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UI and web designer Dacia Petrie is behind an app that makes it easier for shoppers to buy from Black-owned businesses. Black shoppers are looking for more ways to support some of their favorite brands beyond major retail. This comes after several companies, including Walmart and Target, announced plans to roll back their diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) commitments. In fact, entrepreneur and graphic designer Danielle Coke Balfour pulled her products from Target shelves and directed buyers to her online storefront, as AFROTECH™ previously reported. “All products pictured are retired at this time except the Good Work Journal. My licensing agreement was with a vendor, not Target directly. Target has described their changes as ‘concluding’ specific DEI initiatives, which I’ve expressed my personal disappointment with. I stand by my message about the importance of supporting Black-owned brands and businesses,” Balfour wrote on Instagram. In a follow-up video, Balfour reveals that...
A recent TikTok video had users in a frenzy over one customer’s tedious Instacart demand. According to a screenshot posted by TikTok user Violetta Le’Mone (@_instaqueen_), one Instacart customer posted a series of commands to be followed by a shopper. The screenshot listed requirements such as a mandatory image of cooling bags prior to shopping, banning the shopper from batching the order, and live updates by the shopper throughout the grocery spree. “Please send me a photo of your insulated cooling bags in your shopping cart IMMEDIATELY before shopping otherwise I will call Instacart promptly and cancel this order to reschedule with a different shopper. If you don’t have the insulated cooling bags or enough of them to keep my food items temperature-controlled, or you do not have the insulated cooling bags, but only plan on using them during delivery then DON’T PICK UP MY ORDER,” the note read. Violetta Le’Mone added she did not pick up this order. Since the video’s initial posting...
A sponsored picture is worth a million dollars. Just ask Beyoncé, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, and professional footballer, Neymar. According to Hopper’s annual Instagram Rich Lists , Johnson has officially dethroned former billionaire Kylie Jenner as the highest-paid celebrity on Instagram, says ELLE Australia . With each post the Hollywood A-lister and wrestling icon rakes in a cool $1,015,000 while Jenner pockets just under the seven figures. “Following the unceremonious stripping of her billionaire status by Forbes , Kylie Jenner has been dethroned after two years on top,” Hopper HQ wrote in a blog post. To round out the list, whose results are calculated based on internal data, agency rate cards, and public information, Beyoncé ranks No. 7 with $770,000 per post. Though Neymar comes in at the bottom of the top 10, he takes home $704,000 every time he shows his roughly 139,000 followers his abs. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Dwayne Johnson (@therock) View this post...
Shopping on Instagram just got a lot easier. The app has added a new checkout feature. Users can now buy from their favorite store directly through the app. H&M, ColourPop Cosmetics, Nike and other brands are already using the feature to cash in on customers. Merchants will have to pay a fee to sell their items through the app, which make it another benefit for Instagram’s business offerings. Users can store their PayPal, Mastercard and Visa payment information within the app. The newest feature comes almost a week after Facebook, Instagram and Whatsapp crashed following a “ server configuration change.” Some users who run their businesses solely through Instagram ran to Twitter to complain about how the crash negatively impacted their engagement and sales numbers for the day. “Once your first order is complete, your information will be securely saved for convenience the next time you shop,” Instagram said on its blog. “You’ll also receive notifications about shipment and delivery...
February marks a pivotal moment in Black history, and one town in Maryland is celebrating with a record number of Black-owned businesses . Princess Anne, located in Somerset County, MD, and serving as its county seat, now boasts at least 25 Black-owned businesses in its town of fewer than 4,000 residents, according to WBOC-TV. “When I first moved to this area, I was told that the last known lynching was in Princess Anne, Maryland,” said business owner Leslie Coker, reflecting on the past. “That there is now 25 Black-owned businesses in a county that has less than 4,000 people, that’s phenomenal.” Coker runs the Dynamic Divas majorette dance company, one of the Black-owned businesses contributing to Princess Anne’s record-breaking milestone. Alongside Croker, business owner Dale Parker runs the Cropa Station restaurant with his partner, while Danae Ballard launched her salon, Alluring Looks by Danae, at just 21 years old. They all take pride in being part of a community representing...
Target’s shareholders claim they were not aware of the risks posed by the company’s DEI and other social initiatives. As AFROTECH™ previously reported, Target is among a growing list of major corporations that have announced they are scaling back their diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) commitments. This has led to the removal of Target’s program that helped Black- and minority-owned businesses secure retail deals, and the company has stated it will no longer share reports with DEI groups. “We remain focused on driving our business by creating a sense of belonging for our team, guests and communities through a commitment to inclusion,” Target said, according to CNN. “Belonging for all is an essential part of our team and culture, helping fuel consumer relevance and business results.” Target’s decision has been met with criticism from shoppers. Some are taking their dollars to allies such as Costco since its board of directors and shareholders agreed to continue their DEI...
Fayetteville, GA, shoppers can support various businesses at a new Black-owned shopping plaza. As AFROTECH™ previously reported, Kingdom Corners is the brainchild of married couple Felicia and Winchel Elibert. The duo had previously ventured into entrepreneurship, owning a range of businesses, including a Smoothie King franchise, multiple Winchell’s Barbershops, and a location of Felicia’s Cleansing Waters Wellness Center. “Right across from our Smoothie King and Cleansing Waters location in Fayetteville, there was a sign that said land for sale,” Felicia told 95.5 WSB. “We made a phone call to ask about the land, which was at a good price. We checked with our realtor and were encouraged that this was a really good investment.” The four-acre plaza took three to four years to complete. When it was completed, it made history in the city as the first Black-owned shopping plaza. “We have been getting phone calls, texts, and folks stopping by—just to say what an inspiration we are in the...
