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> 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 d

> 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 6y 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 6y 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 6y 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.

learc83 6y 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 6y 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 6y 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.