering corporation.
The San Francsico Standard itself was funded in part by billionaire venture capitalist Michael Moritz of Sequoia Capital...
The unavoidable truth is the pandemic hollowed out downtown San Francisco's offices and led to an exodus of tech staffers who preferred remote work. It meant the loss of thousands of people who had reason to regularly stroll by Macy's and so many other corporate retailers. Meanwhile, everybody else had even less reason to go shopping in an urban core. Why bother dressing up and schlepping downtown when you could get the same layaway deals online...? [R]etail has been recovering. But it should be no surprise that the recovery has happened largely in suburban markets, which have not experienced a mass exit of workers... Elsewhere, the reality is simple: Malls and department stores have been dying for the last decade, struggling to attract young people and redevelop growing vacant space into desirable uses.
Although Macy's is a legacy name, industry reports show it has been in a real doom loop of its own making. Everyone is angry about retail "shrinkage," an industry term for losses in inventory due to external theft, employee theft and mismanagement. However, reporting by CNBC and others has demonstrated that while corporate retailers may be seeing a bump in retail shrink, it is a smaller factor than other operational missteps. Industry experts suggest that "shrink" can be an excuse for poor inventory management and staffing issues, and brands like Lowe's, Foot Locker and Walgreens are now downplaying organized theft as a primary cause of revenue loss. The reality is that a swath of American retail chains have needed to downsize to remain profitable... [R]eactionary cries for police crackdowns on petty theft and homelessness miss how similar retail shutdowns are happening in cities with tougher crime laws and less visible poverty. Consider that Macy's has already conducted layoffs and cut employee benefits to remain afloat, triggering a worker strike in 2022. Then there's Macy's faltering credit card revenue, which the company said accounted for nearly triple the revenue loss as retail shrink.
While The Standard has reported on Macy's workers blaming theft for the closure, my own visit to Macy's on Tuesday and conversations with longtime sales associates in multiple departments suggested that low staffing, an aging clientele and dips in seasonal shopping have greatly affected business...
Turns out, "scary people stealing things" is a boogeyman that feels more tangible than the obscure machinations of a faltering corporation.
The San Francsico Standard itself was funded in part by billionaire venture capitalist Michael Moritz of Sequoia Capital...
Probably not (Score:3)
More likely mismanagement & "financialisation" eating away at revenues.
Re: (Score:2)
More likely the cost of real-estate vs the actual market to sell to. Management decisions are likely a secondary, albeit critical reality.
Re: (Score:3)
More likely mismanagement & "financialisation" eating away at revenues.
Correct. My local Macy's shut down about a decade ago. I saw the writing on the wall long before that. Their men's selection kept shrinking both in the size of the men's area compared to women's and overall selection. There was less and less each year and they started putting in their own low-quality clothes.
This week they announced they were shutting 150 more stores and working on improving the "experience". Fuck experience. Pu
Re: (Score:2)
The truth seems to be that it's a lot of factors working together that took down Macy's. Fewer people in downtown workdays is one of them, but only one, and not the big one.
Re: (Score:3)
Our local Macy's -- which was super small to begin with (only one floor, at the smaller end of a dying mall), has a single 'room' for the Men's section. Maybe 100' by 100', and includes the suits, teens, underwear, colognes, etc.
Oh, you wanted a pair of shoes? Hope you like one of the four they have at the store. Looking for a spring jacket? They sell one -- and it's the same one they sell at Dick's Sporting goods.
They got rid of the home, kitchen and bedding sections and turned it into what I can only
That's not how retail works (Score:2)
Macy's has an online store, distribution centers (Score:2)
Macys would have to come up with a lot of money to stuff their stores with items that may or may not sell.
Macy's has adopted a hybrid nature for some stores, they also act as local distribution centers for their online business. I have one locally and their deliveries are pretty fast. I suspect they farm and the very local stuff to use drivers or something.
People just don't shop in person anymore, I know GenZ does not. GenX still does. Millenials, who knows. The demographics are against them.
