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mostlysignssomeportents · 11 months ago

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The credit card fee victory is a defeat

I'm on tour with my new, nationally bestselling novel The Bezzle! Catch me next weekend (Mar 30/31) in ANAHEIM at WONDERCON, then in Boston with Randall "XKCD" Munroe (Apr 11), then Providence (Apr 12), and beyond!

The headline was pure David and Goliath: America's small businesses had finally triumphed in their 20-year litigation campaign against Visa and Mastercard over price-gouging on fees, and V/MC were going to cough up $30B as reparations:

https://edition.cnn.com/2024/03/26/economy/visa-mastercard-swipe-fee-settlement/index.html

But if you actually delve into that settlement, the victory gets very hollow indeed. Here's the figure that didn't make the headline: as a part of this settlement, the sky-high fees merchants pay to process your credit-card transaction are going up by 25%:

https://www.creditslips.org/creditslips/2024/03/the-proposed-credit-card-interchange-settlement.html

The payments system is a hellish complex, rotten cartel, dominated by a handful of firms who have raised their already-high fees by 40% since the start of covid:

https://prospect.org/power/2023-02-07-small-business-credit-card-fees/

These companies who take 2-5% out of virtually every dollar exchange in the American company are wildly profitable, but their aggregate profits are still much lower than the profits of all the merchants they prey upon. More: the combined market capitalization of every company that accepts credit-cards is orders of magnitude larger than the payment processing companies. If we're just talking about sheer economic muscle, the "Goliath" here is "all the companies" and the "David" is "the three companies that process payments for them."

So, how is it that these puny middlemen are able to run circles around this massive retail sector? To learn the answer, you need to consider the fine technical details of the lawsuit and the settlement. That's something few of us are capable of doing on our own, because – as is ever the case with finance – the whole system is wreathed in an enormous amount of performative complexity. It's what finance bros call "MEGO," for "My Eyes Glaze Over." Finance loves things that are made complicated so that they'll be hard to understand – because so many of us will assume that they are hard to understand because they are complicated and just "leave it to the experts."

Thankfully, not all of the experts are on the side of finance. When I want a cheat-sheet for the lies buried in Uber's balance sheet, I look to Hubert Horan:

https://horanaviation.com/publications-uber

And when I want to understand credit markets, I go to Adam Levitin and his co-authors at the indispensable Credit Slips blog – and the Credit Card Interchange Settlement is no exception:

https://www.creditslips.org/creditslips/2024/03/the-proposed-credit-card-interchange-settlement.html

Formally, the fight over credit-card fees is over "interchange fees" – the fees charged to a merchant's bank by Visa and Mastercard. But of course, these fees are passed on to the merchants. If you've ever shopped for a credit-card, you'll know that some cards offer massive rebates to consumers (especially wealthy consumers with great credit scores). These gifts don't come out of V/MC's bottom-line: every time you use one of those Platinum/Emerald/Unobtanium cards, V/MC levy an even higher interchange fee. So ultimately, when a wealthy customer with a "good" credit card shops at a merchant, the merchant ends up paying more to process their payment.

But merchants aren't allowed to charge that back to their customers – and that's the crux of the lawsuit. It's why American merchants pay the highest interchange fees in the developed world.

Enter the $30b settlement. Under its terms, average interchange fees will go down by 7 basis-points (0.07%) over the next five years, while all fees will go down by 0.04% over three years – a reduction of about $3b/year. Additionally: merchants will now be able to levy small, extremely limited surcharges based on either the type of card or the card brand (e.g., "We charge a fee for Visa" or "We charge a fee for gold cards"). If merchants are able to levy these fees and figure out how to max them out, they stand to make another 3b/year.

In other words, the $30b settlement comes from $15b in guaranteed savings and $15b in possible savings, for just five years – while V/MC will continue to charge more than $100b/year in interchange fees.

This litigation began in 2005, with merchants outraged over the sky-high average interchange fee of 1.75%. Today, after the settlement, those fees have climbed by 25%, to 2.19% – and they'll start climbing again after just five years. A 20-year fight over high fees resulted in a victory in which the fees are even higher.

How did this happen? Levitin gives us some tantalyzing hints. Over the two decades of litigation, the credit card cartel were able to peel off different groups of merchants and settle with them separately. Some of those settlements were vacated by courts, and other ones are still pending, but fundamentally, the merchants were not unified in the way the credit-card companies are.

