Al Norman

“Guru of the anti-Wal-Mart movement”—60 Minutes. How Big Box retailers impact everybody else.

[Al Norman @SprawlBusters]

12 people were exposed to noxious chemicals at a Home Depot in Freeport, NY, from a chemical reaction with bleach. 3 people were hospitalized. “People should not have to worry about being exposed to dangerous chemicals while they are shopping.”

https://t.co/d2qrLQpFHE

[Al Norman @SprawlBusters]

TRUMP FAIL: “For the first time ever, the Republican Party will hold a midterm convention. It will be in Dallas, Texas — one of my favorite places in the World. It will be fantastic…a truly historic event… to celebrate the Great American Comeback."

https://t.co/e9IEK96r7k

[Al Norman @SprawlBusters]

Kroger buys a Giant Eagle for $1.65 B. Giant Eagle has 197 supermarkets in Ohio, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Maryland & Indiana. Kroger has 2,697 stores. This merger hurts competition and hurts the consumer.

https://t.co/vEA4FF9eSZ

[Al Norman @SprawlBusters]

A Virginia construction company has received a no-bid contract for up to $500 million to build a ballroom for Donald Trump, half of which will be charged to taxpayers. Trump will literally dance on the gravesite of the death of American democracy.
https://t.co/rtwPKnuTNu

[Al Norman @SprawlBusters]

Home Depot & Lowe’s were category killers throughout 2025, capturing an average of 28% and 17% share in our tracked home improvement categories.” These 2 giants control 45% of the building supply market.
I have avoided these chains for 33 years.

https://t.co/v0VeweJtZV

[Al Norman @SprawlBusters]

https://t.co/haTzI6da8L

[Al Norman @SprawlBusters]

A hardware store in Missouri which opened in 1937 has shut down, unable to compete with HD & AMZN. “We tried to sell it,” the owner said. “Big box stores take all the customers away from your mom and pop shops.”

https://t.co/ej9bijKeY9

[Al Norman @SprawlBusters]

WIRED. “If you click a link on our pages and purchase a product on the retailers website… the retailer sends us a small % of the money spent. This is known as an affiliate commission.” This is the internet version of “Payola.”

https://t.co/ezNuNvmZFY

[Al Norman @SprawlBusters]

A 40 year old man was electrocuted at a WMT store being remodeled, and died at a nearby hospital. Shopping for WMT bargains can kill you—shop local.

https://t.co/yNGiTBw7Fw

[Al Norman @SprawlBusters]

A Mississippi police officer involved in the deadly shooting of one-year-old at a WMT has been placed on administrative leave, and protestors were tear-gassed by county police outside the WMT. Most dangerous place in America to shop.

https://t.co/NpvJyzgXws

[Al Norman @SprawlBusters]

Elon Musk got all the money he spent electing Donald Trump back through tax cuts & special favors, after leading the Administration’s efforts to gut services & programs for working people.”
Billionaire Wealth Surges Past $9 Trillion for First Time - Americans For Tax Fairness

[Al Norman @SprawlBusters]

This month the US House passed a transportation bill at 2 AM that shields Uber & Lyft from injury lawsuits and sexual assault claims. Uber is facing thousands of class action lawsuits for rampant sexual assault cases.

https://t.co/WUfBQuwhpK

[Al Norman @SprawlBusters]

A CHAIN INSIDE A CHAIN: WMT celebrates 150 stores with a Dunkin’ inside. Tasteless coffee inside a cheap emporium. Make your own latte at home.

https://t.co/NsFVJDumpT

[Al Norman @SprawlBusters]

The revenues & profits made by [AMZN v SPX] are very different.
AMZN= $30.3B profit in Q1 of 2026, SPX lost $4.3B 2025. AMZN = $716.9B in sales, SPX made $18.67B. Why invest in a colony on Mars after seeing what we did to this planet?
https://t.co/9fPlQLjuwA

[Al Norman @SprawlBusters]

“Walmart Deals”— will run June 22 through June 28 — the same week as rival “Amazon’s Prime Days” event. Walmart+ members only will get first shot at “hot Deal drops” in the first 24 hours, while supplies last. My deals will all be from local shops.

https://t.co/9mSROHy7VT

[Al Norman @SprawlBusters]

AMZN PRIME DAYS run from June 23 until June 26. Most of the “best deals” links like this one from Yahoo say: “If you buy through our links, we may earn commission.” Local shops get stiffed.

https://t.co/ieT8OZKSe6

[Al Norman @SprawlBusters]

Amazon engineers were able to get Anthropic’s Fable 5 model to reveal secret info on how to aid cyberattacks.
Product release shut down.
https://t.co/YH7qAx3fqw

[Al Norman @SprawlBusters]

Secretaries of state refusing to give Trump voters’ lists. USPS is threatening to shut down mail-in voting in states that refuse to share their voter data. White House is trying to reduce voter turnout as part of “rolling coup” to cancel 2028 election as a national emergency..

[Al Norman @SprawlBusters]

Virginia hosts the most data centers in the nation: 660 operating, & 600 planned. 1 of those projects hit a roadblock. The stakeholders in a massive 2,100-acre data center are pulling out after getting hammered by angry residents who oppose the project.
https://t.co/kwCG84vjNn

[Al Norman @SprawlBusters]

Local residents are revolting against a $100 B AI data center project on 40,000 acres in Utah. “Wonder Valley,” backed by Shark Tank’s Kevin O’Leary, has a huge tax break, which would consume more than twice the electricity used by the entire state.”
https://t.co/RWHGuNdeEh