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Source: In These Times magazine/How Amazon Is Taking Over Our Lives.
Retailers are planning to close 4,000 stores in 2019, the 41,201 retail job losses in the first 2 months of this year were the highest since the Great Recession. Dead malls trigger not only blight but also property tax losses. The broader shift to online shipping also transfers economic activity from local businesses to corporate coffers, like Amazon's headquarters in Seattle.
Amazon is a "Death Star" moving its super-laser into striking range of every industry on the planet.
Contracting work out lets Amazon dodge liability for poor labor practices, a trick used by other corporations.
Amazon runs plenty of air freight these days as well, through an Amazon Air fleet of planes branded with the Amazon logo, but these are also contracted out. Atlas Air, one of three cargo carriers, Atlas pays pilots 30-60% below the industry standard. The go-go schedule leaves little time for mechanics. Planes go out with stickers with deferred maintenance. One Atlas Air flight carrying Amazon packages crashed in Texas in February, killing 3 workers.
Amazon's lobbying spending is among the highest of any company in America.
In a future where Amazon broadens its control over our lives such that citizens have no where else to shop, businesses have nowhere else to sell, workers have no where else to toil, and governments have no other way to function, then who actually holds the power in our society? Avoiding that dark figure requires leaders with the political will to stop it.
If Amazon has caused this much upheaval today, when online shopping is still only 16% of retail sales, the future is limitless and grim.
Elizabeth Warren is suggesting, at least, splitting off Whole Foods and Zappos.
How about you? Ideas to tame/police Amazon. Myself, I have never bought anything from Amazon, as I've always been a champion of the underdog, so if I have to drive 10 miles to a department store, so be it!
It's the same argument that's been happening for at least a century, just taking a different form. Those malls that are empty now put a lot of downtown shopping districts out of business. The chains that used to occupy a lot of those downtown shopping districts before moving out to the malls (and many of which have since gone out of business) put a lot of mom-and-pop stores out of business. And while you're worried about malls and the chains that used to occupy them, thousands of small businesses have sprung up using Amazon as their sales, marketing, and distribution channel.
In short, the "Death Star" you're worried about today will likely be irrelevant 50 years from now, no doubt with some people lamenting the emerging model putting the Amazons of the world out of business. Amazon is already losing market share to other online markets like Walmart and Alibaba.
Source: In These Times magazine/How Amazon Is Taking Over Our Lives.
Retailers are planning to close 4,000 stores in 2019, the 41,201 retail job losses in the first 2 months of this year were the highest since the Great Recession. Dead malls trigger not only blight but also property tax losses. The broader shift to online shipping also transfers economic activity from local businesses to corporate coffers, like Amazon's headquarters in Seattle.
Amazon is a "Death Star" moving its super-laser into striking range of every industry on the planet.
Contracting work out lets Amazon dodge liability for poor labor practices, a trick used by other corporations.
Amazon runs plenty of air freight these days as well, through an Amazon Air fleet of planes branded with the Amazon logo, but these are also contracted out. Atlas Air, one of three cargo carriers, Atlas pays pilots 30-60% below the industry standard. The go-go schedule leaves little time for mechanics. Planes go out with stickers with deferred maintenance. One Atlas Air flight carrying Amazon packages crashed in Texas in February, killing 3 workers.
Amazon's lobbying spending is among the highest of any company in America.
In a future where Amazon broadens its control over our lives such that citizens have no where else to shop, businesses have nowhere else to sell, workers have no where else to toil, and governments have no other way to function, then who actually holds the power in our society? Avoiding that dark figure requires leaders with the political will to stop it.
If Amazon has caused this much upheaval today, when online shopping is still only 16% of retail sales, the future is limitless and grim.
Elizabeth Warren is suggesting, at least, splitting off Whole Foods and Zappos.
How about you? Ideas to tame/police Amazon. Myself, I have never bought anything from Amazon, as I've always been a champion of the underdog, so if I have to drive 10 miles to a department store, so be it!
I don't buy anything from Amazon. I have no desire to. I can see where all this online shopping is leading to. There are reasons there are stores. I still don't see how people buy their clothes, shoes and food online. Just go to the store. See what your buying and take it home that day, No waiting, no sending it back if its not right. I don't think its that much cheaper, or cheaper at all online. Humans were not made to sit on their butt, order online, no interaction with others.