This shouldn't surprise anyone. Hundreds of thousands – millions? – of merchants are unable to coordinate strategies in the way that just two credit-card companies can. Indeed, when you have hundreds of thousands of companies, that represents many, many different kinds of businesses, each of which has different kinds of customers and different labor, inventory, cash-flow and profitability specifics.

But as an industry grows more concentrated, all the firms within that industry converge on a single, homogeneous style of operations. Walmart operates very differently from the mom-and-pop shops it forced out with predatory pricing and sweetheart deals with wholesalers – but Costco, Walmart and Sam's Club are all remarkably similar to one another. As a shopper, that means that if have needs that aren't well-served by a big box store, you're out of luck – and it means that a credit-card settlement that works for Walmart will probably work equally well for Costco and Sam's Club.

Think of the mobile phone duopoly of Apple/Google. These two "competitors" have nearly identical ways of dealing with their suppliers – both charging 30% fees for processing payments (and yes, that's a racket that makes Visa/Mastercard look like pikers). These two "competitors" are also one another's most important business-partners: the single largest transaction either company makes every year is with the other – the $26B that Google pays Apple every year to be the Ios and Safari default search engine, through which Apple exposes every one of its customers to Google's incredibly invasive, continuous surveillance.

Speaking of surveillance: consider the surveillance advertising duopoly of Google/Facebook. Not only do these companies extract the nearly identical (sky-high) fees from advertisers and dribble out the nearly identical (miserly) payouts to publishers – they also illegally collude to rig the advertising market, dividing it between themselves:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jedi_Blue

The economists' term for this is the "collective action problem." It's a problem we want corporations to have. The problem with monopolies and cartels isn't merely that they're "too big to fail" and "too big to jail" – it's that a handful of companies can form a cartel to capture their regulators:

https://pluralistic.net/2022/06/05/regulatory-capture/

The surveillance industry is unified; the surveilled are not. The rewards from surveillance are concentrated. The costs of surveillance are diffused. This is as good a working definition of corruption as you could ask for: conduct that produces concentrated gains and diffuse losses.

Our generations-long failure to enforce antitrust law created monopolies that rippled out through whole supply chains. As David Dayen described in his brilliant 2021 book Monopolized, it's the story of US health industry:

https://pluralistic.net/2021/01/29/fractal-bullshit/#dayenu

First, pharma companies merged to monopoly and started to gouge hospitals on drug prices. So hospitals formed regional monopolies that could resist these pricing demands – and then turned around and started gouging insurance companies. So insurance companies merged, too. Every corner of health-care is now a monopoly or a cartel – from pharmacy benefit managers to hospital beds:

https://pluralistic.net/2022/01/05/hillrom/#baxter-international

The only parts of the industry that aren't concentrated are the parts that can't concentrate: patients and health-care workers. The monopolized health care sector reaps the concentrated gains, and the patients and workers pay the diffused costs. Those costs are diffused, but they're still substantial – a literal matter of life or death:

https://kffhealthnews.org/news/article/investors-private-equity-nonprofit-nursing-homes-quality-of-care/

Monopolization lets businesses solve their collective action problem, so they can run circles around less concentrated, less organized sectors. But concentration also lets companies solve the collective action problem of lobbying governments and capturing their regulators. A concentrated industry can maintain message discipline in front of regulators and legislators. A diffuse sector will always have credible defectors who'll say, "No, we can absolutely function with tighter controls – my competition is bullshitting you and I have receipts to prove it."

The surveillance industry's massive concentration is why America can't seem to pass a federal consumer privacy law. The last consumer privacy law Congress passed was 1988's Video Privacy Protection Act, a law that bans video-store clerks from telling anyone which VHS cassettes you're renting. But federal law is effectively silent on every other kind of invasion – your ISP, your TV, your car, your phone, your medical implant, your dishwasher and your smart speaker can all harvest your data, charge you for the privilege and sell it to anyone, for any purpose.

That silence didn't come cheap: whenever Congress moots a privacy law, the concentrated surveillance industry is all on the same page for the ensuing lobbying blitz, which it can afford thanks to the massive profits that an industry reaps when it eliminates "wasteful competition."

