An ALDI supermarket customer has set tongues wagging after sharing a “rant” about a recent checkout experience at her local store.
Sharing on a popular Facebook page, the Melbourne shopper revealed how she had approached the cashier after realizing that she’d been overcharged for a grocery item.
A photo of the ALDI customer’s receipt showed that instead of paying $7.19 for a reduced pack of smoked salmon, she was charged $13.99.
For more Food related news and videos check out Food >>
When the shopper requested that the difference be refunded, she claimed she was shortchanged by the cashier – receiving $6.30 instead of $6.80.
In her post, the disgruntled customer called out the checkout worker’s “despicable” attitude.
“Today as usual I did my weekly shop at my local ALDI – it didn’t turn out to be pleasant,” she wrote on the Aldi Mums Facebook page.
The shopper shared this image to show how she was overcharged for the item – and then shortchanged with the refund. Credit: Aldi Mums/Facebook
“The checkout staff charged me full price for a product that was on special, but when I approached her and told her she gave me the wrong change [she] insist that is what it says on the till.
“My math is not great but if I was charged $13.99 for something that is $7.19, I should be refunded the difference right? She only gave me $6.30 instead of $6.80.
“The worst part was she said, ‘If it’s not correct then I’ll give you the difference.’ She made me feel like I was in the wrong.
“So I waited for a few minutes to explain to her that she indeed gave me the wrong change, but the line was just too long.
“I know it’s only 50c but money is money plus her attitude was despicable. (End of rant).”
‘Be kind’
But while the shopper may have been thought that ALDI fans would share her frustration, the reaction from many was the opposite.
Many were quick to call on the customer to be more understanding.
“They have to override the reduced price themselves, she probably just missed the sticker,” responded one Facebook user. “Then they have to work out the change themselves it’s not on the screen.
“Maybe she got flustered and made a mistake considering you ‘confronted her’.
“Cashiers at Aldi can serve over 200 people in a shift so mistakes will happen. They have a lot going on speed, lines, working out money and more.
“Maybe next time show a bit more understanding for the cashier just trying to do her best.”
Some Facebook users called on the customer to be more understanding. Credit: Facebook
Added another: “Go easy on customer service staff please. It’s been a really crappy few years for most of us.
“You can’t possibly imagine the abuse and negativity we have received. Be kind.”
A third wrote: “ALDI staff do all of the change calculations in their head. Reduced products need to be manually entered also.
“It’s easy to get flustered in situations like this, try not to be too hard on them.”
Said one more: “Let it go, it’s 50 cents. You’re hanging onto all this anger for something so minor.
“You ‘confronted’ her, then tried to correct her for the wrong change, then wrote a post about it.
“Write down 10 things on a piece of paper you’re grateful for. Focus on those.”
File image of an ALDI checkout. Credit: picture alliance/dpa/picture alliance via Getty
But the shopper defended her post, pointing out that she was never “rude” to the ALDI worker.
“I did give her a break and my 50c,” she responded. “I was not rude to her. My confrontation was very mellow actually.”
She later added: “I wasn’t rude to her. But her insistence and her de ella saying that if it was wrong she would give me the money.
“That made me feel like I was in the wrong and kicked up a fuss. Did not sit well there.”
7NEWS.com.au understands that if ALDI customers have concerns about a store experience, they are encouraged to visit the ALDI help center for more information.
Woman escorted off plane after eczema was ‘mistaken for monkeypox’.
Woman escorted off plane after eczema was ‘mistaken for monkeypox’.
Some players have poured hundreds of hours into splatoon 2. Thankfully, Nintendo recently revealed that all of that hard work won’t be wasted when fans boot up Splatoon 3. Instead, they’ll be able to transfer their save data and reap big rewards in the process.
Nintendo unleashed a torrent of info about what’s new in Splatoon 3 during its latest Direct yesterday, including the idol trio Deep Cut and Tricolor Turf War Splatfests, but one of the party shooter’s coolest features is actually about its predecessor, splatoon 2. Players who have already played the previous game will be able to transfer some of their data to the new one, leapfrogging new players in rank and matchmaking.