No I don't use Amazon, or mail order other than prescriptions. Only because I'm forced to by insurance. Otherwise I'd go to CVS and just pick it up that day,
Amazon I think will put everything out of business. They are very controlling, and they know how to do so. I think its sad and should not be allowed. We have a very lazy society now. People don't want to interact with others. That is part of the reason this online shopping took off. No I don't want any part of Amazon, or online shopping.
I don't think there is anything we can do about it. Its being forced on us, as is all change. I imagine soon we will all be forced to shop online.I feel it now when I go to the store. Limited options in stock, I'm told I can order it online.
Let's say I go to a brick and mortar Best Buy. The chances of them having what I want is pretty slim. I can drive around to a dozen stores, or I can click on Amazon on my computer. And usually -- but not always -- the price at Amazon is cheaper than in a brick and mortar store.
Two weeks ago I ordered something from The Container Store online, Now I could have gotten it at their brick and mortar store...maybe...if it was in stock. Except it was too big to fit in my car. And their store is a 22 mile round trip. It took ten days to get the items delivered (Amazon would have had it to me in one or two days), one of the two containers was so beat up it had holes in it, which resulted in missing parts...which will take up to 4 months to receive. I've never had that kind of problem with Amazon.
Leave Amazon alone. They started from scratch, Built a great business model that actually works. Spend your time solving some of this country's REAL problems.
^^ Yep, today I bought two Negoya 717 antennae for my handheld radios. Where else was I going to get them -- my local Negoya shop? Woolworth's? Handheld Radio Antennae R Us?
Let's say I go to a brick and mortar Best Buy. The chances of them having what I want is pretty slim. I can drive around to a dozen stores, or I can click on Amazon on my computer. And usually -- but not always -- the price at Amazon is cheaper than in a brick and mortar store.
Two weeks ago I ordered something from The Container Store online, Now I could have gotten it at their brick and mortar store...maybe...if it was in stock. Except it was too big to fit in my car. And their store is a 22 mile round trip. It took ten days to get the items delivered (Amazon would have had it to me in one or two days), one of the two containers was so beat up it had holes in it, which resulted in missing parts...which will take up to 4 months to receive. I've never had that kind of problem with Amazon.
Leave Amazon alone. They started from scratch, Built a great business model that actually works. Spend your time solving some of this country's REAL problems.
I agree totally. I needed something as benign as 3 inch ribbon to decorate tables for an annual luncheon for our garden club. I checked every craft store in town, plus the local Super WalMart to see if they had enough ribbon in the color I needed. I finally ordered ribbon from one craft store online, only to go pick up my order and find that it had been cancelled. So I turned to good old Amazon, which had exactly what I needed at the right price on time since I have Prime. Why attack a supplier that provides what a consumer wants when they want it at an acceptable (or lower) price? Isn't that pretty much the definition of good retail business?
Source: In These Times magazine/How Amazon Is Taking Over Our Lives.
Retailers are planning to close 4,000 stores in 2019, the 41,201 retail job losses in the first 2 months of this year were the highest since the Great Recession. Dead malls trigger not only blight but also property tax losses. The broader shift to online shipping also transfers economic activity from local businesses to corporate coffers, like Amazon's headquarters in Seattle.
And you think this is all because of Amazon, and not because of the rest of the changes that have happened to the economy over the last several years?
Quote:
Originally Posted by tijlover
Amazon is a "Death Star" moving its super-laser into striking range of every industry on the planet.
Quote:
Originally Posted by tijlover
Contracting work out lets Amazon dodge liability for poor labor practices, a trick used by other corporations.
So when you talk about contracting work, Post up one of these contracts... This sounds like ignorant bashing with buzzword points, that you have no clue about the details. Wasn't Amazon paying $15 an hour to start out or is about to? You don't think your mom and pop shops, or Walmart are paying that do you?
Quote:
Originally Posted by tijlover
Amazon runs plenty of air freight these days as well, through an Amazon Air fleet of planes branded with the Amazon logo, but these are also contracted out. Atlas Air, one of three cargo carriers, Atlas pays pilots 30-60% below the industry standard. The go-go schedule leaves little time for mechanics. Planes go out with stickers with deferred maintenance. One Atlas Air flight carrying Amazon packages crashed in Texas in February, killing 3 workers.