This is a point that leftists sometimes miss about competition law. The point of competition isn't merely to discipline companies into finding more efficient ways to run their businesses so that their prices go down. Sure, that's sometimes a good thing for the public.

But there's plenty of commercial conduct that we don't want to improve – rather, we want to extinguish that conduct. We don't want more efficient commercial surveillance – we want no commercial surveillance.

Without competition, an industry can outmaneuver the government. Think of IBM: the DOJ sued IBM for antitrust violations from 1970 to 1982. For 12 consecutive years, IBM spent more on lawyers to fight the DOJ's Antitrust Division than the DOJ spent on all the lawyers it employed to fight every antitrust violation in the country. IBM literally outspent the US government, year after year, for 12 years! That let them delay the DOJ's breakup long enough for Ronald Reagan to be elected, and then Reagan dropped the suit.

This doesn't just effect customers for a monopoly's products – it also (and especially) effects the workers for that monopoly. When employers don't have to compete for labor, they can pay workers less and save money they might otherwise have to pay for benefits and workplace safety. Those additional profits can be plowed into lobbying against pro-union laws, and to pay the eye-watering sums charged by scumbag union-busting law firms.

Look at the companies who've gone to the Supreme Court to get the National Labor Review Board abolished: these are giant corporations from heavily concentrated sectors with little competition to erode their profits. And while Tesla, Trader Joe's and Amazon all have very different businesses, they're all similar enough that none of them sees an advantage to courting workers by offering a unionized shop:

https://newrepublic.com/article/179165/musk-supreme-court-nlrb-labor

It's not just leftists who fail to grasp the relationship between competition and the ability of regulators to do their job. Libertarians miss this, too. Even if you're a fully Fountainhead-poisoned freedom-to-contract hobgoblin, you still want a government that can enforce those contracts and defend the property rights they invoke. For a government to force a corporation to abide by its contractual obligations, that government has to be more powerful than the corporation it is charged with policing. Which means that however large you're willing to let a monopoly or cartel grow, you're going to have to tolerate a government that's even larger:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/02/05/small-government/

The "$30b win" for America's merchants is, in fact, a loss. 20 years of litigation over high fees, and the fees are now much higher. But that loss is surely unevenly distributed. Walmart and Amazon and other retail giants are going to be able to bargain for all kinds of off-the-books rebates, promotions, and other sweetheart deals, meaning that they'll have even more unfair advantages over smaller, more disorganized retailers. That means more of those mom-and-pops will vanish, leaving shoppers with less choice and higher prices – and workers with less choice and lower wages.

The lesson of 40 years of pro-monopoly policy couldn't be clearer: you can either have an economy that is regulated by lawmakers who are at least nominally transparent and democratically accountable, or you can have an economy regulated by totally unaccountable and opaque monopolists. Fail to do the former, and you will always end up with the latter.

If you'd like an essay-formatted version of this post to read or share, here's a link to it on pluralistic.net, my surveillance-free, ad-free, tracker-free blog:

https://pluralistic.net/2024/03/28/concentrated-benefits/#diffuse-harms

#pluralistic #credit cards #Credit Card Interchange Settlement #Credit Card Interchange #payment processing #payments #network fee #steering #multi-district litigation #monopoly #regulatory capture #cartels #concentrated benefits #diffuse harms #adam levitin #credit slips

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purrpleluv · 2 months ago

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Sending him letters:

**Yes, he can receive international mails too! 💚**

- Mail must have his full name (Luigi Nicholas Mangione) and register number (52503-511).

- Mail will be opened and inspected by staff, so content must be kept appropriate or else it will be rejected. Do not talk about the incident. Talk to him like a friend.

These suggestions are collected from @renegadeforjustice (TikTok):

- Use plain paper.

- Use plain black/blue pen or pencil.

- Greeting cards can be included but they have to be as simple as possible (one piece of folded paper without any layer, embossing, glitter, or other extra material).

- Puzzles like crossword and sudoku can also be sent. Make sure to include the answers in a separate paper.

- Mail can include multiple pages.

- If you are not comfortable using your real name, you can use a pen name instead (just make sure it is a simple one with a first and last name).

Sending him packages:

From bop.gov:

“Inmates are not allowed to receive packages from home without prior written approval from the inmate's unit team or authorized staff member at the institution. The only packages an inmate may receive from home are those containing release clothing and authorized medical devices. However, inmates may receive magazines, hard and paperback books directly from the publisher.”

