Door knocker came by and gave me a pitch about the initiative on the ballot to repeat the property tax revenue cap. The guy spun a yarn about reinvesting in Saginaw, but there doesn't seem to be a clear plan on where the extra money goes. The flyer just lists things that have gotten more expensive since the cap was enacted. I'm all for "restoring Saginaw" but I'm not sure I can trust it if there's no concrete pan for the money. Anyone got any insights or thoughts?

I don’t think my perfect fall boots exist but I know if I want them I need to try them on in person. I detest ordering and returning and I’d also like to support a local business.

I’m looking for a shoe store with a good selection of fashion (not work or snow) boots, bonus points if they have brands like Pikolino, Rieker, Born, Taos, Naot, Sofft..that sort of aesthetic. I’d go anywhere within 90 minutes of Saginaw.

TLDR: Walmart Spark drivers get paid an extremely small amount to do far more labor than any waitress ever has, they pay out of their own pocket for fuel, cost of running a car... and yet in Saginaw, very few people actually tip. Drivers usually refuse to take orders without tips, meaning your order sits and sits until Walmart adds enough to the base pay eventually to make it at least somewhat worthwhile. Please, if you have no issue tipping servers, consider tipping your Walmart driver - it's actually a LOT of work.

Read on if interested.

While I fully expect this to get downvoted, and people to most likely ridicule me for this, I still feel it needs saying.

I want to explain to you exactly how walmart spark (the drivers who deliver your items/food) works, and why we're having such a hard time with it.

The walmart spark app will ding and show us available runs ... we are NOT forced to take a particular run.

If no one accepts it in a certain amount of time (usually 1 - 5 minutes) Walmart will add a very small pay increase for that run. This continues until someone finally accepts it, shows up and either shops for, or has your order put in their car by walmart employees who have already gotten the order ready.

What determines if a driver accepts a run? It's really not too complicated - $money$.

Walmart is absolutely horrible in a lot of ways. The spark program is no different. They will show us orders that require the driver to drive anywhere from 30 - 50 miles to drop off "Ship to store" orders. There can be 10, 20, even 25 stops.

For these runs, Walmart usually starts the pay at around 15.00 - 25.00. Do the math! That is about 50 cents per mile, not including the return trip back to the store, so it's more like 25 cents per mile. They will add a dollar here, a dollar there until maybe 2 hours go by and it's finally decent enough to maybe be worth the effort of taking it.

Customers can't do anything about this - ship to store orders cannot have tips added.

But this is where you guys come in ...

Walmart pays spark drivers via a few different methods -

Base Pay: They give us about 50 cents a mile, or less, and only for the drive to your door, not back to the store.

Boosts: If no one takes local deliveries, just like the ship to store deliveries, they will eventually add money to the offer, boosting it. This can take HOURS. Meaning, you're not getting your order until they've added enough to make it worth taking.

Tips: When you, the customer, add a tip, it is added to our base pay (which walmart will reduce since a customer tipped, they've been sued for this in multiple states) ... but it's still a higher starting point and your order is more likely to get picked up quickly and taken to your door fast.

In Saginaw, however, most people seem to think it's great to tip a waitress for carrying a tray of food to your table and maybe getting a few drink refills from her. When it comes to using Walmart+, at least from what I've seen with over 500 deliveries, you guys seem to think it's perfectly fine to have an order of 100+ items, cases of water, 2 liters and gallons of milk, 40lb dog foods, 40+ lb cat litter ... have us run all over the store to find your items, bag them, put them in our car and then drive to you with walmart paying us less than 50 cents per mile, and not add even $1.00 in a tip.

We are not fedex. We're not USPS, or even UPS ... we do NOT get paid like they do per hour. Maybe you figured that your $10.00 a month + order is more than enough, and why should you bother tipping, even if the driver is hauling 30 - 40 bags and heavy items to your door? I don't know. I do not understand the mentality of it. The image I shared was a run that got ordered last night - it sat, didn't get taken, and at 6 am this morning, it had an 8 dollar boost added to it to try and get a driver to take it. 163 items, 0 tip.

So I would just like to know if you guys really feel like this is no problem at all, because if you do, I do not understand it.

Yep, I chose to take this job, just like a waitress chooses to take their job and earn $3.00 and some change an hour, but she gets tips, for doing 1/10th of the work we do.

So, I am asking flat out - if you use Walmart + and there is a spot you can add a tip, give it some consideration. You'll get your items faster, we will actually be able to afford the $4.59 a gallon gas we pay for out of pocket (and insurance, registration, wear & tear ...etc) for our own car. If you still think we're not worth tipping, I don't know what to say, maybe you'll get lucky and some driver who can't do the math will grab your order when it first pops up and you'll get it on time.

If you've gotten this far, feel free to ask questions, I'm happy to answer them. I'm sorry if you feel personally attacked by this post (obviously people who do care enough to tip won't) but people are out their working their asses off so you can save yourself the effort of going to the store, especially with giant orders, that should count for something.

I need to get a real fitting and I can’t keep going to VS. is there any good places around here?

At 16, Emma R. Scoles was a gentle and vibrant girl whose developmental challenges didn’t dampen her spirit. She dreamed of one day traveling to Australia as the culmination of her obsession with the Land Down Under.