As they grow older, can no longer afford gym memberships, they will rediscover "malls" as free air conditioned spaces where they can get their steps in for the exercise program. And hookup with the other seniors. They will eventually develop social skills as
Re: (Score:3, Insightful)
Penney's used to give good value on products with good enough to excellent quality and durability, and low-mid market pricing. Eventually, the nice all-cotton Saint John's Bay products degraded to thinner polyester blends. The most glaring degradation, apart from having only 5 sizes of trousers in stock, was the zippers getting shorter, requiring a lift-and-extract to pee, and assuring leakage onto the trousers. Shirts got shorter, requiring a visit to the declining Large and Tall department to find a sh
Re:Probably not (Score:5, Insightful)
Anything to avoid responsibility for letting it turn to sh*t. Being accountable is the left's kryptonite.
Um (Score:2, Insightful)
If by that you mean that losing a captive shopping audience who really didn't want to be in your crime ridden city if they didn't have to be, then maybe. Because that's the only way your theory could work.
Nice to see you be clueless enough to admit it, though.
Re: Um (Score:5, Insightful)
Most brick and mortar stores will eventually disappear. They can't compete with online retailers.
I have been buying all my clothes online for some time now. Way more variety and I get my exact size. Plus cheaper.
Crime is probably not the driving factor.
Re: Um (Score:4, Insightful)
Oh please....crime is a significant "force multiplier" on why people don't want to be downtown. Sure, a captive audience of officer workers nearby may have delayed the inevitable for a time, but people just don't want to be in that area and experience the filth and the crime. That applies to shopping AND working.
And it's not just Macy's. Until the city pulls its head out of its ass and creates an environment where people WANT to spend their time and dollars, it's all over but the shouting. As long as the voters are enabling the politicians who are allowing this to continue, I see little hope of improvement.
Re: (Score:2)
I wasn't talking specifically about downtown stores. My comment was about brick and mortar stores in general. They are facing stiff challenges from online retailers and I can't see anyway they can be price competitive. They are shutting down even in suburbs. But yes, crime might be an issue in some downtowns. Couple that with low office occupancy and hence lower foot traffic.
Re: (Score:2)
Brick and mortar stores act as showrooms and fitting rooms which benefit online retailers, so brands who want to stay relevant need to subsidize them from online sales.
Re: (Score:3)
I wasn't talking specifically about downtown stores. My comment was about brick and mortar stores in general. They are facing stiff challenges from online retailers and I can't see anyway they can be price competitive.
They only need to be price reasonable. They can compete on convenience and service.
Most recent thing I bought on-line: A pool cue. I bought it on-line, through Walmart.com. Sold and shipped by Southern Billiards, Inc. - which - guess what? Is a brick and mortar store in Atlanta.
Fun fact: first cue they sent me seemed to have been lost in the mail. They sent another 2nd day air to ensure I had something for my child's birthday, at their own expense! If I lived in the Atlanta area - guess what brick &
Re: Um (Score:4, Insightful)
So what is your solution to the crime?
Police budgets are already at insane levels. Anything that addresses the problems like homelessness and poverty can't be done because it's socialism.
It seems like the politicians are between a rock and a hard place. The electorate demands they fix crime, but is terrified of the solutions.
Re: (Score:2, Insightful)
Why would anyone want to flee crime, filth, high taxes and high cost of living....
And I get moderated as a "troll" for daring to say it out loud.
**shrug**
The victims ARE ENABLING the people that are victimizing them. So yes, I suppose I am blaming the victims for electing folks that perpetuate the policies that have brought the city to where it is today.
You can't expect people to WANT to be in SFO it is an unpleasant place to spend one's time/money/energy.
Re: Um (Score:4, Insightful)
Re: (Score:2)
Nobody gets mugged at gunpoint in their home, and nobody is going to willingly go to an area where they think they're going to get mugged at gunpoint or have their car smash and grabbed, so they stay home and feed Amazon.
The malls that I see that are thriving are swarming with security visible both inside and out. Crime is at a absolute minimum and retailers are packed. The dying malls around here have to cut costs, and one of the first things they lax on second only to building maintenance is security. Cri
Re: (Score:2)
Most brick and mortar stores will eventually disappear. They can't compete with online retailers.
