➡ The retail industry is struggling with a record number of store closures in 2025, and the trend is expected to continue in 2026. Factors such as the economy, environment, and changing work habits are contributing to this issue. Even big brands like Subway and Home Depot are facing challenges, with Subway filing for bankruptcy and Home Depot laying off employees. Meanwhile, companies are increasingly turning to AI and automation, leading to job losses in various sectors.
➡ The speaker discusses various topics including the use of AI in business, potential job losses at Dow Chemical, legal issues related to employment, the impact of snow days on education, Trump’s strategic stockpile initiative, changes in law school accreditation in Florida, changes to Dunkin Donuts’ loyalty program, and a paid urine study in Poughkeepsie. He advises listeners to be aware of their business and personal finances, especially during challenging times.
➡ Be prepared for unexpected events like mistakes, contract cancellations, or tricks played on you. Make wise decisions to handle these situations. You can reach out at ilegily.com for more information.

Hey, it’s Dan. Welcome back to I Allegedly. I’ve got a good one for you today because the bloodbath is far from over and there is so much to cover in this video. First things first, hit the like button, subscribe to the channel, and today we have a sponsor delete me and I will cover them in a bit. Now, retail, first thing. First things first, you had the largest number of stores close in 2025. We just got all the numbers back. 8,234 stores closed last year and they are on pace and they anticipate that there could be that many stores that closed in the first half of 2026.

Now, think about this. What are the reasons for that, Dan? Well, when you read the story below, it is great because it talks about just every aspect of running a commercial retail store, even a restaurant. The problem that you have is that there’s so much has to do with the economy, the environment, everything around it. We just saw last week the largest shopping mall in San Francisco go down and it kind of went out without any fanfare because they don’t want to talk about it. But the anchor stores, the day of the anchor stores are dead.

You’re not going to sit there because you have JCPenney’s or Sears or Macy’s or any Nordstrom’s for that matter. Didn’t help it in Santa Ana, California at Main Place. They bailed. So this is not working, but 8,234 stores is insane. And the problem with it is these stores are not profitable now. Home Depot just announced that they are laying off 600 people at their corporate facility in Georgia for the simple fact that it’s all corporate jobs. All corporate jobs, they are demanding that all these people come and work inside the office. The woman that cuts my hair, again, I talk to everybody about everything and every aspect of it, of their lives.

Her husband is a trial attorney that only does litigation for employees. Number one thing right now, I don’t want to go back to work full time in the office. Home Depot is requiring everybody come in the office five days a week. Can you believe that we’re still having this argument? It’s staycation time for these people that want to sit home and not work. It is. And it’s a joke, but all these retailers are going out of business. People don’t have the extra money right now for certain things. They have to worry about protecting their retirement. They have to worry about making sure that they are safe and secure.

Nothing is cheap right now. Nothing. The things that are doing good right now are the retailers like Chili’s and like Taco Bell of all places that have these discount menus because inevitably you’re going to go there and someone’s going to buy the cheap $7 Lux box, but somebody else is going to go nah, forget that. I want two burritos and I want the extra large slushie and all that stuff. The perfect example is yesterday, my kids and I went to lunch, my son’s in town, and we went and got pho. And my daughter likes this place because they have these lunch specials where I throw all this stuff in and drink.

And my son’s like, nah, I’m not going to do that. Now, he didn’t want the extra stuff. He just wanted the pho and some water and that was it. So he refused to get the discounted lunch special. They love that stuff. They absolutely love it. The point is that you’re seeing this happen more and more with retailers that are going out of business. They can’t keep customers. People are trying to get a deal even on the expensive stuff. But there’s so many things more to talk about this. First things first, Subway, one of the largest Subway operators in the United States, just filed for bankruptcy.

43 locations are closing, are in jeopardy right now. The employees are in jeopardy of not getting paid. That is terrible. And again, you’ve got all these different states that are affected by this, and cash advance lenders improperly interfere with its revenue. I am telling you this right now. I’ve done this before when I had a business. You can go and you can take a cash advance against your credit card. It’s great. They take a percentage of your sales. The only problem is that if they see any hiccup or anything, we haven’t sold anything in eight days.

It’s been raining or whatever. They don’t care. They’ll start going into your account and legally access. Hey, you can’t do that. Yeah, look at line 46 of page 18 that you signed. Yes, we can. That’s what happened to Subway. And once again, with rising food costs, rising labor costs, you couldn’t make it. And it’s terrible. I mean, all these different states that are affected, you’ve got Pennsylvania, Wisconsin. Terrible. Now, Subway still has, you know, 19,500 stores. Their peak was 21,147, 22,147. They’ve dropped 3,000 locations, guys. That’s terrible. Absolutely terrible. The fat brands get dropped from NASDAQ.

