Andy Olson

For Leftists, politics is their religion. The answer isn’t Conservative politics, it’s the Gospel.

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.

@AvgAndy Yep! Thankfully, so does the exterior door handle! 🤣

So grateful for YouTube repair videos. My driver’s side internal door handle just snapped something internally and I can’t open the door from the inside. Thanks to YouTube, I was able to disassemble the inside of the door, identify the problem, and order a new handle. Within a couple days, it should be working just fine again. Thank you, Lord.

I only wish I had finished my next two ratings so I could be the one instructing him. But I'm off tonight to do a Night Cross-Country that I need for my Commercial Rating. Maybe I can get Instructor, and Instructor-Instrument before he is ready to start working on his Instrument.

Proud Papa moment: Not a week after getting my Instrument Rating, my son is up on his first flight lesson.

@RScottClark @PatAbendroth Rereading. Would cost **$2** without the syrups. Odd typo.

@AvgAndy @PatAbendroth Every time I get lunch now I have to take a deep breath.

Thinking I prefer the non Mormon version.

@RScottClark @PatAbendroth I do too, but the couple I've been to in my area are really expensive. Like $6 for something that would cost $6 without the syrups.

@AvgAndy @PatAbendroth I kinda like those.

@RScottClark @PatAbendroth Adding flavor syrups makes it dirty. It's kind of a new fad. Even the new grocery store by us has a Dirty Soda counter. $6 for your favorite, with a couple flavors added.

@PatAbendroth What makes it dirty?

@Chris_Hohnholz Was the firearms qualification for the job you retired from?

Busy day today. Started with doing the laundry. Then did my semi-annual firearms qualification for work. Good for another six months. Dropped off mother-in-law’s baking dish at her house. Picked up my wife’s new phone and made a Costco run. Got home, put everything away and did a little yard work. Still a few more things to do, but a productive day overall.

@Chris_Hohnholz @ImJimR87 You mean foisted BY you? 😜

@AvgAndy @ImJimR87 That “reputation” was overblown beyond reality and was foisted upon me! 🤣

I’ve got one more silver dollar…

@Chris_Hohnholz @ImJimR87 Lie? Do you deny the reputation you've developed? Or is that only book giveaways?

@ImJimR87 @AvgAndy Why y’all gotta lie about me like this!?

@ImJimR87 Oh good. I assume @Chris_Hohnholz would have won it anyway.

@AvgAndy No

@jaysonyork @AKofiCup Kofi, that's just not true. Take the opportunity, if it comes up. I'll try to come down too, if you do.

@AKofiCup Depends on your version of “riot”, but in general, I am not really all that fun

I wanna visit Chicago, purely to hang out with @jaysonyork. I imagine it would be a complete riot.

@jaysonyork To be clear, I pointed out Rockford only as a reference to the requirements. Dupage is only about 15 minutes further. If I did it as my Commercial rating requirement, I would go to Dupage.

@AvgAndy Do the SC trip, and let’s do pizza on your stopover. There is a giordanos about a mile from Dupage

Could use prayer today. The Lord knows what I need. (Nothing work, family, or health related.)

@jaysonyork I'll plan on making that stop.

@jaysonyork If not that, I'm determined to go visit family in South Carolina, hopefully this summer sometime. A fuel & food stop in your area would be appropriate too.

@jaysonyork Well, ya know... Next I'm going to work on my Commercial. I have to do a 250nm solo (no family even.) Rockford is 253. I had a lot of fun on that trip to DuPage last year. One idea I'm pondering is heading down there again for some Chicago pizza.

@rynhayden Ha!

@AvgAndy Very above average of you.

As of last night, I'm now an instrument rated pilot!

@ShinarSquirrel Church organ

@AvgAndy Tuba? Flute? Bagpipes? 🤪