Sure they can, If I want something RIGHT FUCKING NOW, on-line isn't going to cut it. Example: two nights ago when I went out at 9:00 PM to get my wife some NyQuil. Another example: when I was working on my Jeep and snapped a bolt off, and went to a local auto store to get a solution. Another example: Jeep battery died. Hopped in the car and went to Costco to get one.
And good luck getting a sheet of plywood from Amazon delivered for anything approaching a reasonable cost. In the meantime, I can scoot right down to Lowe's and pick one up.
Re: Um (Score:2)
Spoken like someone who has never seen a coin operated shopping cart. I bet the city would fill you with wonder if you ever got to one.
Time to move on (Score:4, Informative)
Re: (Score:2)
While this is the correct answer, when have the powerful people who stand to lose ever just "let go and move on"?
The buggy whip makers didn't let go when the automobile was invented. The record companies still haven't let go in the face of the internet. Likewise, the owners of the chain stores in the downtown areas of cities like San Francisco, along with the real estate owners and middle-manager PHBs, aren't going to just lie down for WFH.
Far easier to try and cruise on institutional momentum and fight the
Re:Time to move on (Score:5, Insightful)
Downtown isn't obsolete, far from it.
Offices are obsolete. Downtown is where people want to live.
Department stores are obsolete. Grocery stores are very much not. Restaurants are very much not. Specialty shops are very much not.
Office buildings need to be turned into housing - with home offices, because that's the future.
Re: (Score:2)
Office buildings need to be turned into housing
Correction: Office buildings need to be turned into mixed-use development. Just concentrating a bunch of people living in a place is not a good idea either.
You know, a building with a shopping centre, restaurants, housing, and flex rent office space all in one.
Re: (Score:2)
I'm not convinced of there being much need for flex rent office space, but other that that you are correct, it does need to be mixed use. There's not much point in having residential on the ground floor.
Re: (Score:2)
Sure, but. If the new downtown pretty much only has location and name in common with the old one, does it make much sense to consider it the same thing?
Whether downtown can be turned residential is yet to be seen. Yes, people are scrambling to do it, this is the only hope to not end up writing off the real estate. But an office tower has not been built with tower block needs in mind. Most importantly, many office towers have a much lower circumference/floor area ratio, which in a residential setting creates
Re: (Score:2)
"Downtown is where SOME people want to live" FTFY
Same goes for the rest of your overly broad generalizations, you should have just said "I think" or "for me personally"
Re:Time to move on (Score:5, Insightful)
Light industry returns to city (Score:2)
Downtown is obsolete. Time to let go and move on. To everyone who got left holding a bag of real estate, suck it up, you are probably going to buy a bailout anyway.
No, downtown will become cheaper. And locating light manufacturing in urban areas will once again become plausible. Which would be a good thing, jobs for the working class not high privilege tech bros.
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
Do you really think the homeless guy living in a tent or under a tarp in the snow has it better then 80% of the world?
Re: Time to move on (Score:2)
I was in the US recently, and it seems downtowns are doing better than they did compared to when I lived in the US in the 90s. Times change, and people want to live downtown for many reasons. The current situation will also change, and I think people will continue to want to live there. Maybe it will have to get cheaper first, but that adjustment will happen.
The problem being? (Score:2)
You might have noticed that all the mail-order shops are gone and got replaced by online shopping places.
Get out of the way of progress, hackneys, nobody needs you anymore.
Re: (Score:2)
A large number of this online shops by volume, places like Amazon and the new up and coming Temu work by selling blatantly illegal imports then disclaiming all responsibility while taking a healthy profit.
If the choice was Amazon or a department store, I'd choose the latter every time because I value not being electrocuted while my house burns down...
Actually come to think of it, I do shop are department stores. Sometimes it's useful to see things in person. Sometimes it's useful to have something now. Some
Yes, and good riddance (Score:4, Insightful)
I for one do not want to drive around looking for stuff and then either settle for what they have or for nothing, I want to research what is the best product for me at my price point and then buy it. Everybody hates working retail anyway. Let's be more efficient.
