The Drive Thru: Whole Foods tracks union activity and everything else you need to know about coronavirus, restaurants, and retail
Hello!
Welcome back to another week of The Drive Thru, Business Insider's weekly round-up of all the restaurant and retail news that's fit to print - er, digitally publish!
By the way, if you were forwarded this email, you can sign up here to get The Drive-Thru in your inbox every Friday, written by me, Shoshy Ciment, and my awesome colleague, Kate Taylor. I mean, what better way to spend all of this time on your hands than by reading an overview of the top-notch coverage from BI's astounding retail desk? And no, making sourdough bread from scratch in your kitchen is not a better use of your homebound time.
Okay, let's get down to it. The coronavirus pandemic continues to impact the retail and restaurant industries. From the surge in online grocery demand to the strange things people are buying with their stimulus checks, it seems possible that the spending patterns of US consumers are forever going to change, even after the pandemic subsides.
As for this week, here's what you need to know:
Whole Foods tracks its employees with a heat map tool that ranks which stores are most at risk of unionizing
In some non-coronavirus related news, Amazon-owned Whole Foods is tracking and scoring stores that it sees as at risk of unionizing. Hayley spoke to five people with knowledge of the effort and viewed some internal documents.
This might sound strange, but this type of practice — tracking active or potential unionization — is apparently common among large companies, according to labor experts.
The heat map is powered by a scoring system, which is based on more than two dozen metrics, including employee "loyalty," turnover, and racial diversity; "tipline" calls to human resources; proximity to a union office; and violations recorded by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration.
In response to the publication of the story, Whole Foods said it recognizes the rights of its workers to decide whether union representation is right for them.
Read Hayley's full investigation here.
RESTAURANT APOCALYPSE: "Small" businesses receive loans
The paycheck protection program, which is intended to help save struggling small business amid the coronavirus pandemic, includes a loophole that lets restaurant companies as large as McDonald's receive millions of dollars in loans, Kate pointed out.
Chains like Ruth's Chris, Potbelly Sandwiches, and Taco Cabana faced criticism after receiving PPP loans and Shake Shack ultimately returned a $10 million loan. Ruth's Chris also returned $20 million of a loan after more than 157,000 people signed a petition to urge the company to give it back.
How this loophole works: The PPP loans are intended to support small businesses, many of which are expected to close as a result of the pandemic. But restaurant and hotel industries managed to successfully lobby for an exception that allowed any company with less than 500 employees per location to apply for a PPP loan.
Read Kate's full explanation here.
Essential workers are frustrated by bored customers browsing stores for nonessential purchases
People are getting bored and using their shopping trips as a means of entertaining. And some retail workers do not like this.
I spoke to employees at Walmart, Costco, Target, Staples, and CVS stores across the US who told me that they are frustrated by customers who are lollygagging in stores and purchasing nonessential items.
"We are the new Disneyland," a Costco employee in a California store said of his store's status among locals as a place for families to hang out, bring their kids, and shop together out of boredom. This employee added that not all shoppers are taking precautions to wear masks in the store.
Taste test: DiGiorno's doesn't stack up to delivery. But we'll eat it anyway.
After an month-long quest to find DiGiorno's original supreme rising crust pizza, Irene got her hands on a pie and decided to compare the frozen pizza brand to delivery from Domino's and Papa John's.
Turns out that DiGiorno's doesn't stack up to delivery pizza. But Irene still understood the draw to the brand.
"Even though you might never mistake a DiGiorno's pizza for a delivery pizza, you might choose it over a delivery pizza, especially if your wallet is your prime consideration," she said.
Read the full pizza face-off here.
Other sectors being hit by the coronavirus:
Bridal — But here's one digital dress company that is thriving with increased sales.
Travel — 65% of hoteliers in Greecee say they could face bankruptcy from a decline in tourism.
Gyms — Gold's Gym explains what locations will look like when they finally reopen
Less depressing stories:
A Kay Jewelers consultant sold a $16,000 engagement ring through phone calls and photos
Starbucks launched a plant-based menu in China with Beyond Meat products
Read the original article on Business Insider