Amazon's air fleet, do you have any proof of that they are incredibly underpaid or that there planes are not kept up on maintenance? Just to say, the one thing I know about amazon's planes is that they are not carrying passengers. They should all be cargo planes (which does matter SOME). As for the crash, you mean the one that was believed could have been weather, but no cause has been proven?
Quote:
Originally Posted by tijlover
Amazon's lobbying spending is among the highest of any company in America.
Amazon's lobbying is certainly NOT the highest according to this: https://www.pcmag.com/news/366165/wh...ey-on-lobbying
That says google spend almost 150% (21.2 millions) of what Amazon (14.2 million) did, and this only shows the top tech companies. As for industries, tech is not the highest spender either. https://top5ofanything.com/list/d998...-United-States
Sounds like another out of thin air bit buzzword scare tactics you are trying to create... Why?
Quote:
Originally Posted by tijlover
In a future where Amazon broadens its control over our lives such that citizens have no where else to shop, businesses have nowhere else to sell, workers have no where else to toil, and governments have no other way to function, then who actually holds the power in our society? Avoiding that dark figure requires leaders with the political will to stop it.
WTF??? Wow, If you don't like amazon, don't shop their. If you think a business needs to be around forever because they were there first, then you need to grow up, and realize that's not how it works.
Quote:
Originally Posted by tijlover
If Amazon has caused this much upheaval today, when online shopping is still only 16% of retail sales, the future is limitless and grim.
Why do I NEED to drive around town, to look at different stores to shop, spending my morning or day, wear and tear plus gas on my car, the hassle of traffic, causing more pollution, when I can see more options, get a better deal, and have it delivered all without putting on anything more than my drawers?
Quote:
Originally Posted by tijlover
Elizabeth Warren is suggesting, at least, splitting off Whole Foods and Zappos.
Politicians say a lot of things. Try harder.
Quote:
Originally Posted by tijlover
How about you? Ideas to tame/police Amazon. Myself, I have never bought anything from Amazon, as I've always been a champion of the underdog, so if I have to drive 10 miles to a department store, so be it!
If you don't like it don't shop there. MAYBE, IF you did try shopping there you wouldn't make such poor statements about something you have no clue about.
I noticed a thread get closed the other day because it was just basically a poor review of the business. This just sounds like the same thing, its certainly not filled with any facts or legitimate details about the complaint you are trying to make. All you need to do is tell us why one of their delivery trucks flew past you because they were doing 40pmh in a 40mpnh zone, while you were on your way to get that thing you wouldn't need until next week.
EDIT: Don't you feel its a little ironic / COMPLETELY negates the point you are trying to make about how Amazon is too big and its taking over, when you say that you have never shopped their?
I agree totally. I needed something as benign as 3 inch ribbon to decorate tables for an annual luncheon for our garden club. I checked every craft store in town, plus the local Super WalMart to see if they had enough ribbon in the color I needed. I finally ordered ribbon from one craft store online, only to go pick up my order and find that it had been cancelled. So I turned to good old Amazon, which had exactly what I needed at the right price on time since I have Prime. Why attack a supplier that provides what a consumer wants when they want it at an acceptable (or lower) price? Isn't that pretty much the definition of good retail business?
Thank GOD! How would you have survived without ribbons for a garden club luncheon???? Glory to Bezos!
What is interesting to me is the willingness with which so many have shopped at Amazon while at the same time refusing to give business to Walmart. And Amazon not only has major impacts on small and midsized businesses, it's also known to treat both its blue-collar and white-collar workers terribly. Warehouse workers are notoriously overworked and underpaid, with immense stress, and there was an NYT article years ago about how the culture at Amazon HQ was so intense and competitive that some of the employees were miserable - to the point of crying at their desks. Now, with the Walmart marketplace, you can actually support small businesses just as much as you can for those who sell on Amazon. And, overall, it might come down to the big titans like Walmart to give Amazon some sort of competition for a change, so that's something to consider.
As Amazon's reach and influence grows to massive levels, so does its lobbying power. So I would not hold my breath for the government to do anything about it any time soon. If it concerns you, then show it through your actions as a consumer.
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