@PitcherList Thanks for such a detailed explanation. Just remember that the majority might be silent about this, but it’s bc we get it & we enjoy it. Thanks for keeping the fun in what you do! I keep meaning to order my Toby shirt, even if it means I’m the only one around IRL who appreciates
@bdentrek It’s so surprising. For long stretches, he has shown talent and success at the MLB level but for injuries. But now? I want to say there’s no way that guy is merely a AAAA player but I’m no longer sure
SABRES:
✅ sing along to O Canada
✅ love Labatt and Tim Hortons
✅ welcome everyone from across the border
HABS:
❌ tried to separate from Canada
❌ eat "St-Hubert's" or something
❌ will send you to jail if you speak English
I know who Canada's team is
Amazon just got caught running a secret price manipulation operation with Levi's, Home Depot, Walmart, and many more.
Every time you "comparison shopped" online, you were looking at prices that were already rigged.
Here's what happened:
Amazon would monitor prices on Walmart, Target, Best Buy, Home Depot, and Chewy in real time. The second a competitor listed a product cheaper than Amazon, they'd contact the brand directly and tell them to "fix it."
And the exact emails are now PUBLIC.
Amazon sent Levi's links to two Walmart listings with the subject line "styles of concern." They basically said the prices on Walmart are too low and we have a problem.
The next day, Levi's responded: "I talked to Walmart and they have partnered with us to take Easy Khaki Classic fit back up to ladder SPP price, $29.99 immediately."
Levi's literally called Walmart and told them to raise the price. Because Amazon told Levi's to make the call.
Walmart complied. Then Amazon matched the HIGHER price.
Both retailers ended up charging more. The customer paid extra. Nobody competed.
Same playbook with Hanes:
Amazon sent them links showing Target and Walmart prices were lower. Hanes confirmed they "reached out to Target and Walmart to have the prices increased."
Target increased the prices. Walmart increased the prices. Amazon kept their margins.
But it gets even worse...
Amazon told Allergan (the company that makes eye drops) that their product was "suppressed" on Amazon because it was cheaper on another site.
Allergan responded: "Walmart got their price back up to $16.99." Amazon then unsuppressed the listing.
They did this with pet treats on Chewy. Furniture on Home Depot. Products across dozens of categories spanning YEARS.
The mechanism is simple but terrifying:
If you're a brand and you sell cheaper on Walmart than on Amazon, Amazon suppresses your product, removes you from the Buy Box, buries you in search results, and effectively makes you invisible to 300 million customers.
Brands can't afford that. So they call Walmart and Target and say "raise your prices or we'll lose our Amazon listings."
Walmart and Target comply because they need the brand's products.
Amazon captures 40 cents of every dollar spent online in America. That gives them the leverage to set prices across THE ENTIRE internet. Not just their own platform.
So turns out, you were never comparison shopping.
You were looking at a coordinated price floor set by Amazon through backroom phone calls between brands and their competitors.
"Amazon is working to make your life more unaffordable."
3 separate antitrust trials are now scheduled for 2027. The FTC has its own case. 18 states plus the DOJ are piling on.
This is literally happening during the WORST affordability crisis in a generation. Groceries up 25% since 2020. Housing unaffordable. Wages flat.
And the largest ecommerce company on Earth has been secretly coordinating with brands to make sure you can't find a cheaper price ANYWHERE.
"Competition" in retail is just a fantasy.
@SabreUnfiltered Overall great experience! They did a good job of planning enough open space with good sightlines of the screens to accommodate the crowd. Easy to view the game, fun in person experience. Food truck lines too long/slow. Wish I ate before. But could at least watch from afar in line
Buffalo hasn't made the playoffs since 2011... but
• they were the largest U.S. market for the 2026 Olympic Gold Medal Game
• In 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2022, 2023, 2024 Stanley Cup Finals they were the largest local viewership from a neutral market
• In 2016, 2017, 2018, and 2019 they were the 3rd largest local viewership of any U.S. city for the complete postseason
• Game 1 tickets this year were $464 USD on average, the most of any team in the NHL
• they're projected as the largest U.S. market for the 2026 regular season
They're the most passionate American hockey city, hands down.