A fan spotted the feature on Nintendo’s website and long-time players immediately started celebrating:
The perks for transferring save data include three Gold Sheldon Licenses that can be used to immediately unlock main weapons no matter the player’s level, as well as being able to play Anarchy Battles from the very start. Splatoon 3 will also carry over some portion of players’ rank in splatoon 2, and match them against more skilled players. It’s a smart way to ease the transition between games and also a nice way to recognize players who are already veterans of the series.
Online multiplayer shooters are more like platforms than individual games. Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, for example, has been updated for a decade now. games like Call of Duty, on the other hand, get replaced with sequels every year. We’re already seeing some fatigue with this in Overwatch 2which seems for now like more of an upgrade of Overwatch 1 than a completely new game. But on the bright side, Blizzard is still letting players carry over all of their paid collectibles from the first game.
Splatoon 3 is in a similar boat, with many of its core maps and modes returning from the previous game. and unlike Overwatch 2, whose PVP mode is free-to-play, It will be a full-priced sequel. It still might not have in-game voice chat, but at least splatoon pros will be able to unlock their favorite pair of Dualies as soon as they get started.
Serena Williams sounded just the tiniest little bit salty as she reflected on likely finishing her tennis career with one less grand slam title than Australian legend Margaret Court.
Williams’ crusade to win an elusive 24th major title and draw level with Court has been a five-year saga that looks almost certain to end fruitlessly when she retires at this year’s US Open.
Watch Tennis Live with beIN SPORTS on Kayo. Live Coverage of ATP + WTA Tour Tournaments including Every Finals Match. New to Kayo? Start your free trial now >
The 40-year-old American revealed her plans to end her career to focus on having another child in an article in Vogue Magazine published on Tuesday night (AEST).
Williams referenced Court twice in the piece, and while she was careful with her words left the impression she should be remembered as tennis’ greatest ever player.
“There are people who say I’m not the GOAT because I didn’t pass Margaret Court’s record of 24 grand slam titles, which she achieved before the ‘open era’ that began in 1968,” Williams wrote.
“I’d be lying if I said I didn’t want that record. Obviously I do. But day to day, I’m really not thinking about her. If I’m in a grand slam final, then yes, I am thinking about that record. Maybe I thought about it too much, and that didn’t help.
“The way I see it, I should have had 30-plus grand slams. I had my chances after coming back from giving birth. I went from a C-section to a second pulmonary embolism to a grand slam final. I played while breastfeeding. I played through postpartum depression.
“But I didn’t get there. Shoulda, woulda, coulda. I didn’t show up the way I should have or could have. But I showed up 23 times, and that’s fine. Actually it’s extraordinary. But these days, if I have to choose between building my tennis resume and building my family, I choose the latter.”
Williams stepped onto a hardcourt for the first time in a year and a half on Monday in the WTA Toronto tournament where she fought through to the second round with a straight sets victory over Nuria Parrizas Diaz.
It was her first singles victory since the 2021 French Open, some 14 months ago. The former world number one had played her first singles match in a year during a first round defeat at Wimbledon in June.
“I know there’s a fan fantasy that I might have tied Margaret that day in London, then maybe beat her record in New York, and then at the trophy ceremony say, ‘See ya!’ I get that. It’s a good fantasy,” she wrote.
“But I’m not looking for some ceremonial, final on-court moment. I’m terrible at goodbyes, the world’s worst.”
Another Aussie champion, Ash Barty, also got a mention in Williams’ self-penned article as she revealed how hard she was finding it to walk away.
Barty stunned the tennis world by retiring at age 25 earlier this year.
“I know that a lot of people are excited about and look forward to retiring, and I really wish I felt that way,” Williams wrote. “Ashleigh Barty was number one in the world when she left the sport this March, and I believe she really felt ready to move on. Caroline Wozniacki, who is one of my best friends, felt a sense of relief when she retired in 2020.
“Praise these people, but I’m going to be honest. There is no happiness in this topic for me. I know it’s not the usual thing to say, but I feel a great deal of pain. It’s the hardest thing that I could ever imagine. I hate it. I hate that I have to be at these crossroads. I keep saying to myself, I wish it could be easy for me, but it’s not.”
President Biden flew to a South Carolina island for a vacation with his family Thursday, a trip that is expected to last at least one week.
