Earnings Call Insights: Ascend Wellness Holdings (AAWH) Q2 2026
Seeking Alpha’s Disclaimer: This article was automatically generated by an AI tool based on content available on the Seeking Alpha website, and has not been curated or reviewed by humans. Due to inherent limitations in using AI-based tools, the accuracy, completeness, or timeliness of such articles cannot be guaranteed. This article is intended for informational purposes only. Seeking Alpha does not take account of your objectives or your financial situation and does not offer any personalized investment advice. Seeking Alpha is not a licensed securities dealer, broker or US investment adviser or investment bank.
SACRAMENTO — Say you want a new pair of running shoes, but you just can’t make up your mind. So you spend a solid week checking them out online, coming back to one pair on a particular site again and again.
When you’re finally ready to check out, you notice something upsetting — the price you saw on day one is now 20% higher. What the heck?
Welcome to the brave new world of surveillance pricing, where some companies are not just tracking your every move online but also purchasing deep-dive data into your life for a single purpose — to figure out the maximum you will pay for an item and jack up the price accordingly to squeeze every possible dollar out of every unwitting consumer.
It’s legal, and whether it’s good or bad “depends on which side of the transaction you’re on,” said Roger White, an economics professor at Whittier College.
For those of you who are really terrible at economics, we, the little people, are on the bad end of that deal.
“It is using your own personal data and your characteristics, your demographics, information about you, to set a different price based on the perceived willingness to pay, and that is causing Californians a potential chance of being gouged,” said state Assemblymember Christopher M. Ward (D-San Diego).
Ward is trying to outlaw surveillance pricing in California with his AB 2564, which seems like a no-brainer if you actually care about affordability and your constituents. But he’s having a hard time getting his bill through the Legislature. In fact, he tried last year and failed.
This year, the bill still has a chance, but the clock is ticking, the lobbyists representing big retailers and data brokers are spending, and our state elected officials seem lukewarm on the issue.
But if surveillance pricing seems corrupt or unethical, get ready. Because retailers are getting ready — for artificial intelligence.
Right now, most surveillance pricing is relying on established data collection. That is about to get super-charged as AI goes further and further into sweeping up bits of information on every aspect of our lives, on and offline.
Did your car break down and you have to shop at home? Are you injured or have a medical condition that makes you desperate for comfy shoes? Did you just get a raise and maybe are in the mood to spend?
The amount of data that can be definitively known about your life is huge. The amount that can be inferred is even bigger. Imagine if artificial intelligence in real time, using every bit of information it can find, is basically working to squeeze every dime out of you, every day on every purchase — groceries, clothes, plane tickets, maybe even medicines.
“AI gives them powerful tools to do that, and they can basically use information almost instantaneously to set prices,” said Darrell M. West, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution, a nonprofit public policy think tank.
Which makes regulating surveillance pricing now all the more important.
White, the Whittier professor, sees an even bigger threat looming with surveillance pricing. He points out that income inequality in the United States has been increasing since the 1970s, and it is mostly rich people who control and own large retail endeavors.
If surveillance pricing is allowed to blossom unfettered, he’s concerned the rich will get richer by selling at higher prices, and everyone else will be paying so much to survive that the poor and middle class will suffer even further.
“This could lead to an acceleration of income inequality,” White said. “This could be a way for, sort of, the rich to benefit more,” leaving “the middle class and the poor potentially being even worse off.”
Immediate gouging, and long-term erosion of the already tenuous ability of the middle class and poorer people to survive. You’d think our state Legislature would be all over fixing this.
Other states have. In fact, about 20 states have some sort of law about “dynamic pricing,” a broader term for how retailers use data to set prices.
Just a few days ago, New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill signed A4085 (the Fair Price Protection Act), which prohibits surveillance pricing for groceries.
New Jersey, New York, Connecticut and Maryland also have laws on the issue, though some won’t take effect until next year.
And this isn’t some sort of blue-state push. MAGA Republican Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) suggested last week that he might be considering federal legislation on the issue, the same week the democratic socialist mayor of Seattle proposed curbs on it.
“There are both Republicans and Democrats who are worried about these issues because they’re getting complaints from their own constituents,” West said.
But in California, the winds are blowing in favor of the big guys. While Ward is working through one colleague at a time trying to pass the measure, the lobbying pressure against it has been significant.
Retailers and others argue it could have unintended consequences, like preventing them from offering discounts to certain customers, or having loyalty programs.
C’mon. No one is coming for your coupons.
White, the economist, points out that companies are spending millions to implement surveillance pricing, and they aren’t doing it so they can slash prices and lose money.
“They won’t say this, but you know, the reality is that millions, if not billions, of dollars in inflated profit is on the line,” said Ward. “Unfortunately, that is coming at the expense of everyday Californians who are having that ripped out of their pocketbooks without them even knowing it.”
White put it even more bluntly.
“If you’re opposed to the Assembly bill, it seems that you are siding with the businesses, and if you’re in favor of it, then it seems that you’re siding with consumer protections.”
Ward is fighting an uphill battle, but he isn’t giving up. It’s about trying to “right the universe when it comes to fair pricing for consumers,” he told me.