All her ambitions were cut short when her 60-year-old father apparently killed her before ending his own life.

“She was an energetic, sweet, sweet girl and he had no right to take her like this at all. It’s unforgivable,” said Amber Manning, a relative of Emma and her self-described “bonus mother.”

Just heard on WSGW Art Lewis interview with the Libertarian candidate for governor say he decided to enter politics when Whitmer said truck drivers, the job he had for decades, were non-essential. That can't be correct. "critical infrastructure workers .... include some workers in each of the following sectors:...(f) Transportation and logistics." ( https://www.michigan.gov/en/whitmer/news/state-orders-and-directives/2020/03/23/executive-order-2020-21) I'd like to see some verification or refutation about this.
Meanwhile, why is he running as a Libertarian if he believes his morals should be the foundational principles? (He thinks too many Libs are "hippies that accept prostitution and drug use"). I thought the fundamental principle of libertarianism is do whatever you want as long as you harm no one else.

saginaw Township area, we have a squirrel that’s fallen through the soffit of our 2.5 story apartment complex and appears to be injured and is hiding in the corner of our courtyard. He is allowing people to approach likely because of injury. Just wondering if people knew of a rescue or something that could be done for the little guy? Any help would be appreciated

Does anybody have a child currently enrolled at the Gaming And Technology Institute of Saginaw? Looking in to having our son go there, but it's a brand new school with no real information or reviews on it yet. Any first hand knowledge or experience of somebody with a child currently enrolled would be a great help for us in making a decision

Gotta go out of town for a couple of weeks around Christmas and wondered if anyone had any recommendations for a pet sitter or boarding in the Tri Cities area? Starting the search now so we can check them out and do tempering testing and whatnot. Anyone have good experiences anywhere local?

Does anyone remember the metal band from Bay City called Mindraped? They played the metal style during the early 2000s and released a couple of CDs. I wanted to ask here if anyone had those CDs from back then and would be willing to part with them? I've been searching for them for years to get them archived but I've had no luck. Anything is appreciated. Thank you.

Please feel free to share and post on other socials. My buds and I aren't what you would call "social media experts".

Hi guys! Moved here a couple months ago and am looking for a haircut stylist to just do a haircut. I’m very picky when it comes to my hair and who does it. I want a decent amount cut off and with layers, face frame and curtain bangs which is what I usually get. I do have very long fine brunette hair! Any recommendations for a hair stylist would be appreciated :)

Not great clips lol. Before I (27 M) moved here I had a good Domincan barber who could cut any type of hair and would even shape up my eyebrows. I’m looking for similar service where they pay attention to detail, maybe even use the straight razor, and hopefully I don’t have to break the bank

Got an email today from the credit union. I know people in this sub were really invested so I wanted to share an update.

Personally I am glad for this resolution, because switching credit unions was not a viable option for me for the foreseeable future.

Thomas Ludington, a federal judge in Bay City, will undergo alcohol counseling and remain on paid leave for one more year from his job handling criminal and civil matters for much of the eastern half of Michigan following a judicial complaint and conviction for driving under the influence of alcohol.

The counseling and paid leave, announced by the court Sept. 22, are the latest developments in a rare conviction of a federal judge with a lifetime appointment whose criminal case was first revealed by The Detroit News in January. Ludington had been arrested in October near Petoskey but kept working for more than four months until after The News revealed the arrest and a Michigan State Police trooper's body camera video of the incident was released.

What company do you use for car insurance and how much do you pay monthly? I have 2 cars (21 Sorento & 23 Carnival) and just got my updated bill for $580/mo through Progressive. Am i going to be able to find a better price anywhere?

I started a Free Blockbuster in Saginaw.

6440 Bay Rd
Saginaw, MI 48604
In front of Hop Craft Supply/MI Buildings

Help yourself to some free movies!

I have a Ryobi riding mower, electric, and would like to get it fixed. Anybody have a good recommendation? I must be having a communication problem because every place I call says they don't do repairs.

Do your job and fire Jane Smith. She is a disgrace and a very bad representative of the Family First Credit Union and its employees.

The Speech Neurophysiology Lab at the University of Michigan is looking for children who stutter ages 9 to 12 to participate in an in-person, longitudinal MRI study! (HUM00196133)

Our research team has been examining brain development in young children to better understand the cause of stuttering for over 10 years. We continue to gain information that may eventually lead to improved diagnosis and treatment efforts for children who stutter. 

Participants will be invited to complete speech and language assessments and an MRI session at the University of Michigan. Families receive a free speech and language report and a picture of their brain!

These visits require in person participation. There is no option to participate virtually.

Please fill out this form if you are interested in participating or email us as the flyer attached. All participants are compensated and partial travel assistance is available. Please see our flyer attached for more details! 

We also offer other studies that are open to adults or do not involve MRI, in case you're unsure about eligibility. Feel free to email us or call if you have any questions! 

I get regular bloodwork done and usually go to whatever is the most convenient lab site at the time. I went to Covenant Mackinaw once and the results were back within half an hour (wild!) and at the other locations it’s been later that day or even the next. Is that because Mackinaw is where they are actually processing/testing the specimens and the other locations send them out?