USPS

On August 10th, the USPS filed a notice for a temporary price hike for this year’s holiday season. The price increase would go into effect on October 2nd and remain in place until January 22nd, 2023. The price increase would depend on the package’s weight and the delivery distance. The added costs are said to help cover added costs of handling. 

The price adjustment has been approved by the Board of Governors. It is currently pending review by the Postal Regulatory Commission. 

Disney

On August 10th Disney announced that it would be increasing the prices of its streaming services Hulu & Disney+. ESPN+ was not subject to the same price increases. CEO Bob Chapek stated the price increase was due to surging demand for the services. 

Beginning December 8th, the Disney+ ad-free subscription will cost $11 a month, and with ads will cost $8 a month. Starting October 10th Hulu without ads will cost $15 a month, and with ads will cost $8 a month. 

Hbo Max & Discovery+

Last week, during the Warner Bros. earnings call, they announced HBO Max and Discovery+ would merge into one streaming service.

The merge will take place in the US in the summer of 2023. The new streaming service doesn’t have a name or price yet. Considering HBO Max is nearly double the price of Discovery+, it will be interesting to see how much the new service will cost. 

Chipotle

Chipotle agreed with NYC to pay employees roughly $20 million in compensation for violations of labor laws. NYC said their investigation found Chipotle violated sick leave and scheduling violations, such as hiring more employees before offering open shifts to current employees. 

According to the Mayor’s office, the payout will go out to nearly 13,000 past and present workers, plus an additional $1M in civil penalties. In addition, employees between November 2017 and April 2022 will receive $50 for each week worked. 

Oatly

Lyons Magus, the parent company to brands like Oatly, Stumptown, Intelligentsia, and Aloha, issued a recall for over 80 products due to potential microbial contamination. 

Lyons Magus issued a self-recall after reviewing that they did not meet commercial Steril benchmarks. As a result, this increased the risk for organisms such as Cronobacter sakazakii. 

The FDA has not received any reports of illnesses or complaints related to the recalled products. However, Cronobacter sakazakii infections are rare, and populations such as infants & immunocompromised individuals are more at risk.

Peloton

Pelton announced to employees that it plans to lay off 780 employees and close several retail stores to become more profitable. Peloton did not specify the retail locations they plan to close. However, a rapid reduction will take place starting in 2023. Peloton currently has 86 retail store locations. 

In addition, Mccarthy added that beginning on November 14th, all office-based employees must return to the office for three days per week. CEO Barry McCarthy implemented the changes as he planned to shift the company in a new direction.