The Biden family will be staying at a private residence owned by a friend on Kiawah Island, a wealthy and secluded destination. The president’s son, Hunter Biden, accompanied Biden and first lady Jill Biden on the Air Force One flight from Washington. Biden’s daughter-in-law Melissa Cohen and grandson Beau also attended.
Late-summer vacations are common for US presidents, but Biden’s comes as the House is expecting to vote on the massive “Inflation Reduction Act,” which is full of White House priorities.
The vacation will likely delay the bill’s signing, and the White House has not stated when the president will return to Washington.
VULNERABLE HOUSE DEMOCRATS WON’T SAY IF THEY PLAN TO VOTE FOR MANCHIN INFLATION REDUCTION ACT
President Biden walks with his son Hunter Biden and grandson Beau Biden to board Air Force One at Andrews Air Force Base, Maryland, Wednesday, Aug. 10, 2022. The president is traveling to Kiawah Island, South Carolina, for vacation. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)
President Biden walks with his grandson Beau Biden at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland on Aug. 10, 2022. (Nicholas Kamm/AFP via Getty Images)
MEMBER OF GOP LEADERSHIP SAYS IRS COULD ‘BULLY THE MIDDLE CLASS,’ TARGET CONSERVATIVES, IF MANCHIN BILL PASSES
Previous Presidents George W. Bush, Obama and Trump all took similar vacations throughout their time in office. Bush would often spend the time at his Texas ranch, while Obama and Trump both preferred golf resorts in New England.
While Biden’s trip may delay signing legislation, the hard work of negotiation is largely finished for the IRA, which was first introduced by Sen. Joe Manchin, DW.Va. The Senate passed the mammoth spending bill on Sunday, and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., says she plans to push for passing the bill through the Democrat-controlled House with no changes.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
It is unclear when exactly the House will hold its vote.
As you may (most definitely) have heard at this point, a recent TikTok video has exposed a horrifying truth: it appears that Starburst lollies have been discontinued in Australia.
TikTok creator @nariman.dein originally shared the video explaining that she had been searching for Starburst lollies in Woolies, Coles and Big W but was unable to find them anywhere.
@nariman.dein
@starburst i need some answers #comedу #westernsydney #fyp #aussie #aussiethings #woolworths #coles #shopping #conspiracy
♬ Clarinet main lazy atmosphere song(878137) – Yukito Hitoe
And since the video was absolutely gangbusters, her theory has been confirmed.
In a statement shared by the ABC, Mars Wrigley (the company behind Starburst) shared that the range was quietly discontinued.
“Our Starburst products are imported from Europe and, like many businesses that are importing products from overseas, the brand has been exposed to supply chain difficulties and rising cost pressures over the last two years,” it said.
“After reviewing all the options, we’ve made the difficult decision to discontinue the brand in Australia from June 2022.”
It only took us until August 2022 to notice.
Anyway, with discontinued classics on the brain, we thought we’d run through some other beloved old Aussie snacks that are also no more. Please enjoy this nostalgic trip with us.
Here are the discontinued Australian snacks we miss most – from Sunnyboy ice blocks to the original Dunkaroos.
Discontinued snacks we miss the most
Sunnyboy Ice Blocks
In 2016, Australians mourned the death of an iconic snack: Sunnyboy ice blocks. These tetrahedral-shaped treats were a staple at truck stops, corner stores and milk bars. They were a cheap treat for impecunious school kids but declined in popularity and were sadly given the chop by food manufacturer The Daily Drinks Co.
Australians took to Twitter to express their sadness over the loss of Sunnyboys.
I feel sorry for my children & my children’s children that will never know the joy of a Sunnyboy after playing outside all day #RipSunnyboys https://t.co/UeS2X9cjum
In 2015, Life Hacker Australia confirmed that Smith’s Snackfood Company had stopped making Toobs, our favorite tangy tomato crisp. It was quietly discontinued due to a slump in sales.
The company told us at the time:
“It is with a heavy heart that we advise Toobs is no longer available. Consumer demand for this tangy, tomatoey treat has declined and it is no longer possible to justify ongoing production. To our loyal Toobs fans out there, sincere thanks for your support.”
