Best Buy Games, A Movie Made By Hand, and More

Thursday, October 22nd, 2026

Good morning! Welcome to The Tradesman, a 5-minute newsletter tailored just for America’s tradesmen.

To listen to this newsletter, click “Listen Online” in the top right corner of this email.

Guess what, Tradesmen? We’re giving away yet another $50 gas card!

Click here to enter for a chance to win! (NOTE: Only one entry per person will be accepted)

Come back on Tuesday to find out if you’ve won.

Also, election season is here. Before you head to the polls, check out the Merit Shop Alliance voting guide here.

Best Buy is expanding beyond computers and electronics.

The retailer has launched Best Buy Games, a site that aims to be a one-stop shop for all things gaming.

Created in collaboration with IGN, the site offers gaming articles and reviews, live event updates, deals on new technology, and other features aimed at gamers.

The rollout is timed ahead of major releases, including the “Zelda: Ocarina of Time” remake on Nov. 5 and “Grand Theft Auto VI” on Nov. 19.

By now, there’s a good chance you’ve at least heard in passing that riots or protests are happening in France.

As the protests gain attention, it’s increasingly harder to sort out what’s true and what’s being dramatized for clickbait. So we’re going to break down what’s actually happening and why we, as Americans, should care.

The protests began in mid-September at a high school, where students and teachers blockaded the building over teacher shortages, overcrowded classes, and other problems. They quickly grew into large marches of students, parents, teachers, unions, and others angry about education funding, as well as broader issues such as the cost of living and public services.

The protests were mostly peaceful until this past weekend, when tensions boiled over, and masked groups set fires, looted shops, and vandalized historic monuments.

Here’s why we should take notice: Many of the things France is protesting are things Americans have been growing frustrated with too, including the cost of living and federal funding.

France’s protests shouldn’t be treated as a prophecy of what’s bound to happen here. But our country should use them to identify what went wrong in France and how we can course-correct.

Ohio’s gas tax holiday is two weeks old, but prices are climbing anyway.

AAA put the statewide average at $4.04 a gallon Monday, up 17 cents from a week ago but still below the $4.30 national average.

Lima has the state’s cheapest gas at $3.81, while Canton-Massillon is the priciest metro at $4.13. Station prices Sunday ranged from $3.27 to $5.79, according to GasBuddy, so shopping around pays.

One economist blames Middle East tensions and attacks on overseas refineries. Find the cheapest areas here and specific stations here.

As tradesmen, we know what it takes to build something with your hands. It takes sweat, hard work, and a specific kind of drive to work with a team and build something worthwhile.

“Wildwood,” an animated movie filmed entirely in stop motion, hits theaters tomorrow. That means every shot, set, and facial expression was done by hand: Each scene and character was built and sculpted, then moved millimeter by millimeter between photos.

Movies like this take a long time to make, which is why “Wildwood” was in production for a staggering 16 years.

At a time when studios are looking for shortcuts, “Wildwood” is a reminder that there are still good stories to tell, and that there’s something powerful about making something entirely by hand.

See the trailer here and buy tickets here.

If money wasn’t an issue, would you buy the new flying Tesla Roadster?