You know, I talked about Twin Peaks, Johnny Rockets, Fat Burgers. Well, they filed bankruptcy and they’re getting kicked off of NASDAQ. The problem with this is that the management, which is a bunch of clowns clearly, they haven’t given a good explanation on how they’re going to survive. Okay. Goodbye. Bye, you guys. You guys are going to be done. So they’re dropping it from NASDAQ, which will be the kiss of death. They build a lot of parks next to these private communities. This is in Irvine, California. This is a walkway that’s like three miles long. And you can just go on and on and on.

And you should look, it’s just packed. So, you know, Torchey’s Tacos will close a handful of locations. Torchey’s Tacos. I’m telling you guys, marketing 101, ask me what you should name your taco place. Name it Chewy’s. Name it Tito’s. Name it some Guadalajara, you know, Sinaloa place that I cannot pronounce. And it’s going to scream authentic. Torchey’s. Torchey sounds like a bar, you know, from the sixties past. Torchey’s Tacos destined for failure. Now, here’s the one thing that is funny. Walbergers, you know, Mark Walberg’s brothers and him own Walbergers. Pretty good hamburgers. I’ve eaten there. Okay.

But what they’re going to do, they’re going to expand. Really? How are they going to expand? They’re going to open up a facility in front of Home Depot’s. And Bass Pro Shops. Now, I am telling you guys, if you ever, it’s like going to a light Bucky’s. If you ever get a chance to go to a Bass Pro Shop, it is an experience. The one they have here in Irvine, California is a tiny one. So it’s Bass Pro Shop light, I call it, because you don’t get the full experience. But, you know, if you go there, it’s really amazing.

But again, is this going to motivate you? Wow, we can go to a Bass Pro Shop and get Walbergers at the same time. Honey, let’s go look at carpet samples at Home Depot and some paint chips, and we’ll get a burger. No, who’s going to do that? Who’s going to do that? There’s a lot more to cover. Let’s talk about our sponsor, Delete Me. You know, one thing that is out there that is affecting each and every one of us are data brokers. What a data broker is, is someone that collects our personal information and then sells it.

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It works well, and I mean it. This is just something that I completely value, and you’ve got to try it today. You don’t want your personal information out there. You need to get rid of it. Use Delete Me today, save the 20% like so many of you have, and sign it today. Use the link below. Audio, audio, audio. You’re going to see more and more places close, and you’re going to see more and more people have to look for a job. Dow Chemical, arguably one of the largest chemical companies in the entire industry, has 36,400 employees.

They are laying off 4,500 people right now for AI automation because they can mix the chemicals. They can make the chemicals without doing what? Showing up, without having to punch a clock, without having to deal with anything. I have a buddy of mine who works in security for a hospital group, and the stories that he has told me just over the last week of things that have happened with employees, shenanigans, even his job, it is crazy. But you know what AI does? It eliminates this. It gets rid of every single personality. A friend of mine sent me a video he created through AI for his business, and it is nothing sort of stellar.

It is perfect. Now, there’s not one error. I sent it to my brother and said, you know, let me know if you see any flaws in this. No. But Dow Chemical was going to get rid of 4,500 people. Bye. See you later. Again, bloodbath, guys. Bloodbath. One thing I talked about was the employee litigator, and one thing that has happened in different states and with the federal government is people are being discouraged from being able to sue right now. They just can’t fire people now in certain jurisdictions in certain states. Isn’t that crazy? Isn’t it amazing how busy this place is behind me? Just nuts.

Everybody with their dogs and walking and the e-bikes and all that stuff. So, there’s going to be litigation for this guy. If you ever think you get mistreated on a job, contact somebody. Go ask these people, because they’ll talk to you for free. But don’t look at some yellow page, dude. Look at somebody that’s a litigator. Look at some big company. Look at somebody who got a big judgment. Search what you think you’re suing for and look for big lawyers and talk to them, because they will do it for free. Do that. Do that. You know, something I cannot relate to at all in the insanity of my son leaving in a couple days is going back to 13 degree weather.

Oh, dad, I think it’s down to eight right about now. You know, my car still snowed in. My roommate told me, okay, bye. Hell, man. What the hell? So, kids have been out of school for eight days in certain states. Eight days. How do you make that up? How do you make up eight days? Just chop your summer and take eight days. I mean, it’s terrible, but I know they can’t go to school. I’m not trying to say that they should be, but you think that in jurisdictions that had problems with snow and things like that, it wouldn’t be that you get to go sit there and go play in the snow.

That you would, you know, be online in Zoom school. They just did this five years ago. You can’t do it today. Oh, my God. What a wonderful idea, Dan. You know, we’ll talk to the teachers union and have them vote on it in 2027 and let you know what they think. Yeah, exactly. Trump launches a $12 billion strategic stockpile to counter China for rare earth stockpile for different things that we need to build, you know, EV cars, silver, everything like that. Isn’t that wild? I mean, I’m thinking we don’t have that already. I mean, you know, some of the things, I mean, that’s wild that we just don’t have that.

