AltOpsThe numbers behind the month.
A few pieces a month with the data behind a theme. Every figure links to where it came from.
The October cost check. What the China deal does and does not cut, what freight and fuel cost now, and the holiday dates.
$30 billion of Chinese goods named for tariff cuts, with apparel left off. A truce to January 10. Record diesel. Container rates near the year's high. A US ban on Canadian alcohol. Holiday shipping cutoffs. Each one explained, with a checklist.
Promo software in September. What commonsku, Syncore and ASI actually shipped, and what is still just a promise.
A plain reading of the month's platform news: which features you can use today, which are only announced, who is now making the decisions, and what the new decoration machines mean for small orders.
The September tariff changes, in plain English. What changed, what it costs, and what to re-quote.
New duties on goods from 60 countries. A 50% duty on Canadian goods that the USMCA trade deal does not cancel. Import bans from September 29. An interest-rate rise the same day. Each one explained, with a checklist.
Promo by the numbers. The figures you can safely quote to a client, and the ones that will get you caught.
$50 billion, not $472 billion. Calendars at 76%. Less than one cent per impression. What diesel, cotton and shipping containers cost right now. Every number explained, with its source.
Merch worth stealing. Twelve campaigns from this month and the simple trick behind each one.
A $40 cup that resells for $200. A capsule you could only buy with app streaks. A $3.99 handbag that made national news. 80,000 giveaways run on a booking system. What each brand did, and how a distributor can pitch the same idea.
Deals and money. Who bought whom this month, what the public companies reported, and what it means for your bids.
Two acquisitions, a software owner telling shareholders it is raising prices, the largest distributor shrinking, and a short seller versus Gildan. The money side of the month, explained simply, with sources.