“We need to go back to a place of a fair marketplace where you have an honest relationship between the consumer and the business and everybody is being treated the same,” he said.
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Stay Golden,
Anita Chabria
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THERE are a few villages in the UK that give an insight into old England, let alone destinations from across the pond.
There’s a city in North Carolina that has a hint of British about it as they speak “Elizabethan English”.
Ocracoke is a village on Ocracoke Island, part of North Carolina’s coastal Outer Banks region.
It’s a 16-mile long barrier island – which is a long long sand ridge parallel to the mainland coast, separated by a shallow body of water like a bay or lagoon.
The island, considered the ‘Pearl of the Outer Banks’ is home to around 800 people of whom who have their own unique way of speaking.
One visitor described the locals’ accent as being “Elizabethan English”.
Brian Carlton told the BBC: “People here just have their own way of speaking: it’s like someone took Elizabethan English, sprinkled in some Irish tones and 1700s Scottish accents, then mixed it all up with pirate slang.”
He even made a remark about being called a “dingbatter”.
The dialect is called ‘Hoi Toider’, which is a rare mix of English, Irish, and Scottish accents mixed with early maritime slang.
It’s almost only spoken on the Outer Banks islands in North Carolina.
Residents all live in the central Ocracoke Village which is also where visitors will find shops, restaurants and bars – but none that you would have seen before.
It has strict regulations about preserving its small town charm, so only independent, regional brands are allowed.
Every shop, hotel, and restaurant on the island is locally owned and operated.
Standing high in the town is its 75ft tall lighthouse which is the oldest operating light station in North Carolina.
Being an island, there are lots of beaches along a 16-mile stretch – one called Ocracoke Village Beach is one is just beyond the main town.
On Tripadvisor, one visitor called it the “Best Beach on the Outer Banks”
Another said: “Beautiful beaches on Ocracoke and always special. When you look around you on the beaches, you see and feel peace.”
Along the shore, a second beach is South Point which is a popular fishing spot and where visitors are likely to find a a Scotch Bonnet which is the rare state shell of North Carolina.
The island has rich history too as it was once a popular hideout spot for notorious pirate, Blackbeard.
The shallow waters around the island provided ideal cover and Ocracoke Inlet allowed him to trap merchant ships.
Ocracoke Island was actually the site of Blackbeard’s final battle in the 1700s.
The best way to get to the island now is also by ship, but luckily, it’s much safer.
The most frequent is the Hatteras Ferry which takes around two hours and it’s completely free.
Others involve getting a ferry from Cedar Island of the Swan Quarter.
For those wanting to fly, the airport is so small there aren’t any commercial flights.
Instead travellers will have to charter a flight, or arrive in their own plane.
YOU could soon be able to grab a Greggs sausage roll when your on holiday.
The chain recently opened a store at Tenerife South Airport in Spain‘s Canary Islands and is eyeing up opening more spots abroad.
Greggs CEO Roisin Currie told Reuters: “If (Tenerife) is positive then it will be a sort of look to see where else could this go in the future.
“It is only one shop, so far though it’s hit every sales hurdle.”
Inside the Tenerife South Airport store – which is in the departures side of the airport – travellers can find Greggs’ core menu.
There are also some items tailored to the local market such as Spanish omelette breakfast rolls and blueberry muffins.
Read more on travel inspo
At the time of opening, Currie said: “Tenerife South Airport is a hub for millions of UK and international passengers each year, making it the ideal location to test spreading our wings in an overseas setting.
“It’s an exciting milestone for Greggs as we bring a slice of home to the Canaries, and we’re confident our great-value offering will resonate just as well under the Spanish sun as it does on the UK high street.”
The popular airport handles 13million passengers a year, with around 50 per cent of them being from the UK.
Taking to Reddit, Greggs fans shared their thoughts on the new store.
One person said: “I won’t be satisfied until we have a Greggs in Paris.”
Another person added: “Come to Canada already. Tim Hortons exists in the UK, return the favour.”
Greggs did use to have stores in Belgium, but they were closed in 2008.
June 30 (UPI) — Britain is challenging Apple and Google for not allowing developers to pull users away from their app stores.
The Competition and Markets Authority said Tuesday that Google and Apple have an “effective duopoly” on mobile phones by not allowing developers to engage with users or make purchases outside of the app stores.
The CMA said at least 90% of mobile devices in the United Kingdom are running on Apple or Google platforms. It said allowing “steering” away from the platforms by developers would increase market competition.
Both companies now charge a commission of up to 30% on in-app purchases. Google said it has already made the changes.
CMA Executive Director Will Hayter said choice is important for competition and consumers.
“We think it is important to give both app developers and users more choice about how they communicate and how they transact,” Hayter said in a statement. “This is not only because choice is inherently valuable but also because we see this as the best way to introduce some competitive pressure in a vital part of the mobile ecosystem that is otherwise sorely lacking such pressure.”
Hayter said the CMA isn’t trying to take away fees altogether.
“While it is only fair for Apple and Google to be compensated for the services they provide, any fees they charge must be justified through a robust, evidence-led framework involving due reference to both cost and value,” he said.