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
The last time I bought a mattress, I ordered it online. It's better than any mattress I've seen in a store in decades, those all have horrible metal springs in them, this one doesn't, it's comfy foam all the way through. And it was about $200, not thousands. The only thing I've ever seen that was better was one of those sleep number beds, and that's because those can be actively cooled and you can make adjustments yourself, depending on what you want at that moment. Out of my price range, but also can b
What Convenience, will become. (Score:2)
I for one do not want to drive around looking for stuff and then either settle for what they have or for nothing, I want to research what is the best product for me at my price point and then buy it. Everybody hates working retail anyway. Let's be more efficient.
Efficient? Ever consider the fact your entire retail life and needs are going to be at the whim of shipping and handling? You won’t get stuff online in an hour for an event tonight. You will have nothing at that moment. Except a fading memory of retail reminding you of what convenience used to be.
I truly have no idea how FOMO McLastMinute is gonna handle it when they realize the new-and-improved way might be feeding that whole Missing Out problem. We’re a long way off from delivering procra
Re: (Score:2)
Except a fading memory of retail reminding you of what convenience used to be.
Clearly your memories of retail have faded, and you're remembering it nostalgically. At least nine times in ten when I go out shopping for some particular thing, it's nowhere to be found and I either wind up with something I didn't want, or coming home and ordering the thing. Trying to find out over the phone whether the stores have what I want is often even more frustrating than that. They don't know, they don't want to know, and it takes an age to even get through to someone who doesn't know.
There are a f
My story. (Score:4, Interesting)
I got absolutely screwed when I bought a condo before it had been constructed. 2008, close to downtown. Stayed in it too long, found out the builder fucked us, and we were on the hook for massive costs to fix the envelope. Rather than pony up $65,000, and having no mortgage, I sold the unit to somebody willing to assume the debt, and took a major loss, getting less than half of what I paid for it. Best possible decision. Not only are the costs to remediate growing larger, but the value of the unit when fixed is dropping as downtown real estate prices collapse. My willingness to write off the property saved me from this boat anchor.
These events didn't torpedo my financial life. I was free and clear, so while there was a loss on paper, it did not impact my life in any meaningful way. But in my building were tons of young people for whom the equity in their home was nearly their entire net worth, and they are stuck there for the foreseeable future, completely underwater.
The people owning homes in our downtown are in for some serious heartache. I don't weep for the speculators... that's why it's called speculation. I feel for those young, first time buyers who get to start not from zero... but from a negative position.
Re: (Score:2)
I have a house that is 5 minutes from downtown Pittsburgh (when there is no traffic). It's not even worth 2x what I paid 10 years ago, and that's after dumping some $50K into it. By the time you subtract transaction costs on both ends, I'm probably only $50K area on an $135K house I've had for 10 years. Probably not much better than renting.
Definitely can't depend on value increases.
Re: (Score:3)
Laughable Headline (Score:3)
I think more likely it's Amazon that's the root cause.
It's a multivariable situation (Score:4, Insightful)
Is it WfH cutting more foot traffic? Local crime rates (which will be correlated to some degree to the declining local economy)? General death of bricks & mortar retail due to online shopping?
It will be all of these things, and more. And very likely at least two of them will have enough of a share of responsibility for the outcome that you can't point at just one and say, "That's it, that's the reason".
No, the death of tourism did (Score:5, Insightful)
What killed Macy's Union Square was the destruction of tourism from within and without. This allowed the Tenderloin to push towards Union Square, and eliminated a large number of shoppers. That created a death spiral for the area. I would guess that recovering Union Square is going to take more than fixing the situation in the financial district. Macy's was always the anchor for the area, so its loss will have much more profound impact on any future recovery. All the Union Square-adjacent areas have already fallen back to what they were 30 years ago.
It will be an uphill battle to restore tourism, bring back retail, and eventually get the office space absorption that is needed to keep FiDi and SoMa viable. Overstated stories of doom, crime, and homelessness just make the prospects harder.
Re: (Score:2)
What killed Macy's Union Square was the destruction of tourism from within and without. This allowed the Tenderloin to push towards Union Square, and eliminated a large number of shoppers. That created a death spiral for the area. I would guess that recovering Union Square is going to take more than fixing the situation in the financial district. Macy's was always the anchor for the area, so its loss will have much more profound impact on any future recovery. All the Union Square-adjacent areas have already fallen back to what they were 30 years ago.
