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I'm crossing my fingers that the two SSDs I ordered in B&H's last order window ship today because their stores are closed and the warehouses are on reduced hour

I'm crossing my fingers that the two SSDs I ordered in B&H's last order window ship today because their stores are closed and the warehouses are on reduced hours. Always buy from good small businesses first (vote with your wallet). Megacorps are unfortunately a practical, but depressing, evil last resort. Btw, Instacart (YC S12) works here in Paradise, CA with a smaller chain discount grocery store! :) (Local CVS ((still listed on IC)) closed due to loss of customers, there is a Walgreens franchise in-town ((not on IC)) and CVS delivers medications by mail for free right now.) And our most recent shopper was lightning fast and a good shopper too.

nickvanw 7y ago
> Always buy from good small businesses first (vote with your wallet). Megacorps are unfortunately a practical, but depressing, evil last resort. Not to be a downer, but if you're looking for _good_ businesses, B&H is likely to score no higher than Amazon by most criteria. They: - Don't pay appropriate sales tax: https://www.theverge.com/2019/11/14/20964980/b-h-photo-taxes-lawsuit-new-york-state https://www.theverge.com/2019/11/14/20964980/b-h-photo-taxes... - Discriminate against Hispanic workers: https://www.cnn.com/2016/02/29/us/bh-photo-lawsuit/index.html https://www.cnn.com/2016/02/29/us/bh-photo-lawsuit/index.htm... - Discriminate against non-Jewish employees: https://www.jpost.com/diaspora/new-lawsuit-claims-b-and-h-discriminates-against-non-jewish-employees-571983 https://www.jpost.com/diaspora/new-lawsuit-claims-b-and-h-di...
- learc83 7y ago
  I noticed that all of your supporting evidence is articles talking about allegations made in lawsuits. What were the results of these suits? Were any of the claims substantiated?
  - nickvanw 7y ago
    I believe the tax lawsuit is still pending, the most recent documentation I can find from the NY AG is a summons from mid-November of last year: https://ag.ny.gov/sites/default/files/2019.11.14_nyag_v._bh_-_summons_complaint.pdf https://ag.ny.gov/sites/default/files/2019.11.14_nyag_v._bh_.... There is a corresponding press release from the NY AG office: https://ag.ny.gov/press-release/2019/attorney-general-sues-bh-foto-electronics-defrauding-new-york-out-millions-sales https://ag.ny.gov/press-release/2019/attorney-general-sues-b... The 2017 case was settled (https://www.dol.gov/newsroom/releases/ofccp/ofccp20170814 https://www.dol.gov/newsroom/releases/ofccp/ofccp20170814), with B&H agreeing to pay $3.2mm in back wages and "hire a workplace consultant to correct its employment practices and conduct" They settled a similar 2007 case by distributing $4.3m in monetary relief: https://compensation.blr.com/Compensation-news/Performance-Termination/Performance-Employee-Appraisal/BH-to-Pay-4.3M-to-Settle-Suit-Alleging-Pay-Bias-Ag/ https://compensation.blr.com/Compensation-news/Performance-T... My point is not that B&H is bad, but that "support small business" doesn't mean that you're supporting an ethical business.
  - gamblor956 7y ago
    B&H didn't collect sales tax in the past in NY where they are based, which is what the lawsuit is about. They started collecting sales tax in NY after that lawsuit was filed, and they started collecting sales tax in more states after the Wayfair SCOTUS case in 2018 authorized states to charge sales tax on internet sales.

nickvanw 7y ago

> Always buy from good small businesses first (vote with your wallet). Megacorps are unfortunately a practical, but depressing, evil last resort. Not to be a downer, but if you're looking for _good_ businesses, B&H is likely to score no higher than Amazon by most criteria. They: - Don't pay appropriate sales tax: https://www.theverge.com/2019/11/14/20964980/b-h-photo-taxes-lawsuit-new-york-state https://www.theverge.com/2019/11/14/20964980/b-h-photo-taxes... - Discriminate against Hispanic workers: https://www.cnn.com/2016/02/29/us/bh-photo-lawsuit/index.html https://www.cnn.com/2016/02/29/us/bh-photo-lawsuit/index.htm... - Discriminate against non-Jewish employees: https://www.jpost.com/diaspora/new-lawsuit-claims-b-and-h-discriminates-against-non-jewish-employees-571983 https://www.jpost.com/diaspora/new-lawsuit-claims-b-and-h-di...

learc83 7y ago
I noticed that all of your supporting evidence is articles talking about allegations made in lawsuits. What were the results of these suits? Were any of the claims substantiated?
- nickvanw 7y ago
  I believe the tax lawsuit is still pending, the most recent documentation I can find from the NY AG is a summons from mid-November of last year: https://ag.ny.gov/sites/default/files/2019.11.14_nyag_v._bh_-_summons_complaint.pdf https://ag.ny.gov/sites/default/files/2019.11.14_nyag_v._bh_.... There is a corresponding press release from the NY AG office: https://ag.ny.gov/press-release/2019/attorney-general-sues-bh-foto-electronics-defrauding-new-york-out-millions-sales https://ag.ny.gov/press-release/2019/attorney-general-sues-b... The 2017 case was settled (https://www.dol.gov/newsroom/releases/ofccp/ofccp20170814 https://www.dol.gov/newsroom/releases/ofccp/ofccp20170814), with B&H agreeing to pay $3.2mm in back wages and "hire a workplace consultant to correct its employment practices and conduct" They settled a similar 2007 case by distributing $4.3m in monetary relief: https://compensation.blr.com/Compensation-news/Performance-Termination/Performance-Employee-Appraisal/BH-to-Pay-4.3M-to-Settle-Suit-Alleging-Pay-Bias-Ag/ https://compensation.blr.com/Compensation-news/Performance-T... My point is not that B&H is bad, but that "support small business" doesn't mean that you're supporting an ethical business.
- gamblor956 7y ago
  B&H didn't collect sales tax in the past in NY where they are based, which is what the lawsuit is about. They started collecting sales tax in NY after that lawsuit was filed, and they started collecting sales tax in more states after the Wayfair SCOTUS case in 2018 authorized states to charge sales tax on internet sales.