WaPo Staffers Who Accepted Buyouts Encouraged to Take Final Advantage of Merch Store Discount

Doug P. | 5:10 PM on December 21, 2023

Back in October, the Washington Post announced that they would offer buyouts to reduce staff, and if not enough people accepted they would be forced to move forward with layoffs:

The Washington Post announced plans Tuesday to offer voluntary buyouts to its staff, in an effort to reduce head count by 240.
In an email to staff, interim CEO Patty Stonesifer wrote that The Post’s subscription, traffic and advertising projections over the past two years had been “overly optimistic” and that the company is looking for ways “to return our business to a healthier place in the coming year.”
The Post currently employs about 2,500 people across the entire company. A staff meeting is planned for 10 a.m. Wednesday to discuss the buyouts, which will be offered to employees in specific jobs and departments.

The MSM is in general decline because... well, you know why. But at least some of the departing staffers were given one final crack to use their company discount at the WaPo merch shop.

No, seriously:

Some people at the Washington Post who took buyouts thought it was insensitive to receive a departure email that included a line telling them to "take a last look" at the discounted WaPo merch store before leaving. pic.twitter.com/DHtDpv6hX9
— Max Tani (@maxwelltani) December 21, 2023

Somebody at the Post lives by the credo "always be closing." Merch sales to employees they've let go could be the only way to save the paper in the short term.