More information from Policy on Incoming Publications:

"At all Bureau institutions, an inmate may receive hardcover publications and newspapers only from the publisher, from a book club, or from a bookstore.”

“At medium security, high security, and administrative institutions, an inmate may receive softcover publications (for example, paperback books, newspaper clippings, magazines, and other similar items) only from the publisher, from a book club, or from a bookstore."

- Books, magazines, and newspapers can only be sent to him by the publisher/bookstore/book club themselves. You cannot mail it to him yourself. When ordering, put Luigi as the recipient.

- If you are going to use Amazon to send him books, there is a “send as a gift” button below the cart that you can click if you want to include a message to him as well.

Sending money to his commissary account:

To deposit money into his commissary account, you can choose from 3 options:

1.) MoneyGram

You'll need the following information:

Account Number: 52503511MANGIONE

Company Name: Federal Bureau of Prisons

City & State: Washington, DC

Receive Code is always: 7932

Beneficiary: Luigi Nicholas Mangione

a. At a MoneyGram location

Locate the nearest agent by calling 1-800-926-9400 or visiting: www.moneygram.com.

You'll need to complete a MoneyGram ExpressPayment Blue Form (see a sample form).

You can pay with cash.

b. Online

Please visit https://www.moneygram.com/mgo/us/en/paybills and enter the receive code 7932 or Federal Bureau of Prisons.

Enter the Receive Code (7932) and the amount you are sending (up to $300).

First time users will have to set up a profile and account.

A MasterCard or Visa credit card is required.

2.) Western Union

You'll need the following information:

Account Number: 52503511MANGIONE

Attention Line: Luigi Nicholas Mangione

Code City is always: FBOP, DC

a. Online

Please visit www.send2corrections.com

A credit/debit card will be required to complete a payment online.

You can also initiate a payment via mobile app and pay later with cash or payment card, at a Western Union agent location.

b. At a Western Union location

Locate the nearest agent by using our agent locator or by calling 1-800-325-6000.

You can pay with cash. Debit cards are accepted at select locations.

c. Over the phone

Call 1-800-634-3422 and choose option 2.

A credit/debit card will be required.

d. Via Send2Corrections mobile application

Search "Send2Corrections" in the Apple App Store (Apple iOS) or the Google Play Store (Android devices).

3.) Using mail

For detailed information, click on this link.

Information is extracted from bop.gov. Please visit the site if you need any confirmation.

💚F💚R💚E💚E💚💚💚💚L💚U💚I💚G💚I💚

#luigi mangione #luigimangione #luigi #healthcare #healthinsurance

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seat-safety-switch · 1 year ago

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In Canada, I was raised from birth to be a warrior. My ancestors clashed in battle after battle, drawing blood to retrieve the best deals on home electronics and occasionally near-expiry panettone. Like my grandfather said on the first day he put a charge card in my hand, I was born to win at Boxing Day.

Perhaps you live in a country that does not have Boxing Day, or maybe you call it something else. If this is the case, I would like you to imagine going to the stores and finding a good discount. Traditionally, before the Americans came with their blackened Fridays and good-deal Aprils, going into combat on this day is how we would be able to afford a six-CD changer.

It was always the same sequence. Get up at the crack of dawn with the surviving family members. Drive to the asshole end of the city, after determining which of the stores are likely to have the least attendance and competition for the deal you want. Wait in line in the December morn for more than an hour, eyeing anyone who tries to cut in line. The doors open. There is blood. So much blood. And then, maybe if you were pure of heart and fleet of foot, a deal.

Things have changed now. The internet came from the heavens. The clouds above us sing of algorithmically determined deals that are determined computationally to be the exact discount that will trigger us to buy. 19% off? We scoff. 18.35% off with a free cookie? Some part of our protosimian neurological architecture jams its foot on the gas pedal and won't let go until we've destroyed one entire Bank of Montreal Platinum Reserve® Optimax® MasterCard® in exchange for something we don't need that might arrive at our home late next week by a hungover Purolator employee. There is no honour in this.

