What to Know This week, ABA released a white paper detailing the scale and scope of Amazon’s anti-competitive behavior, American Monopoly: Amazon’s Anti-Competitive Behavior Is in Violation of Antitrust Laws, which was sent to the attorneys general in all 50 states and D.C., as well as the National Association of Attorneys General. In the white paper, ABA makes the case for investigating Amazon for antitrust violations, concluding that it is best for the country’s economy and its consumers that Amazon be broken up into at least four autonomous companies: retail, e-commerce marketplace platform, web services, and logistics. ABA is renaming its Coffee Breaks as “ShopTalk,” and there are two chances to attend next week: On Tuesday, March 23, at 3:00 p.m. ET and on Thursday, March 25, at 8:00 p.m. ET. We’ll send out the link to the whole membership a few hours before each event. Confused about what the new relief bill means for your bookstore? Read ABA’s overview of the American Rescue Plan here, including how new subsidies may lower your health insurance premiums. ABA’s Advocacy team has created an updated list of federal COVID relief options available for small businesses, along with accompanying deadlines. Even if you think you’ve exhausted federal relief that’s available, look through the list to ensure you are not leaving money on the table. The IndieCommerce team just completed its two-day IndieCommerce Institute, and we've had some rave reviews from booksellers! To learn more about what’s been happening in the world of IndieCommerce over the past year and what’s on the horizon, check out ABA CEO Allison Hill’s letter from this week. -- ABA is here for all of you. Please reach out if there is anything we can help with. Members can contact me directly or email the Membership, Advocacy, or IndieCommerce teams.
Best,
Allison |