Rap duo Krept and Konan are giving back to their community by opening a supermarket. BBC reports the pair will open a 15,000 sq ft. supermarket in Croydon, a diverse area that includes Black and Asian populations, with the help of their business partner, Kaysor Ali. “It’s an honor for us to partner up on this venture,” Krept and Konan said in a statement, per All HipHop. “We are all about representation in the community and finding solutions; we are all from underrepresented communities, so this is a perfect partnership. Saveways is game-changing for our community, and we are excited to bring this vision to life.” Krept reflected on his personal connection to supermarkets, drawing on memories of his upbringing and the frequent need to visit multiple locations to shop for groceries — a reality that remains all too familiar for many in the South London town of Croydon. “Having the experience of going shopping and having to go to multiple places, have to go here for my meat, here for...
We’ve all left a grocery store and saw someone pushing a shopping cart. One group pushes the shopping cart into cart corrals or marches over to the store employee who is collecting carts in the area. The other group pushes the shopping cart far enough away from them to be able to back their car out of the parking space and drive away. The latter group couldn’t care less whether the wind moves that cart along, denting someone else’s car, running over someone’s foot or causing a car accident by an unsuspecting driver. They’ve gotten what they needed, and they’re going about their day. In their mind, it’s the store employee’s problem to fix the shopping cart havoc. Observers watching this person are often participating in the shopping cart theory , judging those who don’t return carts as vigilantes who don’t care about others. How Does The Shopping Cart Theory Relate To A Business Owner Or Employee? The shopping cart theory is often brought up with the phrase, “If no one was looking.”...
Angela Yee is a prominent figure in the entertainment industry, best known for her work as a radio personality, media mogul, and businesswoman. As one of the leading voices in hip-hop and urban culture, her influence continues to grow, not just through her media presence but also through her various business ventures. In 2024, Yee’s net worth is estimated to be approximately $8 million, though this figure can fluctuate as she continues to build her career and expand her brand. Rise To Fame Yee’s rise to fame began with her work in radio. She first gained widespread recognition as a co-host on the popular morning radio show The Breakfast Club , alongside DJ Envy and Charlamagne Tha God . Known for her candid and often insightful interviews with celebrities, artists, and political figures, Yee quickly became a trusted voice in hip-hop culture. Her ability to engage with guests on a personal level helped her carve out a unique niche in the broadcasting world. Over the years, Yee’s...
Upon hearing “Pink Friday,” most people’s minds immediately jump to the Queen of Rap herself , Nicki Minaj. The Trinidadian femcee released her debut album on Nov. 22, 2010, via Cash Money Records, Universal Motown Records and Young Money Entertainment. Even as a newcomer, she nabbed impressive collaborations from names like Eminem, Drake, Rihanna and Kanye West, ultimately selling 375K copies in her first week out. This placed Minaj behind Lauryn Hill with the second-highest sales debut ever for a female rapper, and the mother of one has only continued to prove her power since. Over a decade later, she returned with “Pink Friday 2,” this time recruiting J. Cole, Lil Wayne, Future, Monica, 50 Cent and other icons to join her on the tracklist. Minaj’s 2023 LP debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200, making her the first female rapper with three albums to top the chart; she moved 228K album-equivalent albums at the time, 92,000 of which were pure sales. These statistics are all...
Khaby Lame is letting the numbers do the talking. As AFROTECH™ previously reported, Lame, now one of the most-followed creators , was once a factory worker in Chivasso, Italy. “I was really poor,” he said on a panel during Forbes Creator Upfronts in partnership with Walmart Creator on Oct. 29, 2024. Lame was later fired from his job, returned to live with his family, and decided to not look back. Instead, he chose to bank on what was once merely a hobby — TikTok — during the onset of COVID-19. “When I started making videos, people told me to get a proper job,” he mentioned to Forbes in 2023. “But I continued to make videos because that’s what I like doing, even though no one was watching them.” It would ultimately become a money machine because he stood out for reacting to memes and viral videos without saying a word. “It’s my face and my expressions which make people laugh,” he told The New York Times in 2021. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Khabane Lame (@khaby00)...
CVS Health expects to cut close to 3,000 jobs in efforts to cut costs, according to their annual report . The drug store and pharmacy chain reports struggling due to reimbursement rates for prescription drugs. The franchise has also been impacted by customers purchasing snacks and household items from other retailers such as Amazon, Walmart, Target and dollar-value stores. In an effort to curb their losses, the company has committed to a multi-year initiative to achieve $2 billion in cost savings. This year’s layoffs represent less than 1% of the company , although last year they announced that they would be laying off approximately 5,000 employees and closing around 900 stores between 2022 and 2024. The company also plans to incorporate more artificial intelligence via robotics into its operations. Despite their efforts to further reduce costs and improve the shopper experience, here’s how the CVS layoffs will affect employees and customers. How Will The CVS Layoffs Affect...
Amazon has come under harsh scrutiny for its treatment of employees in recent years, from accusations of systemically shortchanging paychecks to driving employee injuries by urging them to focus more on speed than safety. It might not be a dream career path for the average American, but for consumers, the multi-purpose company is driven by efficient customer service. They’ve mastered the art of promptly bringing packages to your door, but now, Amazon’s Just Walk Out technology is revolutionizing the shopping world . Its capabilities are undeniably impressive, although not everyone is ready for the takeover of artificial intelligence. What Is Just Walk Out Technology? The first store to offer the Just Walk Out experience was an Amazon Go convenience store in Seattle in 2018; now, over 100 third-party retailers across the country allow people to grab their items and leave without waiting in a line or partaking in a transaction. “ They hated standing in lines in 1924, they hate...