Which is why we're going to try out a new thing this year. The mall near us has been empty for decades, except for a short period of time where the CBC filmed a docudrama set in the 1990s there. What we're gonna do is set a bunch of Amazon gift cards down on the floor and let some folks my age kick the absolute shit out of each other in exchange for a chance to buy them for greater than the listed face value. It's gonna be just like the old days. I hope to see you there.

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gomes72us-blog · 4 months ago

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talkfastromance4 · 2 years ago

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Achilles Heel--Jake Seresin (An Arrangement Series)

An Arrangement Masterlist

Follow here for all updates as I do not have a taglist

word count: 1k

warnings: none just fluff

Feedback, asks, comments/reblogs mean the world to me!

Enjoy!

You’d had a wonderful dinner with Jake, he surprised you after work. The night was still young with stars just starting to twinkle in the sky and as he was driving home you saw a billboard advertising a nighttime mini-golf course.

“Can we go mini-golfing?!” you ask him excitedly. “It’s two exits away!”

Jake looks at the billboard apprehensive but replaces it with a soft smile.

“Sure, Sugar.”

He takes the proper exit and finds a parking spot right in front. It’s packed with families and other young couples doing date night. There was an Icee machine, cotton candy, and big pretzels in the concession stands near the entrance. Jake opened your door, helped you out and held your hand all the way up to the ticket booth.

A teenage girl stared wide-eyed as Jake smiled politely at her.

“Two for mini-golf please?” he asks. He releases your hand so he can pull out his wallet, his black Mastercard shining in the night as he hands it to her.

“S-sure,” she stutters. When she grabs the credit card she drops it and it clangs on the metal countertop. She turns tomato red as she swipes the card but it’s approved instantly and she slides it back to him. “You can pick out your ball and putter over there.”

“Thank you,” Jake smiles then tugs you along.

You pick a neon pink ball and Jake wants you to pick one for him so you find a green one to match his eyes. You write down your names on the scorecard and wait your turn at the first hole as a family of three are going. It’s two women and a little boy about four years old, he hits the ball and follows it down the green while both moms are encouraging him and snapping some photos.

“You two can go ahead, Louis likes to whack it in,” the one closest to you says.

“We don’t mind waiting,” you smile then turn to Jake, “Isn’t he adorable?”

“He is determined,” Jake grins.

When they make it to the second hole, Jake has you go first and you line up for the shot. The first hole is winding with rocks alternating down as obstacles so you’re trying to aim in between them. You hit it with your putter and the ball doesn’t hit a rock until the very last one which lands your ball against the wall but it’s near the hole.

“Good job, Sugar,” Jake praises and you smile proudly at him before moving out of his way.

It takes him a bit longer to line up his shot as you watch him carefully, he seems nervous and antsy. He swings his putter and the ball hits the very first rock, rolling right back to him.

“That’s okay, go again,” you tell him.

He moves the ball back to its spot in front of his feet, his leather shoes shining against the outdoor lights. You back up a little to admire him in his fancy outfit playing mini-golf so you inconspicuously pull out your phone to snap a picture.

“Hey! No flash photography,” he warns.

“Sorry,” you giggle pocketing it back into your Coach crossbody. Another gift from Jake.

He lines up again, biting his lip and hits the ball. It goes halfway down the green so you follow him to the spot. He hits two more rocks before he finally makes it to the hole. He lets you go first and you tap it in easily but he takes two more strokes. Jake looks mildly irritated as you move to hole number two but you pass it off as not playing in a while.

As you move along the course Jake becomes increasingly irritable as it takes him double the time to score than you. You get to the fifth hole where you have to hit your ball into one of three holes so it will drop down below. Yours goes in the middle and you get a hole in one but Jake’s ball is hit a little too hard and it smacks off the back wall rolling right to him.

“Fuck,” he hisses quietly and you snap your head at him. You’ve never heard him swear before. He’s gripping the handle of his putter tightly.

“Have you played mini-golf before?” you ask carefully.

“Of course I have,” he grunts and goes again. The ball goes in the hole on the far left and you run to the edge to see it roll into a makeshift sand pit. “Where’d it go?”

“In the made-up sand pit,” you smile apologetically. The muscle in his jaw ticks and he walks past you to go down the small flight of stairs.

You follow him just as he angles himself awkwardly on the green and wood chips so he can hit his ball. He hits it a bit too hard and goes way past the hole. He grunts again and you move in front of him.