It was one of Life Hacker Australia‘s biggest stories of 2015 and brought Toob lovers out of the woodworks to express their grief over the loss of the crispy rings.
Update: In happier news since then, however, we learned that Toobs have made a glorious return and all is well in the world again (well, for Toobs fans).
Original Shapes
In March 2016, Arnott’s made the mistake of tampering with the original recipe for its Shapes range in order to make them healthier. Worst. Mistake. Ever.
At the time, we did a Taste Test to compare the old and new Shapes. Suffice to say the “New and Improved” recipe left a lot to be desired. Kotaku Australia summed it up nicely:
“Arnott’s hasn’t just messed with an institution. They’ve taken one of the most treasured memories and tastes of my childhood, cracked open my stomach and dropped an enormous, corporate dump on everything I loved.
“How on God’s green fucking earth did they ruin Shapes so badly?”
The public outrage was palpable. Arnott’s was forced to bring back the original BBQ and Pizza Shapes, but some of the other classic Shapes flavors did not survive.
A whole bunch of Allen’s Lollies
Back in 2015, it was revealed that Allen’s were giving a ton of its lollies range the chop, including Green Frogs, Marella Jubes, and Spearmint Leaves. Again, the decision was mainly based on profits; the lollies weren’t pulling in enough money so they had to be shelved so that Allen’s could “streamline its portfolio.”
Australians are now more health conscious and sugary confectionaries are getting the chop from shopping lists, which has contributed to the dip in sales for the discontinued Allen’s lollies.
Original Pringles
While it’s a snack that originated in the US, Pringles’ catchy jingles and unique packaging made it a popular crisp in Australia. A couple of years back, the snack reinvented itself and the “new and improved” range completely replaced the traditional version.
“New and improved” is a bit misleading given Pringles are now smaller and fattier than before. You can’t even fit your hand inside the shrunken down tin anymore, which was one of the appealing aspects of the original Pringles. The new version also tasted like garbage.
You can see our taste test of the “New & Improved” version here.
Cadbury Chocolate Bilby
In sad news for tiny marsupial chocolate enthusiasts Australia-wide, Cadbury discontinued the Easter Bilby in 2018.
“The Cadbury Easter Bilby will no longer be available to consumers, due to a significant decline in demand,” a Cadbury representative said at the time.
Fortunately, you can still purchase Easter bilbies from other Australian chocolate manufacturers, including Haigh’s. Just make sure that the version you buy actually donates money towards bilby conservation.
dunkaroos
Take a small roo-shaped biscuit, dunk it in an ace choc hazelnut dip, then dunk it in some excellent muesli crumbles. That’s the way that Dunkaroos were sold to us in the mid-1990s – and though they still exist today – they aren’t the same.
The excellent muesli crumbles? Gone. The assorted flavours? Dead. strawberry? Vanquished. What ever happened to one of the coolest snacks in the supermarket? Health. Health is what happened. Damn it.
grave robber
The short-lived ice cream featured a grinning skeleton mascot, a spoon that was shaped like a shovel and chocolate ice cream with candy buried inside. Apparently, it was discontinued by Streets due to a parliamentary backlash that suggested it was insensitive and encouraged an illegal act.
Yes, it was called a Grave Robber, but I don’t recall ever eating one of these and then thinking “boy, wouldn’t it be wondrous to head to a cemetery now?” Their sad demise was the result of public outcry over the idea that you were robbing candy from a chocolate ice cream pot. What a sad way to go.
Four
Image: Arnott’s
How on Earth did we send these guys to their death? A biscuit with caramel and nuts covered in chocolate does not seem like it would end up on the Arnott’s cutting room floor, but here we are. Here we bloody are Arnott’s.
What was wrong with having a few cheeky Quatros, or as they were affectionately known (probably to me only) a few Suzis? What is especially galling is the stuff that Arnott’s keeps on the shelves – those disgraceful Hundreds and Thousands biscuits and what about Tic Toc? Quatro didn’t die for this.
Paddle Pop Thick Shake
Those of us who lived through the Caramel and Chocolate Thick Shakes prime know the truth. These were delectable – and if you left them just long enough for them to turn to slush, they’d be infinitely more delicious.