The spread of Tenderloin was because of the BLM / Defund police movement along with the now recalled San Francisco District Attorney known for being far too soft on crime, not because there were less tourists.
That spread of crime and covid had a large impact on the retail health in SF. My recent travels outside of the US has not seen anywhere near this level of destruction.
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
What killed Macy's Union Square was the destruction of tourism from within and without. This allowed the Tenderloin to push towards Union Square, and eliminated a large number of shoppers. That created a death spiral for the area. I would guess that recovering Union Square is going to take more than fixing the situation in the financial district. Macy's was always the anchor for the area, so its loss will have much more profound impact on any future recovery. All the Union Square-adjacent areas have already fallen back to what they were 30 years ago.
It will be an uphill battle to restore tourism, bring back retail, and eventually get the office space absorption that is needed to keep FiDi and SoMa viable. Overstated stories of doom, crime, and homelessness just make the prospects harder.
I was in the area recently for a conference, there were office buildings on either side of the hotel, outside of ground floor tenants I didn't see a single person in either of them.
Tourists are generally there to see and experience stuff, not shop at an upscale department store and fill up their luggage with things to bring home (there are exceptions of course).
If you have an upscale department store you need wealthy locals to shop there, not tourists, if you have a lively downtown district you need locals
Dubious premise (Score:2)
The headline assumes that people had the time to go shopping during the work day. Granted, a lot of people's work ethic results in two-hour lunches where shopping might take place but still. Maybe remote work was a factor but it sure as well wasn't the only one. The cost of doing business there was too high. It's as simple as that.
Re: (Score:2)
Yeah, and it's not as if brick-and-mortar retail hasn't been in significant decline during the past two decades either. It's just that the downtown landlords, business CEOs, and city governments have largely stayed in denial until the bottom completely fell out and they couldn't ignore it anymore.
Seems dubious... (Score:3)
This is a department store though: furniture, clothing, cosmetics, jewelry, housewares of various sorts. Am I claiming that literally nobody has ever popped over in an emergency after spilling coffee on their pants; or that it has never benefitted from being more convenient because it's on the way home from work? No, that sort of thing must happen at least occasionally. Do I buy that people drawn to the area by the fact that they work there are the primary audience for those sorts of (more typically) planned purchases? That seems like a hard sell.
They're trying to downplay theft..... (Score:5, Informative)
What about (Score:2)
You can call it a boogyman all you want, but... (Score:2)
What turns people off a bout shopping in San Francisco, which used to be a major tourist activity, is not the low probability that they will happen to be at Nordstrom's when the flash mob storms through and cleans the place out. It'a the much higher probability that their car will be broken into - or carjacked - before they can get their purchases home.
When you were little, the monster hid under your bed. Today, it's in the parking garage.
No it did not (Score:2)
Other cities around the world are not experiencing the 'doom loop' that SF is currently. So no, its not remote work. Downtowns of other cities around the world are just fine, even today.
I go to SF often for work. Rents are still (extremely) high, so lots of people live there, and want to live there, even today. Heck, if I could afford it, I'd go live there.
However... in the business districts, like where this Macy's is, is a (very) serious drug (meth, fentanyl in particular) addition problem, which causes c
Macy's killed Macy's (Score:3)
Macy's used to be a nice store. It, like basically every other store of its type decided to over the last two decades become cesspools of crappy products. That's why they're failing. It's got nothing to do with office workers.
I stopped going to SF Macys⦠(Score:2)
No. (Betteridge) (Score:2)
The city just needs the property to expand the Tenderloin district.
You have to please your constituency.
Re:Of course (Score:5, Insightful)
Let's be honest here, most of the "culture" in corporations belong into Petri dishes in a hazmat-suit wearing environment, that's how toxic they are. The less you're exposed to that, the better for your health.
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2, Flamebait)
What do you mean by "corporate culture?" I know my company's culture is toxic. They have keyloggers and screen watchers on our personal HOME computers that we can't turn off, which they can use to watch in anytime, surreptitiously.