“Hey, hey, hey, slow down,” you place your hand over his hand gripping the putter too tightly. His grip relaxes at your touch but his expression is still hard as he looks down at you. “Are you sure you’ve played before?”

“Once when I was younger. I’m used to regular golf, where you have to hit it hard. This putter is too small and this course has too many weird obstacles,” he huffs.

A snorted laugh escapes you and you cover your mouth while Jake tries to move out of your way.

“No, no, no, I’m sorry, I’m so sorry!” you move in front of him again grabbing hold of his cheek. He pointedly avoids your eyes. “I’m not laughing at you, honey, I swear. It’s just…you’re so good at everything else, I thought this would be a piece of cake for you.”

“Yeah, well, it’s my achilles heel,” he grunts.

“If you don’t like it then why did we come?”

“Because you seemed so excited and I want you to be happy,” he finally meets your gaze.

“Oh, Jake, that’s so sweet,” you rise on your toes to kiss him softly on the lips. “We can stop if you want to.”

“No, we’re almost done and you’re enjoying yourself. Just promise me one thing?” he asks.

“What’s that?”

“Don’t tell the guys I suck at mini-golf?”

#an arrangement #an arrangement series #jake x reader #jake seresin #jake seresin x reader #jake and sugar #top gun maverick writing #jake seresin fluff #hangman fluff #hangman x reader

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chicagocubsreactions · 21 days ago

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I work at a print shop in the suburbs. Last week was my 10 year anniversary at the shop, and amongst other things my boss put a nice gift basket together for me. However, I immediately zeroed in on this:

Yes, she took a MasterCard gift card ("obviously a MasterCard, official card of the Cubs") and made this up, so I can finally stop pirating baseball games.

#shout out to my boss who looked at me on November 3rd 2016 and said #'let's work really hard today and we can go to the Cubs parade tomorrow'#she's a real one

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clevercardir · 2 years ago

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Unwrapping the 5 Most Important Business Benefits of Gift Cards

Gift-giving has always been a beloved tradition, but it has changed dramatically over time. One popular option that stands out in today's digital age is the gift card. These tiny plastic or digital marvels have transformed the way we give and receive gifts. But did you know that gift cards have numerous advantages for businesses as well? In this blog post, we'll look at the top five business benefits of gift cards and why they've become a popular option for many retailers. So, let us take a dive and discover the hidden potential of these small treasures!

Increased Sales: Gift cards can significantly increase a company's bottom line. Customers who purchase Gift Cards are essentially committing to future purchases in your store. These cards function as prepaid currency, ensuring that the cardholder will return to your establishment to redeem the value of the card. As a result, you not only secure immediate revenue from the initial gift card sale, but you also increase the likelihood of the recipient making additional purchases when they visit your store.

Increased Customer Engagement:

Read More ( Original Source): https://sites.google.com/view/important-gift-cards/home

#mastercards gift cards #prepaid card #giftcard

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addicail · 6 months ago

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Interview Log 7987-20230511

Main article: SCP-7987

Date: May 11, 2023

Time: 20:08

Location: Wallace Facility, ████████, Scotland.

Recording: Agent Tabitha Murray, class C1

Interviewer: Agent Owen Mark, class C3

Interviewee: Addie MacKay, human, white, male, 18-22 years old, 1.5 m, 45 kg. Approached facility requesting indefinite containment.

(Addendum: These data represent initial observations of the entity. We now know the entity is agender, 30 years old according to its legal documentation, and exhibits anomalous properties that suggest it may not be human. We also know its vital statistics more precisely. - Agent Murray)

Subject has brought the following items:

Backpack

Reusable grocery bag

Five pairs boxer-briefs

One pair pyjama bottoms

Two vests

Two t-shirts

Three button-up shirts

One blouse

One denim jacket

One pair fingerless gloves

Eleven socks (unmatched)

Samsung Galaxy S10 smartphone and charger

Handmade wallet crafted from an A4 sheet of paper and packing tape

Driver's licence (UK issue, valid) (Note: the licence displays MacKay's face and vital statistics, but there is no name or gender indicated.)

Firearm certificate (Scotland police issue, valid) (Note: the document displays MacKay's face, but no name is indicated. MacKay's signature is illegible.)