Yumbo
Yumbo was literally just a ham and cheese bun sold by Hungry Jacks. People still cry out for this thing that you can absolutely build, at home, for less than a fiver.
I don’t think I was alive when Yumbo was removed from the menu, but I have a feeling that the nation let out a collective cry that reverberated around the world for days. Ham and cheese sangas would never be the same.
Dixie Drumstick (for a while)
Update: So, for a while there, this was a pretty major loss for Aussie snack fans. But famously, we saw the return on In A Biskit (both chicken and drumstick flavours) in 2021. In any case, the reason the discontinuation of these biscuits was such a loss is still a pretty fun read so we’re left our original write -up for you below.
Back in the day, Shapes had a pretty big rival in the coliseum of savory biscuits. Enter: Nabisco’s In A Biskit Dixie Drumsticks. These oven-baked chicken biscuits should have been buried on a remote island in the Caribbean because they were a damn treasure. I lament their demise every day – if only because I would have absolutely gone HAM on them when Shapes decided to change all their flavors up.
The straight Chicken In A Biskits were hot garbage but the Dixie Drumstick will live on forever, in my stomach.
dany yoghurt
I know y’all remember Yogo, that stuff is still around, but do you remember Dany? This was like a super intense Yogo, but without the whole pour some crunchy bits over the top. The ad above is one of the more bizarre ads of the time, but I distinctly remember asking for this as a kid over Yogo. It just had a more milky, moussey taste. Anyway, I’m done, Dany. Please come back.
Milo Bar
Image: Facebook/The Old Nestle Milo Bar
The original and still the best, that old-school Milo bar was really something else. It was basically pure, unfiltered Milo compacted and pressed in between chocolate. It was a sad, cold day for anyone with a mouth when Nestle went and changed the recipe on us. Apparently, market forces and consumer research were the cause of Milo Bar V1 falling off the face of the Earth but that’s no excuse. The public outcry alone shows how many people want these things back in their lives. As a young Old El Paso fan once remarked: “Why not both?”
On a side note, there’s a slight chance more of the iconic foods above may return if enough people request it. Nestle’s Polly Waffle chocolate bar and Cadbury’s Caramilk are two recent examples of dead snacks that made a phoenix-like comeback. So get those social media campaigns started!
Are there any we missed? Share your favorite dearly parted snacks in the comments section below!
This article has been updated since its original publish date.
Google Accompanied Reading website: Google has introduced a browser version of its “read along” Android app. The website is currently in beta, but it’s still working. The site offers stories with many illustrations at different reading levels. Once kids have selected a story, they can start reading the story into their device’s microphone. After reading the words, they are highlighted in blue and misspelled words are underlined in red. After that, virtual assistant Diya shows it by pronouncing it correctly.
Read Along works like this
When you visit the website, the Diya virtual assistant gives you the option to choose the language. After that, after completing a few steps, kids can start reading stories. After reading the words of each story, they are highlighted in blue. In addition, incorrect words are underlined in red. After selecting the underlined words, the virtual assistant Diya pronounces it correctly
The website provides these facilities
You can easily open this website on Chrome, Firefox, and Edge, while it will soon be introduced on other browsers including Safari. The stories on the website are available in English, Hindi, Gujarati, Bengali, Telugu, Marathi, Tamil, Spanish and Portuguese. Google has also added new stories to the Read Along collection, which will be available in web and Android versions later this year. These include content from children’s video creators USP Studios and Chuchu TV, as well as alphabets and phonics from education company Kutuki.
Read Along was launched in 2019
Read Along was launched in 2019. Read Along’s Android app has been used by over 30 million children since its launch in 2019. Now the move to the desktop version will not only give children more options devices, but it will also allow them to read on a larger screen.
All information related to iPhone 14 so far, know iPhone 14 price here
Today entertainment editor Richard Wilkins has played a heart-warming voice message Olivia Newton-John’s daughter Chloe Lattanzi left him after he was overcome with emotion during a tribute to the late Australian star on live TV.
The Grease actress and singer died “peacefully” at her ranch in Southern California earlier this week following a lengthy battle with breast cancer.
“Chloe Lattanzi, Olivia’s daughter, sent me a beautiful message earlier today, which I played and cried again,” Wilkins said on the Today show on Wednesday.
