necessity is the mother of invention… Businesses have been finding innovative solutions to labor issues forever. For example, dogs were once bred to cook, according to Popular Science’s podcast, The Weirdest Thing I Learned This Week . When people relied on fire to roast meat, the spit was an invaluable tool. However, turning a spit for hours wasn’t a popular job, so dogs were bred and trained to turn spits. “The first mention of the turnspit dog…was in 1576…The long story short here is that people bred terrier-like dogs to…fit easily into these treadmills that powered various kitchen aids, but primarily the roasting spit.” By some accounts, the poor working conditions of turnspit dogs in New York hotels contributed to the founding of the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA). Today, pandemic labor shortages have sparked innovation. Companies that are having difficulty finding workers are adopting technological solutions. For example: Mod
Record prices for used cars and trucks were the biggest contributor to inflation last month, according to the government’s Consumer Price Index report. Prices for used vehicles surged 7.3% just last month, following an even bigger 10% gain in April. Why are the prices of used vehicles skyrocketing? In short, there are more people buying cars than there are cars in the market. New car trade-ins are usually the biggest source of used cars, but supply chain disruptions, especially a widespread of specialty semiconductors used by auto manufacturers, have limited availability of new vehicles—causing prices of scarce used vehicles to catapult higher. The Manheim Vehicle Value Index, a widely-followed industry yardstick shown in the chart, was described by industry observers as “shocking”. (Chart from Manheim) Best regards, Womack Investment Advisers, Inc. WOMACK INVESTMENT ADVISERS, INC. Oklahoma / Main Office: 1366 E. 15th Street - Edmond, OK 73013 California Office: 4660 L