Point of Sale: A bad pun, a Super Bowl reference and an old Vine

Out with Ye old, in with Jen-new

Kanye West (Ye) has obviously been canceled and because of it, Adidas has over $1.3 billion in unsold Yeezy-branded product. Terminating its brand deal with the famous rapper came at a steep, steep cost. Bloomberg quotes the new CEO, Bjorn Gulden as saying, “We are currently not performing the way we should.” So Adidas is looking for ways to adapt and grow. Adidas announced an all-new label, its first new label in 50 years, called Adidas Sportswear. The line includes tracksuit pieces, recycled materials and an array of colors and it’s modeled by our modern-day Wednesday Addams. Yes, Jenna Ortega is the newest face of Adidas. Adidas has also named Ortega as the face of its All That You Are campaign.

“The way I express myself, whether this is vocally or aesthetically, is something I personally put a lot of energy into as I know how much power it can have in inspiring others,” Ortega was quoted as saying. “Embracing all that I am and all that I stand for continues to be a journey and through new experiences, I am learning and discovering more sides to myself. I am a huge advocate of expressing all your different pursuits, passions and traits, whether that is through what you do, what you wear or what you champion — which is why I was so excited to work with Adidas on this new label.” 

The campaign includes a few other celebs, such as Son Heung-min, Trae Young, Mary Fowler and Carolina Voltan. Shoppers can now buy the Sportswear line in stores and online.

The trading post

(Photo: Shutterstock)

Get outta my paycheck

I think most of us have been there — hands full of scalding hot dishes as you run from table to table, filling drink orders and fetching sides of ranch for the millennials at table three. Server jobs are tough and now the IRS wants to make things even tougher for the people who make a living off tips. A proposed program could crack down on tip reporting. If you’re anything like server Sydney, you might have unknowingly fudged some numbers back in the day — usually because it was confusing but also because it’s your money, not the government’s. But that story is completely hypothetical …

Anyway, according to the IRS, the proposed program is called the Service Industry Tip Compliance Agreement (SITCA) and includes:

• The monitoring of employer compliance based on actual annual tip revenue and charge tip data from an employer’s point-of-sale system and allowance for adjustments in tipping practices from year to year.
• Participating employers demonstrate compliance with the program requirements by submitting an annual report after the close of the calendar year, which reduces the need for compliance reviews by the IRS.
• Participating employers receive protection from liability under the rules that define tips as part of an employee’s pay for calendar years in which they remain compliant with program requirements.
• Participating employers have flexibility to implement employee tip reporting policies that are best suited for their employees and their business model in accordance with the section of the tax law that requires employees to report tips to their employers.

The IRS is accepting public comment on this proposed program until May 7.

Gigs and gadgets

(Photo: Jim Allen/FreightWaves)

You got me, Google

We all saw the Super Bowl commercial that showcased a brand new phone that can do even more than we thought a phone could do. No, it wasn’t an ad for the newest iPhone. It was an ad for the Google Pixel phone. In the commercial, which starred the talented Ms. Doja Cat, Google unveils the new Pixel phone with all sorts of features. The phone can make blurry photos clear and it can delete unwanted items in the background of photos. It’s legitness.

It’s time we all agree: Google has the better phone. As an iPhone user, I never thought I would admit this, but after watching that commercial I found myself wishing my iPhone had those capabilities. While I don’t think I’ll ever make the switch, I can admire the phone from afar. If I ever did make the switch, at least I know I could get the Google Pixel for a deal. CBS News reported on all sorts of tech steals, including the Google Pixel collection, with a variety of prices. Check out the deals here.

SONAR steals

(Source: FreightWaves SONAR)

This week we’re checking out the Outbound Tender Reject Index (OTRI) in Augusta, Maine. OTRI rates represent measurements of carriers’ willingness to accept the loads tendered to them by shippers under contract terms. OTRI is expressed as a percentage of loads rejected to total loads tendered.

The OTRI remains elevated in Augusta following severe winter storms. The last time Augusta recorded an OTRI of 15.72% was back in March 2022. Adding headache to the winter weather disruption, Augusta’s Outbound Tender Volume Index (OTVI) has been climbing since the start of the year — up 94% year to date.

Although Augusta’s Outbound Tender Market Share (OTMS) is only 0.3% of the current OTVI, the outsize move in tender rejections was enough to spike the Weighted Rejection Index (WRI), alerting to current market volatility.

As a reminder, the WRI is a product of OTMS and the Outbound Tender Reject Index Weekly Change (OTRIW) for an individual market (OTMS times OTRIW equals WRI). This calculation allows us to remain sensitive to small changes in tender rejections in larger markets that move more freight, like in Atlanta. Small markets such as Augusta must either record dramatic increases in volume or rejections to noticeably move the WRI.

Is SONAR for you? Check it out with a demo!

Need to speak to the manager? Shoot me an email with comments, questions or story ideas at sedwards@freightwaves.com.