Stream more celebrity news with Flash. 25+ news channels in 1 place. New to Flash? Try 1 month free. Offer ends October 31, 2022
“And I said to her, ‘I would never do it without your permission. Would you like me to share your beautiful message with her many friends and fans on-air?’
“And she said, ‘Yes, please. Tell them how much their love is helping me cope. I want to be a link for them. Give light, give thanks, gratitude. I’m holding you in my heart’.”
In the voicemail message Ms Lattanzi said: “Hi Richard, this is Chloe, I just saw your beautiful tribute to my mummy.”
“I just wanted to hold you. I saw how much you loved her and I just want you to know she’s free now and out of pain and all the family is here together.
“She’s making the sun shine and the dogs are running around and smiling and the horses are galloping.
“I just want you to know that she’s free from pain now and she fought so hard and I was with her every step of the way.
“I just felt your love. Mummy and I both cared about you – care about you so much.
“I love you my friend, thank you for doing that.”
Wilkins, who was a close friend of Newton John, fought back tears as he paid tribute to the entertainment icon on Tuesday.
After airing a segment of his last interview with her, Wilkins was left unable to speak as he struggled to hold his emotions in.
Today co-host Karl Stefanovic got up from his seat to give him a hug as he grabbed a handful of tissues.
“It’s alright,” Stefanovic said, as he gave Wilkins a hug.
“She touched everyone, didn’t she? Even through a Zoom call, whether it was someone in a hospital, someone on the boardwalks of Hollywood who didn’t even know her that well, that depth of feeling, this woman was extraordinary. “
“Well, I’m still numb,” Wilkins said. “I’ve got nothing more to say.”
Lattanzi, who is Newton-John’s only child, paid tribute to her mother on Instagram just days after the news of her death was announced.
The 36-year-old singer said her mother was her “lighthouse”, her “safe place” and her “heart space”.
“It has been an honor and continues to be my honor to be your baby and your best friend.
“You are an angel on earth and everyone touched by you has been blessed. I love you forever my life giver, my teacher, my mama.”
Newton-John died surrounded by her close friends and family.
The official bid Tasmania will put to the AFL will not include a new stadium, according to state premier Jeremy Rockliff.
While a stadium will likely be built in the future, Rockliff confirmed on Wednesday that it would not be part of the initial bid.
“The stadium is not part of our bid. But of course the stadium is there to support AFL content in the future,” he told reporters on Wednesday.
“A stadium is an important part of an AFL team, we’re committed to that. That’s why we’ve got the feasibility study.”
While Colin Carter’s report into a 19th license in Tasmania stated the bid should not be contingent on a new stadium, the AFL has made it clear that one needs to be in the mix.
Richmond great and Tasmanian Matthew Richardson admits he is worried about the success of the bid.
“So they obviously can’t come up with the (money) right now. They think that they need a stadium, but they want to get this proposal in to the commission and the presidents, and (the stadium) can’t go ahead until they’ve got the funding,” Richardson told sportsday.
“Gillon (McLachlan) has said that success is contingent on the stadium, so that’s a real concern now for this bid going forward you would think.”
Brownlow Medalist Gerard Healy added that the push for a 19th license has lost considerable steam since the departure of premier Peter Gutwein.
“This has moved immeasurably since Peter Gutwein left office,” Healy said.
“It seems to me that either they’ve worked out that it is politically untenable to trump up $750 million (for a stadium), and their first crack was we’re going to pay 50 per cent, and now they’re trying to get a deal up that doesn’t have a stadium included.
“I think if you’re sitting around the AFL table, you’d be saying ‘the only time we’re ever going to have the leverage to get a new stadium is before we rubber stamp the team’.
“I think the license was always contingent on the new stadium being built and I think it is different to taking the Hawks and the Kangaroos down there because they are part of the footy economy as it stands right now.
“To get a new franchise with $50 million down in Tassie up and running, as a 19th side, which creates all kinds of issues for the AFL, I think you’d want to have the security of the brand new glamor stadium.”
Richardson agreed with the Gutwein comment, adding: “As soon as he left, it felt like momentum was lost straight away, didn’t it?”
A formal presentation will be made to the AFL club presidents before the end of August.