If you WFH its a work computer, use a VM. (Score:3)
What do you mean by "corporate culture?" I know my company's culture is toxic. They have keyloggers and screen watchers on our personal HOME computers that we can't turn off, which they can use to watch in anytime, surreptitiously.
Then it's a work computer. You are simply buying your own tools as many in the trades have always done. A work computer you happen to use for personal stuff, just like the tradesman may use his tools to fix things around the house.
And if you work from home the key loggers and screen captures are a reasonable compromise for the privilege. The company does have a right to manage you. Personally, I have a work virtual machine with the key logger / screen capture software, it's where I work. Outside the VM o
Re: (Score:2)
Total nonsense. They should have told me my personal computer would by spied on BEFORE I accepted the job offer. And they sure as hell shouldn't have had me install it without telling me it was more than just a VPN.
Re: (Score:2)
Wow, that's horrific. I'd require/request a work PC to use in that case. Or buy a cheap one, and expense it, again, just for work.
IANAL, but if what you're describing is the case, I'd be surprised if that doesn't violate some privacy / worker rights laws.
Re: (Score:3)
So when you buy a computer, the company sends ninjas to install keyloggers? How do they get on to your home computer?
Many companies require you to use your own computer as a condition of WFH.
Some require WFH employees to install monitoring software. "They" don't install the software. The employees do.
The logging can be configured to run at certain times, or it can be configured to turn on when you "clock in" and turn off when you "clock out".
Re: (Score:3)
Many companies require you to use your own computer as a condition of WFH.
In that case, such a device can then can probably be designated as 100% working computer - no personal use. Esp. if they want to mandate things like disk encryption and the like - with corporate decryption keys?
Can't you get a tax deduction on that then?
Re: (Score:3)
Yeah, I'd call it a work computer and claim it as a work expense. It would only be used for work. Same with a printer if necessary.
Hell, at that point I'd probably isolate it on its own network as well, such as a guest network. I'm fond of wiring stuff over wireless, so I'd probably need to get a business type router that can truly separate traffic. As in the business PC cannot see my home devices, computer and otherwise.
Two unroutable blocks of IP addresses (Score:3)
Yeah, I'd call it a work computer and claim it as a work expense. It would only be used for work. Same with a printer if necessary.
Yep. It's just like the tradesman who have to buy their own tools. The tax codes and accounting for this already exists.
Hell, at that point I'd probably isolate it on its own network as well, such as a guest network.
Yep. There are two unroutable blocks of IP address, use one for home and one for work.
Re: (Score:2)
I haven't done this type of thing in a long time, so my memory might be playing games, but I'd think that you'd need to have firewall rules on both subnets blocking all traffic from the other one.
Re: (Score:2)
Possibly, depends on the equipment you're using. I'm figuring on a cheapish home wireless router, and what you can do while minimizing expense.
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/... [wikipedia.org]
Re: (Score:2)
If you have to bring your own plunger in California, your employer has to pay you at least twice the minimum wage, therefore $32/hour currently.
Or they can provide the plunger and pay you $16.
Re:Two unroutable blocks of IP addresses (Score:4, Informative)
I think you're dissing plumbers a bit. My brother's an electrician, so similar but different trade.
The pipes and sink aren't tools, they're supplies. So they're part of a specific job, purchased and employed for such. Sometimes they're "stock" in the sense that they're in the van so the plumber can diagnose and fix the problem in one trip.
Tools would be the plunger, snake(for when the plunger doesn't work), pipe wrenches, various screw and socket drivers for various bits - taking off faucet parts often takes a allen key, for example. Torch for welding. Pipe cutters. Etc...
Re: (Score:3)
Can't you get a tax deduction on that then?
Not since Trump's "tax cut" eliminated the deduction for unreimbursed employee expenses. Incidentally, what actual tax cuts that were in the act for ordinary people expire next year.
Re: Of course (Score:5, Informative)
Congratulations! You have utterly failed at reading!
