Englewood Cliffs NJ, after doing nothing to stop New York’s Congestion tax on New Jersey commuters U.S. Congressman Josh Gottheimer (NJ-5) released a new Congressional Report on New York’s proposed Congestion Tax. It’s based on a detailed study and analysis of the MTA’s announcement this past December with the specifics of their pricing scheme. The Congestion Tax will increase commuter costs, congestion, and cancer-causing pollution in New Jersey and the outer boroughs. Gottheimer also requested a meeting with MTA Chairman Janno Lieber to discuss the findings.
Ridgewood NJ, Starbucks and Amazon have opened up a pick-up cafe in midtown Manhattan that uses Amazon’s cashierless technology. The cafes are designed to attract busy consumers who want to make quick purchases. Two more locations are set to open over the next year. The cafe stocks a variety of food options and items commonly found in convenience store checkout lines in addition to the Starbucks menu. It is open till 10 pm on weekdays and 9 pm on weekends.
After an 18-month investigation, Macy’s has agreed to pay a $650,000 fine and hire an independent monitor to address complaints that minority shoppers faced heightened surveillance and, in some cases, wrongful detention at its flagship store in Midtown Manhattan.
The investigation, conducted by the state attorney general’s office, reviewed the internal “loss prevention” procedures employed by Macy’s at its Herald Square store as well as allegations that black and Hispanic shoppers were unfairly targeted by security officials. The inquiry found that Macy’s “detained African-Americans, Hispanics and other minorities for allegedly shoplifting at significantly higher rates relative to whites,” a settlement agreement to be released on Wednesday said.
“This agreement will help ensure that no one is unfairly singled out as a suspected criminal when they shop in New York,” the attorney general, Eric T. Schneiderman, said in a statement set to accompany the release of the settlement document, which covers all 42 Macy’s stores in New York State.
The deal with Macy’s comes a week after Mr. Schneiderman’s office reached a similar one with Barneys New York, which agreed to pay $525,000 and institute a host of reforms aimed at addressing allegations of racial profiling at its Madison Avenue store.
The Macy’s investigation included a review of complaints since 2007 from 18 minority shoppers who claimed they had been improperly detained at the Herald Square store. Among those who complained were a black woman confronted by security workers while riding an escalator with merchandise openly draped over her arm, and a black man in the store to exchange goods.