We should not read too much into Kansas voters’ surprisingly lopsided rejection last week of an amendment that would have declared that the state’s constitution does not guarantee a right to abortion. After all, this is one result in a single state — fewer than 1 million people voted.
But I do think the results in Kansas have an important message for all of America: Even if the country’s elected officials and activists are clearly split into a Team Blue largely unified around one set of views and a Team Red with opposing ones, the nation’s voters are more complicated.
The ballot initiative, which would have cleared the way for Kansas Republicans to pass a near-total ban on abortion, failed because many unaffiliated and Republican voters opposed it. This wasn’t just a story of Democrats outvoting Republicans. Significantly more Kansans are registered Republicans (about 850,000) than Democrats (500,000). And turnout among Democrats (about 57 percent) last week was only slightly higher than for Republicans (55 percent). If the only people who voted on the initiative had been registered Democrats and registered Republicans, and they all voted with their leadership’s position, it would have passed by a 62-38 margin.
But that’s not what happened. Instead, around 170,000 people who did not participate in the partisan primaries voted on the abortion question. (It’s likely most of them are registered as unaffiliated and therefore can’t vote in party primaries.) This outcome — tens of thousands of people in Kansas who won’t join the Democratic Party turning out inaugust to vote in favor of abortion rights — was far from obvious, and that’s why many political experts, including me, were stunned by the result.
Follow Perry Bacon Jr.‘s opinionsFollow
That said, this result didn’t come from nowhere. About 30 percent of American adults are Republicans, about 30 percent Democrats, and around 40 percent independents. Kansas’ electorate is more Republican (44 percent) and less Democratic (26 percent) than the nation overall but also includes a big bloc of unaffiliated voters (29 percent). Some independents are people who don’t follow politics closely and have fairly undefined views. But most consistently vote for one party or the other. And even if they don’t, many have strongly held views on particular issues.
Ruth Marcus: Why I fear Indiana, not Kansas, charts the future of abortion rights in America
One such voter is Tyler Dillman, 32, who lives near Kansas City. “I don’t feel like any party accurately reflects my ideology. I’m ‘conservative’ on topics like immigration, national security, and economics, but more ‘liberal’ on education, gay rights, and health care, and find myself in the middle on many other social issues,” Dillman, who works at a higher-education research firm, told me in an email.
But he felt strongly about taking the pro-abortion rights stand on this ballot measure.
“The Dobbs decision was a watershed moment for me,” Dillman wrote. “Previous attempts to ban abortion, or significantly curtail it, always felt like political posturing, because you knew that there was a solid foundational backstop in the Roe v. Wade decision.”
Tillman is one of eight Republican or unaffiliated Kansas voters who voted for abortion rights whom I reached via email and text message.
Their comments have good and bad news for both parties.
Greg Madison, 69, a retiree in the Kansas City area, told me he used to be a Democrat and often votes for Democratic candidates but, “I changed my registration to unaffiliated as a protest or statement against the two-party system.”
Cynthia Smith, a 63-year-old retired lawyer who lives in Lawrence, home of the University of Kansas, voted for abortion rights as part of her broader disenchantment with the Republican Party.
“Shortly after the January 6 insurrection, my husband and I changed our registration to unaffiliated because we were disgusted with the Republicans in our government, but did not feel the Democratic Party represented us either,” Smith wrote.
Even if all the unaffiliated Kansans who voted last week took the pro-abortion rights stance, the results would have been about 50-50, assuming everyone else voted along party lines. The election results suggested that more than 80,000 Republicans, around a fifth of those who voted in Kansas last week, also took the pro-abortion rights position, leading to the 59-41 blowout for that side. That’s surprising, at least at first glance. I had assumed that registered Republicans who turned out for primaries would be aligned with the party on one of its long-standing core positions.
But that result didn’t come from nowhere, either. Polls have long suggested that from one-fifth to one-third of Republicans support abortion rights, depending on how the question is phrased. These Republicans can rarely express that preference without voting for a Democratic candidate.
And we know that Americans often have views that conflict with their party’s stands. Measures to raise the minimum wage, expand Medicaid and reduce gerrymandering have passed in red states over the past decade, even as GOP leaders oppose all three positions. A 2020 ballot measure to lift a ban on affirmative action failed in heavily Democratic California.
