You are viewing a single comment's thread from:
RE: Amazon Deleting 1-Star Reviews Of Hillary Clinton's Book In Seemingly Unrecognized Irony - "It’s not our role to decide what a customer would view as helpful or unhelpful in making their decision."
"...Amazon is generally looking pretty clean compared to the likes of Google or Wal-Mart."
Hoo boy! I have to judge Amazon by what it's Jeff Bezos wholly owned subsidiary, WaPo, does, and that is NOT an improvement over Wal-Mart, or even Gargle.
It's ok. Mebbe you din't know. Even if you did, alerting me to this participation in the Police State America Program (PSAP. The first 'P' is silent, of course) by Amazon is fully deserving of my completely overlooking your overgenerous estimation of Amazon, the Destroyer of Grocery.
BTW, I can't wait to shoot down my first Amazon delivery drone! I think there should be a bounty, a prediction market, etc... Anyone want in?
Thanks!
"I have to judge Amazon by what it's Jeff Bezos wholly owned subsidiary, WaPo"
While I am not saying you are incorrect to do this, I do not. I try to generally divide subsidiaries with different executive structures in cases such as these.
I realize that may be viewed as "naive", but it's done more as a practical matter than a philosophical one. No discussion on any large company would ever end if we went down the "subsidiary whataboutism" route.
" WaPo"
I worked for an affiliate of WaPo before they were sold. I don't think it was much better; in other words, I don't think Amazon made it any worse than the current trend already was.
"Amazon, the Destroyer of Grocery."
If buying the SJW's favorite grocery store, slashing the prices 40% to "de-virtue signal" shopping there, while also causing other grocers to consider dropping their prices is "destroying grocery", I'm ok with it.
It's not like Wal Mart hasn't already wiped out all the small businesses.
I like that Amazon has operated for a very long time at minimal profits.
Their customer support and treatment is vastly better than Google or Wal-Mart. Sometimes they refund things for me just because I complain, no return necessary.
I'm not saying they're great, but I don't think it's that close either.
Well, I certainly agree that Bezos didn't make WaPo any worse. I don't think it's better, though, and that has dragged Bezos down in my estimation, because he could have dragged it up, and seems to not have done that.
I am not hating on making grocery a more competitive industry with my tongue in cheek comment, but it's an industry with already thin margins, and Amazon's entry has indeed startled the sector.
Bringing prices down on organic food is good, IMHO.
Really, my point was... invalid. You're right. Amazon did play better with others than Gargel, et al., and I'll shut up now.
"Really, my point was... invalid. You're right. Amazon did play better with others than Gargel, et al., and I'll shut up now."
Heh, I knew you were being a bit tongue-in-cheek. I still felt compelled to point-by point!
Remember most of Amazon's life has given it an unfair advantage that we see playing out today. They didn't have to build out physical stores and employ the capital this required and they didn't have to charge taxes until relatively recently. This gave them are remarkable cost advantage. I presume when 1/2 the physical retail stores are completely wiped out, that Amazon will simply move on to to eat another industry and destroy more jobs. Now I'm not saying retails jobs are good ones, but what happens when they take over drugstores, auto parts, etc. Not only are jobs destroyed, but companies go bankrupt and they are no longer on the shrinking stock market and investible for all the 401K money needing a place to earn a return.
I would argue that not building retail locations is simply smart, not an unfair advantage.
The tax one is a better point. However, technically speaking, the burden of paying the tax falls onto the buyer. You are supposed to file any tax savings you get from not paying sales tax and forward it to the state.
Technically speaking, Amazon has done nothing illegal. It's customers have.
As for job loss, yeah, that's a whole other problem.
Thanks for your points.