From Turbo Tax's website [intuit.com]:
Beginning in 2018, unreimbursed employee expenses are no longer eligible for a tax deduction on your federal tax return
When that bit of Trump's "tax cut" expires after 2025, employees will be able to deduct those expenses again. The deduction doesn't expire if Biden lets the The Tax Cut and Jobs Act expire. It comes back.
The one thing you got right was that Trump didn't originate that deduction. He just eliminated it for a while.
Re: (Score:2)
Re: Of course (Score:5, Interesting)
I work remotely. They required me to install a VPN that strangely required admin access. Later my boss let slip that it had all these "features" when he complained that I was a few hours short of 40 one week, and wondered how I was going to make that up, or be docked pay or PTO. He didn't attempt to hide it at that point, but it was never mentioned before then.
And of course, he never says a word when I'm well over 40, most weeks. This is pretty normal for a salaried programmer. This company is a real POS.
Re:Of course (Score:4, Interesting)
There is a direct correlation between WFH and the damage that it causes to retail, restaurants and commercial office space real-estate.
Too fucking bad....for them. If they can't change with the times and adapt then they'll be left behind. This isn't rocket science- things change and you have to keep up.
The rise of automobiles devastated the buggy whip market, but so what? No one moaned about helping the poor buggy whip makers and how we must assist them with subsidies and career transition services.
Remember cassette tapes? Yeah me neither. That's because they had their time and were then replaced with something better. No one objected that "Big CD" was putting "cassette culture" out of business.
As far as "corporate culture" goes, I've seen hundreds of corporate cultures and none of them are worth a bucket of warm spit. It's all bullshit spun up to try and keep the worker bees happy. Keep your "corporate culture" and let me work at home where I can ignore it and get some work done.
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
And now records are coming back.
My 2 cents: LOL, no. Records aren't coming back anymore than Jesus is.
A few hipsters and audiophiles are bleating about vinyl precisely because it's old tech, out of date, and wonderfully "nichey". They're no different than people who wear Chukka boots specifically because no one else is wearing them.
"I want to be different, just like everyone else!", they cry, while dressed alike in a flannel shirt, jeans, and a knit watch cap, sporting the classic Hipster 5-day-old beard.
Slobbering over vinyl is just a wa
Re: (Score:2)
Actually, records often have a better mix then CD's and other digital recordings. Not that they couldn't do the same mix on digital, just that they don't and instead focus on loudness. Records are more limited then digital. See the loudness wars, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/... [wikipedia.org]
Re: (Score:2)
My 2 cents: LOL, no. Records aren't coming back anymore than Jesus is.
I'm reminded from that line from Twister: "It's already here!"
Records are on the shelves of Walmart and Target. Last time I was at Best Buy, they still had them too and they've gotten rid of most of their other forms of physical media. They're not primarily being purchased by hipsters and audiophiles, as you assumed, but instead mostly by Gen Z as collectables. Yeah, I'd like to imagine nostalgic Gen Xers are a contributing factor too, but any time I've been to the local record store, the clientele is q
Re: (Score:2)
Cities and corps should have realized that offices are NEVER coming back, and moved faster to convert empty office buildings to residential. People want to live in cities, nobody wants to go to an office, and nobody should have to go to an office.
If it can be done from an office, it can be done from home.
And corporate culture has always needed a heavy dose of disinfectant.
Re: (Score:2)
People want to live in cities, nobody wants to go to an office, and nobody should have to go to an office.
Generally, urban dwelling is motivated by a desire to live somewhere closer to work. If you can do 100% WFH, why wouldn't you want some space between you and your neighbors?
I understand that some people really do enjoy the social aspect of being around lots of other people, but generally it just ends up being annoying and restrictive of your own freedoms. If I want to watch a movie at 1AM with the sound cranked to 11, I should be able to. Try doing that in an apartment and see what happens.
Re:Of course (Score:5, Insightful)
Re: (Score:2)
If people are productive and the company is profitable, what do you need "corporate culture" for.
Personally, I don't work for culture. I work for one and only one reason: compensation.
Re: (Score:2)
There is a direct correlation between WFH and the damage that it causes to retail, restaurants and commercial office space real-estate. We're entering the phase where companies are realizing it's hard to introduce new virtual workers and have any type of corporate culture.