Who know? No, no. That’s a shock to me. An absolute shock to me. So they’re going to do that. And of course, it’s controversial because because it’s got Trump. I’m telling you, this guy could go out. He could do anything. He could. He could say, listen, Thursday’s free McDonald’s Day and you’d have a problem with it. It is not Burger King. He would bitch about that. So. I just it’s funny because that’s just how it is. A few things. This is near and dear to my heart. My late girlfriend was a law professor that taught people to pass the bar exam.

I want you to think about this in the state of Florida. Thank you, Dr. Marvin, for sending me this one. You do not have to be a. Go to an accredited law school. We joked in her class. Now, understand this. She taught people and you had people taking the test for the first time. And then you had people that were repeat takers. Some people took it 10 times. And and either they should never have been a lawyer or they just didn’t know how to study for the test because it was so stressful. That not being said, don’t you want your lawyer to go to an accredited law school, a valid law school, a real law school? Of course, Dan.

Well, now they passed a law that as of the end of 2026. It’s like September. You don’t have to go to a credit law school. Lisa was approached by investors while she was alive to have her own law school because it was legal to do this. And there was a guy who ran a law school in San Diego out of his house. And for $5,500, you could go to law school and you could see he would give you a diploma. And you could say that he went to this guy’s law school. Another beauty of this was that he had people that passed the bar exam.

Of the 4,000 people that have taken the bar exam in the state of Florida, there’s been less than 10, 10, 10, 10, 10 that have gone to an unaccredited law school. So now they’re just going to open the floodgates. And you’re going to have Dick’s law school, Danny’s law school. You know what I mean? Law school of American citizens of the Northwest. You know what I mean? You’re going to have some crazy names that are going to come up. And the point is that you need to have accreditation with this stuff. A few things. Don’t forget we have the private channel.

Or I’m through this tree so it’s all shady over here. Don’t forget that we have the private channel for iAllegedly Live, which is all the uncensored stuff. I love doing that content and it is absolutely crazy how busy that is right now. So check it out today. Sign up at iAllegedly.tv and I love doing that. It’s that simple. It’s the stuff you can’t talk about other places. I think this guy’s about to eat it so we’re just going to take it. Does that sound bad with his brakes on on his rollerblades? Anyways, two things that I get frustrated with.

You sign up for a loyalty program and if you hit this stage, you’re going to get free X, Y, and Z. That sounds like a wounded cat. You’re doing amazing. You sign up for a loyalty program and then they change the terms on it. Okay, well the latest one to do this was Dunkin Donuts. Dunkin Donuts changed their program so people, one man, lost 260,000 points or what they said was the equivalent of 100 cups of coffee because they change it. There was a company called CBTL, coffee bean and tea leaf, that I used to drink daily.

Sometimes two and three times a day I would go to these places because I would buy their coffee pods for my coffee maker and I would drink coffee there and they had the greatest loyalty program based on you spending $40 to get a free drink of your choice. It was insane. Well, one day they changed it. I’m plotting them. Yeah, not anymore. You’re not. It’s done. Well, where are my points? Yeah, you got to start over. Start over. Yeah, management made some changes. And then I just, oh man, you guys are going to get some heat for this.

And then the next time I went, you’re the guy that said we’d get heat. And I thought she was mad at me. She was, man, it’s been terrible. Everybody’s been ripping on us. Yeah, I bet. I bet. So Dunkin is the next one to like ruin the relationship with their clients. Final, final story. And Michelle sent me this one. And there is a urine study that they will let you urinate and they will test your urine for $70. $75 in Poughkeepsie. So if you live in the Poughkeepsie area, sign up for that. I’ll leave the link below.

It’ll be the last story. You can sit there and you can join the urine sample for $75. Now what they’re doing is they’re taking data and getting health information. They’re going to ask you a few questions, which is nonsense. They’re going to ask you health questions. That’s going to be very invasive. I don’t care what they say on an ad in a magazine or a newspaper. But this was great. And Michelle was right, Dan. This is right. If you’re out here, I think you’d like this. Yeah, I do like this. It’s funny, but you guys are wondering.

You know, honey, we don’t live that far from Poughkeepsie. And, you know, I’ll hold the cup for you. You hold the cup for me. You know what I mean? It’ll be fun. Okay. Make a day out of it. Anyways, yeah, I make this stuff up as I go. Anyways, make good choices. Join the urine test. You know, God, that would be a great title. Anyways, onward and upward, guys. We’re going to have an amazing month. The bloodbath does not end it. See, here’s the thing. You have to know about your business and your life and your personal finances.

If you know that things are a challenge, then you can gauge it. Then you can get ready for it. You cannot waste money. You cannot spend money. You cannot just go, yeah, I want to make more money next week. It’s all good. Sometimes it doesn’t happen. People make mistakes and people cancel contracts or people do shenanigans against you. And you need to be ready for that. So you can live through this. Okay. Make good choices. I’ll see you soon. Hello at ilegily.com is the e-mail address. See you soon. [tr:trw].

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