I asked Melissa Clark, a 42-year-old registered Republican who works in sales in the Kansas City area, what restrictions on abortion she would support. “None,” she replied.
“Politicians should not be involved in health-care decisions,” she wrote. “Women and all humans can make their own healthcare decisions. … I think it is a personal decision that is something that should be left in the hands of the individual under all circumstances.”
“Generally Republicans have gotten more of my votes,” said Cheryl Bannon, a 61-year-old retired title closing officer in the Wichita area who is also a Republican. “I am not in favor of large giveaway programs. However the Republicans are just getting too far out there — ‘don’t touch our rights to buy assault rifles in any way but let’s make women and, yes, children carry embryos to term.’”
The good news for Democrats is that all eight I interviewed said they voted for Joe Biden in 2020 and would oppose Donald Trump again in 2024. This is a very small sample, but it fits with lots of evidence that there is a small-but- real bloc of anti-Trump Republicans and that independent voters are really turned off by the former president.
“If it’s between Biden and Trump, I will absolutely vote for Biden. If a moderate Republican were to come into the mix, I may vote for them but I can’t vote for someone who is anti-choice at this point,” said a 26-year-old Kansas City-area Republican named Sydney, who works in financial services and asked that we do not use her last name.
“Can we please have Romney or another Bush?” said Katie Minnis, a 42-year-old Republican who lives in Lawrence and works in corporate sales.
The good news for Republicans is that these voters aren’t likely to become consistent Democratic votes, even as Trump-like figures dominate the GOP.
Stephanie Sharp, a 46-year-old Kansas City-area software manager who described herself as a lifelong Republican, said that she would back Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly’s reelection bid this fall. But Sharp said she won’t support US Rep. Sharice Davids, a Democrat who holds a swing seat in the Kansas City area that the party desperately needs to hang on to, casting Davids as “a mediocre and embarrassing representative.”
The biggest lesson from Kansas is one people like me keep forgetting — the voters aren’t nearly as predictable as we think they are.
But supply is starting to catch up to the huge demand for talent, though the labor market is still tight. The chief executive of talent marketplace Expert360, Bridget Loudon, said on Thursday that the shift prompted the company to do a small round of lay-offs, affecting seven staff.
“There are more talented engineers at the moment,” Loudon said. “This is largely driven by lay-offs in the tech sector from the majors (Microsoft, Klarna, Atlassian, Linktree) to earlier-stage companies.”
loading
Linktree declined to answer questions about its finances but confirmed there had been no changes to its perks and benefits or plans to move to the new office despite the lay-offs.
In a blog post on Tuesday, chief executive Alex Zaccaria stressed his sadness at the lay-offs. He said the company had made big plans and hired to meet them on the assumption that the strong economy of 2021 would last.
“Instead, conditions changed faster than expected and those assumptions I made were wrong,” Zaccaria said.
A spokesman for Immutable said the lay-offs were a hard choice but necessary and the company was continuing to grow in other areas.
Eucalyptus chief executive Tim Doyle said the company was not changing its use of perks because they helped build its culture and brand. “They are things we want to preserve,” Doyle said.
Justin Angsuwat, chief people officer for the venture capital fund Blackbird, said he had spoken directly to more than a dozen founders recently about how they should approach perks in the downturn.
Contrary to others’ views, he said perks alone were ineffective for companies.
“All the data shows that very few perks on their own drive any employee retention or high performance,” Angsuwat said, in contrast to things like leave policies and promotion opportunities.
He said start-ups would make different calls based on their finances and culture. Some were cutting perks quickly because it was better than having to lay off staff. Others were adjusting their perks to ensure they were more closely linked to their company values, which was effective at keeping and motivating staff.
“During a bull run market… the trade-off is deciding which one of these perks do I spend $1 on,” Angsuwat said.
“In the current market, the trade-off isn’t between which perks to spend it on, it’s between perks and headcount or perks and runway [how long before the company runs out of money]so the equation is very different.”
The Business Briefing newsletter delivers major stories, exclusive coverage and expert opinion.Sign up to get it every weekday morning.
Image: Arnott’s
Image: Facebook/The Old Nestle Milo Bar