Five credit cards

Barclaycard Platinum Balance Transfer Visa

Barclaycard Platinum All-Rounder Visa

Royal Bank of Scotland Balance Transfer Mastercard

Bank of Scotland Platinum Low Rate Mastercard

Lloyds Bank Platinum 0% Purchase and Balance Transfer Mastercard

Global Health Insurance Card

ScotRail Smart card

Tesco discount card

Sainsbury's discount card

Fifteen coupons

Business card for Angel Homes Ltd, East Kilbride, Glasgow

Business card for Residence Estate Agents, Hamilton

£25 Starbucks gift card (current balance unknown)

Deodorant

Toothbrush

Hairbrush

Disposable razor

Reusable water bottle

Journal (the document could not be transcribed, but was digitised via scanning)

Two pens

Five hair clips

One bottle Garnier Ultimate Blends Hair Food shampoo (partially used)

One bottle Garnier Ultimate Blends Hair Food conditioner (partially used)

One jar Garnier Ultimate Blends Hair Food hair mask (partially used)

Compact mirror

Three cans sugar-free Irn-Bru Energy

Two packs Lambert & Butler 100s cigarettes

Refillable lighter

£245.12 in cash

Violin case containing violin, bow, rosin block, cleaning supplies, and spare strings

Banjo case containing banjo, picks, capo, cleaning supplies, and spare strings

Mark: Welcome to the Wallace Facility. Our focus is on safe and respectful study of humans involved in unexplained phenomena. I understand you requested study on yourself?

MacKay: Yes, I think I ought to stay here.

Mark: What phenomenon have you observed about yourself?

MacKay: I can read minds. Puts people off.

[A pause. Mark and MacKay stare at each other.]

Addendum: During this pause, I heard SCP-7987's voice, although its mouth didn't move and Agent Murray didn't hear anything. This voice responded as if the entity was aware of what I was thinking, although I wasn't deliberately communicating with it. As I recall, the communication regarded SCP-7987's so-called 'mind-reading' and its ability to 'send' mental communication to nearby people. - Agent Mark, 11/05/2023

The interview room's equipment didn't pick up any sound during this time. - Agent Murray, 11/05/2023

Mark: (to Murray) Are you getting all this?

Murray: All what?

Mark: (to MacKay) If you have something to say to me, please say it out loud so my colleague can transcribe it.

[No response.]

Addendum: SCP-7987 replied, and its mouth moved, but only I could hear it. - Agent Mark, 11/05/2023

Mark: Did you get that?

Murray: Get what?

MacKay: I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'll stop fucking with you. You can hear me now, right, darling?

Murray: Affirmative. We appreciate your cooperation.

Mark: Did he say something to you?

Addendum: I was looking at my screen and did not see SCP-7987 as it said "You can hear me now, right, darling?" The room's equipment did not pick up this comment. - Agent Murray, 11/05/2023

SCP-7987's mouth did not move after it said "I'll stop fucking with you," and I didn't hear its next words. - Agent Mark, 11/05/2023

MacKay: I'm sorry! I'm sorry, really, I'm done now. I'm talking normally. It's just so much more effort to talk this way! And slower!

Mark: Did you get all that?

Murray: He said, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, really, I'm done now. I'm talking normally. It's just so much more effort to talk this way. And slower." Did he say anything else?

MacKay: No.

Mark: (simultaneously) No.

MacKay: I thought you'd appreciate a demonstration!

Mark: We do. I'm not angry, Mr. MacKay. I'm fascinated. I just want to make sure this conversation is recorded accurately.

MacKay: Ah, don't call me 'mister.'

Mark: Would you prefer Miss?

MacKay: Just call me MacKay.

Mark: I can do that. Would you mind putting that on his file? Is it 'he?'

MacKay: 'He's fine.

Mark: You'll be 'it' in official documentation, but that's standard procedure. All subjects of study are 'it.' For impartiality.

MacKay: Right.

Mark: Thank you for approaching us with this, MacKay. We're delighted for the opportunity to study this phenomenon. As long as you cooperate and follow our rules, I'm sure your stay here will be pleasant and comfortable.

MacKay: How long will I be allowed to stay here?

Mark: As long as this phenomenon is observed. Maybe longer, in case it recurs.

MacKay: Oh! Great!

Mark: Room 11 is free - let's put you there for now. Follow me.

End Log.

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#addison #SCP-addi #txt

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