Somewhat more than a century ago, there was a direct correlation between the rise in automobile manufacturing and the significant decline in a broad range of horse-centric businesses - not just the Slashdot-meme buggy whip manufacturers, but also saddle makers, carriage builders, and large-animal veterinary practices.
The world changes. Technology advances. Businesses either adapt or they die.
Scary people [Re:That's fine] (Score:2, Insightful)
Turns out, "scary people stealing things" is a boogeyman that feels more tangible than the obscure machinations of a faltering corporation.
That's fine. We'll tell the "scary people stealing things" to go to your house and steal your things, since you don't mind, and they don't scare you ..
I warn you though, it might start to feel tangible ...
A large fraction of "shrinkage" is from employees taking stuff right off the loading dock. Or from the trucks delivering it to the store.
In terms of your metaphor of people coming to your house, you might worry more about your aunt Mable who saw those diamond earrings on the night-stand upstairs, or your kid who's mad that you refused to buy those Golden Goose Superstar Leather Low-Top Sneakers that all the cool kids wear.
Re: Scary people [Re:That's fine] (Score:3, Informative)
Just go look at the data. From the George Floyd looting onwards that singular store has been looted at least 5 times (meaning gang thefts) with damages topping $150k in one instance and any other day they are regularly hit by shoplifters that simply walk out while police have been informed that they cannot arrest anyone stealing less than $900.
If an employee were responsible for a million annual losses from theft, they would be behind bars for a long time.
And itâ(TM)s not just Macyâ(TM)s, at least
Re: (Score:2)
I worked at a dollar store for a few years as a cashier. The location had very high shrink, and most of it was from employees grabbing up hot items before they even hit the shelves. One shift manager would have her daughter come in, load up 2 carts full of the whole week's shopping, pretend to "check her out" and let her walk out with anything in the store.
When corporate eventually inventoried, it was something like $300k of merchandise missing. They fired the store manager, but nobody went to jail. Now for
Re: (Score:3)
57% of retail theft is committed by insiders, with or without outsider assistance.
However, wage theft exceeds all other theft combined...
Re: Scary people [Re:That's fine] (Score:5, Interesting)
Re: (Score:2)
This is essentially what is happening. Stores close to reduce the company's attack surface, after enough stores do that, the thefts and robberies get directed at individuals instead. At that point, for the solution-minded, the question becomes how to avoid having mobs of desperate people in your country.
Re: (Score:2)
You're assuming that self awareness is a skill possessed by the people who keep voting for this shite.
They'll blame Amazon/Covid/inflation/little green men/etc before they'll take ownership of the fact that they have enabled this environment. Once COVID came along and people realized that companies could operate with a remote workforce, that was the the straw that broke the camel's back in terms of keeping people who didn't WANT to be in SFO tethered to the area.
Fix the city (if you can) and then maybe peo
Re: (Score:2)
Fix the city (if you can) and then maybe people will come back because they actually want to.
Your entire post confirmed why we shouldn’t even bother wondering about their future. Ignorance and Stupidity confirmed why we should stop assuming about California.
The only ones wanting to “fix” San Francisco are the ones looking to profit from its destruction. I was merely hoping tech brains building that city would be smart enough to realize that long ago.
Re: (Score:2)
Gotta love the right winger who gleefully turns to California bashing the second.the name comes up, regardless of context. There are major cities in this country with ten times the homicide rate of SF but those are in red states and conservatives would have to face uncomfortable discussions about their views to discuss those problems so harping on San Francisco for far lesser issues it is!
Heaven forbid people like you focus on anything that isn't "owning the libs".
I'm not worried about getting murdered. But I would like to walk down the sidewalk without getting shit on my shoes and being accosted by homeless drug addicts everywhere I go.
Re: (Score:3)
Not a clue. I've never been in one in my life. Department stores are dying, because they're an idea that no longer makes sense.
I don't want to have to walk through a clothing department to buy a screwdriver. I don't want to walk though ticky-tacky to buy groceries.
It's why I refuse to set foot in a Walmart or Target, I get groceries at a store that sells food, not lawn furniture.