Apple responded that steering will make users less protected from scams.
“When users are directed away from Apple’s trusted payment infrastructure, they lose the protections they rely on Apple to provide. We will continue to make our concerns clear in our ongoing dialogue with the CMA,” an Apple spokesperson told The Guardian.
WASHINGTON — Licensed gun owners have a right to carry a concealed firearm into stores and other private places unless the owner objects, the Supreme Court ruled Thursday.
The 6-3 decision extends gun rights and strikes down laws in Hawaii, California, New York, New Jersey and Maryland.
Those measures would prohibit carrying guns onto private property that is open to the public unless the owner has expressly authorized them.
“This regime hobbles what the 2nd Amendment protects: the right of Americans to carry arms for self-defense as they go about their daily lives. We hold that the law is unconstitutional,” Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr. said for the court.
The new laws, if upheld, would “impose severe restrictions on the daily activities of residents who have satisfied the state’s rigorous requirements for the issuance of a carry permit. When these permit holders leave home in the morning, … they may also be barred from entering many places that people routinely visit in the course of their daily routines, such as gas stations, convenience stores, restaurants, coffee shops, drug stores, grocery stores, ‘big box’ stores, home improvement stores, barber shops or hair salons, dry cleaners, and laundromats.”
The three liberals dissented, saying the law would protect property owners who don’t want guns in their stores.
“There is no constitutional right to enter private property without the owner’s permission, let alone with a firearm,” said Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson.
Trump administration lawyers had joined a coalition of Hawaii gun owners in urging the court to strike down these blue state laws in the case of Wolford vs. Lopez.
They said the laws, if enforced, would mean “a person carrying a handgun for self-defense commits a crime by entering a mall, a gas station, a convenience store, a supermarket, a restaurant or a coffee shop.”
This litigation is part of much broader debate over where guns may be permitted or prohibited.
Four years ago, the justices ruled that law-abiding persons had a right to obtain a permit to carry a concealed gun when they left home. They also agreed there are “sensitive places” where guns may be prohibited, such as schools, courts and other government buildings.
In response, lawmakers in California and Hawaii adopted their own lists of “sensitive places.” They imposed restrictions on concealed weapons at parks, beaches, playgrounds, places of worship and public transit as well as bars and restaurants that serve alcohol.
Gun owners sued but the 9th Circuit Court refused to block most of those restrictions in a single 83-page opinion covering Hawaii and California. Both states would prohibit carrying guns onto private property open to the public without the owner’s consent.
The 9th Circuit upheld that measure in principle but said California went too far by requiring the owner to post a prominent sign expressly authorizing guns.
“While today’s ruling in Wolford is disappointing, owners still have every right to decide whether firearms are allowed in their stores and businesses,” said Janet Carter, managing director of Second Amendment Litigation at Everytown Law. “The Supreme Court may have changed the default rule, but it cannot take away a private property owner’s authority over their own land.”
The Firearms Policy Coalition said the court had properly protected gun rights and barred states from carving out their “own regional version of the 2nd Amendment.”
“The historical record does not support forcing peaceable people to obtain advance permission before carrying for self-defense in places held open to them,” the group said.
Last week, the court upheld gun rights in a Texas case and said the government may not make it a crime for an “unlawful user” of a drug such as marijuana to own a gun.
A BRITISH seaside town has unveiled plans for a £1.8million makeover.
The picturesque coastal area is set to introduce a car-free promenade along with new shops, outdoor seating and beach-side gardens.
Felixstowe boasts sandy shores and sweet coloured beach huts along with an Edwardian pier that’s 2,640 ft long.
The Suffolk port town attracts thousands of tourists every summer, providing a quintessential British seaside experience.
And now the are has unveiled plans to give the beachy location a £1.8million revamp.
The South Seafront Project aims to “create a beautiful, welcoming environment which supports the visitor economy as well as benefitting both residents and businesses”.
The plans outlined by East Suffolk Council add that the makeover will focus on ensuring the “seafront continues to be a viable tourism destination” as well as making Felixstowe an “attractive place to live, work and visit all year round”.
The council also hope to “address the higher levels of deprivation in the South Seafront area” with the refurbishments.
The budget will be used to improve lighting and signage along the seafront plus boosting the town’s transport options and providing better access to the front.
Cars could be banned from the road along the promenade in order to create opportunities for independent stores, food outlets, outdoor seating and garden spaces.
While the finer details of the proposals are still being developed, it is hoped that councillors will give backing to the plans.
If the work is able to go ahead, it’s predicted that it will be able to begin by next spring.
Earnings Call Insights: Yesway, Inc. (YSWY) Q1 2026
Seeking Alpha’s Disclaimer: This article was automatically generated by an AI tool based on content available on the Seeking Alpha website, and has not been curated or reviewed by humans. Due to inherent limitations in using AI-based tools, the accuracy, completeness, or timeliness of such articles cannot be guaranteed. This article is intended for informational purposes only. Seeking Alpha does not take account of your objectives or your financial situation and does not offer any personalized investment advice. Seeking Alpha is not a licensed securities dealer, broker or US investment adviser or investment bank.
