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Business & Finance

Microsoft Delays US Return to Office Indefinitely

Microsoft is pushing off its return to offices in the US indefinitely amid rising cases of COVID-19 across the country.

“Given the uncertainty of COVID-19, we’ve decided against attempting to forecast a new date for a full reopening of our US work sites in favor of opening US work sites as soon as we’re able to do so safely based on public health guidance,” Microsoft’s corporate vice president for modern work, Jared Spataro, wrote in a blog post. He added that the company would communicate a 30-day transition period to allow employees time to prepare to return to work sites.

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Read this at CNET Link opens in new window.

SOURCE URL
https://www.cnet.com/news/microsoft-delays-us-return-to-office-as-covid-cases-rise/

Salesforce CEO: ‘We’re not all coming back’ to the office

A growing number of companies are pushing back their plans for workers to return to the office as the Delta variant of COVID-19 soars, raising questions about whether employees will ever see their old workspaces again this year.

Amid the debate, Salesforce (CRM) CEO Marc Benioff sees a disconnect between the C-Suite and employees being asked to return to work — and his take may not be entirely popular with his fellow corporate leaders.

“I’m going to get calls from CEOs who do not agree with what I’m about to say. So I’m just putting that out there ahead of time. But look, we’re not all coming back,” Benioff told Yahoo Finance in an interview.

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Read this at Yahoo! Finance Link opens in new window.

SOURCE URL
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/salesforce-ceo-marc-benioff-on-return-to-office-155418386.html

Minnesota State Fair Runs Out of Cups

If you visit the Minnesota State Fair and order a small beer or soda, there’s a good chance it won’t have “Minnesota State Fair” on it. Five days in and the fair already ran out.

“Everything is in short supply,” said Stephanie Shimp, co-owner of Blue Barn in the West End.

According to a fair spokesperson, a combination of shipping delays and supply chain problems caused them to run out of plastic cups with logos on them. Also a factor: the fair ordered the cups late because of uncertainty over whether there would be a State Fair in 2021.

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Read this at WCCO Link opens in new window.

SOURCE URL
https://minnesota.cbslocal.com/2021/08/30/no-more-state-fair-cups-fair-runs-into-supply-shortages-and-cost-increases/

Sysco Having Trouble Keeping Shelves Stocked

According to Bloomberg, some of the largest U.S. food distributors are “reporting difficulties in fulfilling orders as a lack of workers weighs on the supply chain.” Take distribution giant Sysco, North America’s largest wholesale food distributor, which is turning away customers in some areas where demand is exceeding capacity.

Worse, food inflation is about to soar: the company said prices for key goods such as chicken, pork and paper products for takeout packaging are climbing amid tight supplies. In particular, production has slowed for high-demand, labor-intensive cuts like bacon, ribs, wings and tenders, Sysco said. And if intermediate and final wholesale prices are “rising”, just wait until they emerge on the consumer side.

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Read this at ZeroHedge Link opens in new window.

SOURCE URL
https://www.zerohedge.com/markets/largest-us-food-distributor-having-trouble-keeping-shelves-stocked-price-shock-imminent

The World Is Still Short of Everything

Delays, product shortages and rising costs continue to bedevil businesses large and small. And consumers are confronted with an experience once rare in modern times: no stock available, and no idea when it will come in.

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Read this at Dnyuz Link opens in new window.

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https://dnyuz.com/2021/08/30/the-world-is-still-short-of-everything-get-used-to-it/

44 Container Ships Stuck off California Coast

Forty-four freight ships are stuck awaiting entry into California’s two largest ports, the highest number recorded since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Marine Exchange of Southern California reported on Saturday.

The queue is a result of the labor shortage, COVID-19-related disruptions, and holiday-buying surges. Port of Los Angeles data indicated that the ships’ average wait time had increased to 7.6 days.

“The normal number of container ships at anchor is between zero and one,” Kip Louttit, the executive director of the Marine Exchange of Southern California, told Insider in July.

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Read this at Business Insider Link opens in new window.

SOURCE URL
https://www.businessinsider.com/shipping-delays-china-supply-chain-record-ships-stuck-california-ports-2021-8

Barbie To Be a Hot Toy This Holiday Season, Supply Limited

Mattel Chief Executive Officer Ynon Kreiz said he expects Barbie playhouses and fashion dolls to be among the company’s best-selling toys for the holiday quarter, but warned of potential overall supply challenges.

“We cannot be certain we will fully meet the surge in consumer demand,” Kreiz said

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Read this at Reuters Link opens in new window.

SOURCE URL
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-mattel-results/this-is-barbies-holiday-season-says-mattel-as-toy-demand-surges-idUSKBN2772Y2