Amazon UK Unpacked: Sad Conditions at the Rugeley Warehouse - Page 10

pidgeon92 · 03-20-2013, 06:15 PM

I spend a heck of a lot more than $1200 annually at Amazon. Prime is definitely a big reason that I purchase so many of my goods there. Toilet paper. Dog treats. Semolina flour. Electronics. Wine racks. Small appliances. If the price at Amazon is reasonable (and I do shop around), I'll buy from them for the 2-day shipping.

HarryT · 03-21-2013, 04:57 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pidgeon92

I spend a heck of a lot more than $1200 annually at Amazon. Prime is definitely a big reason that I purchase so many of my goods there. Toilet paper. Dog treats. Semolina flour. Electronics. Wine racks. Small appliances. If the price at Amazon is reasonable (and I do shop around), I'll buy from them for the 2-day shipping.

Me too. I do pretty much all my shopping, other than groceries, at Amazon. Just bought a new DSLR camera from them, for example. Last year I spent something like £5000 ($8000) at Amazon.

fjtorres · 03-21-2013, 08:11 AM

I found the mattress anecdote the most telling.
It reminded me of the MONEYBALL book.
Which is *not* a baseball book but rather an economics primer about how clever people can exploit inefficiencies in a system (be it baseball player scouting or dry-goods logistics) to outmanuever competitors.

Lost in all the hand-wringing over Amazon's massive "factory" warehouses is just how much merchandise they move at low profit margins, helping their suppliers earn *their* profits. Which are typically much larger than Amazon's own profits.

The Bezos quote is most telling; they see they competitors' margin (and overhead) as their competitive advantage so they strive for ever-higher volumes and ever-greater efficiencies in their own operations. And they're always looking for a new angle to old ideas: Prime is really just a new take on Loyalty Card programs, using the video streaming, the ebook lending library, and the free shipping as the key loyalty perks. Their recently-announced digital currency looks to be a digital version of the old Green Stamps. And both are intended to get people to (happily) buy from them.

Tricky dudes.
And their biggest trick is that they work big so they can sell cheap.

ProfCrash · 03-21-2013, 09:49 AM

Yup

Love Prime and Amazon Mom's. We have 6 things that we subscribe to, we get 15% off all them because we subscribe to 5 or more items and they can be delivered in one package. We get 15% off diapers and kid stuff in subscribe and save because I am a member of Amazon Moms (free to join). Toss in Prime and we have diapers delivered every other month for a lot less then we can get them at Target and we don't have to go any where.

Worried abot forgetting that you subscribed to something and you don't need it any more? They send you an email reminder two weeks before delivery so you can cancel that particular order.

I do price shop. We don't buy baby food or formula through Amazon, it is the same price, many times less expensive, in the area. Babies R US actually has the best price when they are having sales. I don't buy anything from the grocery because it is normally more expensive then buying it at the store. I think Amazon manily uses associates to sell food items and they tend to be expensive.

We watch the free movies and shows (I caught up on Downton Abbey and a few other shows for free). Movies are about a dollar less to rent through Amazon then FIOS. We dropped Netflix because we found Amazon had what we needed and it came with Prime.

We were not able to find the toy we wanted for the baby at the stores around us, so I got it from Amazon. Delivered the next day even. No charge for the delivery.

I know stores like Amazon have their pros and cons. I get it. I also want to have extra money to set aside for college fund, take nice vacations, and the like. Diapers, wipes, and the like are expensive. Save me 15% and I am a happy camper.

ProfCrash · 04-15-2013, 09:49 PM

http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/...057_story.html

I made a statement regarding slavery a while back that some folks had trouble reading. I just ran across this story in the Washington Post.

HansTWN · 04-16-2013, 10:52 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ProfCrash

http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/...057_story.html

I made a statement regarding slavery a while back that some folks had trouble reading. I just ran across this story in the Washington Post.

That is awful --- but really doesn't belong in a discussion about working conditions at Amazon.

03-21-2013, 09:49 AM	#139
ProfCrash Tea Enthusiast Posts: 6,946 Karma: 68064751 Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: Somewhere in the USA Device: Kindle1, Kindle DX Graphite, K3 3G, IPad 3	Yup Love Prime and Amazon Mom's. We have 6 things that we subscribe to, we get 15% off all them because we subscribe to 5 or more items and they can be delivered in one package. We get 15% off diapers and kid stuff in subscribe and save because I am a member of Amazon Moms (free to join). Toss in Prime and we have diapers delivered every other month for a lot less then we can get them at Target and we don't have to go any where. Worried abot forgetting that you subscribed to something and you don't need it any more? They send you an email reminder two weeks before delivery so you can cancel that particular order. I do price shop. We don't buy baby food or formula through Amazon, it is the same price, many times less expensive, in the area. Babies R US actually has the best price when they are having sales. I don't buy anything from the grocery because it is normally more expensive then buying it at the store. I think Amazon manily uses associates to sell food items and they tend to be expensive. We watch the free movies and shows (I caught up on Downton Abbey and a few other shows for free). Movies are about a dollar less to rent through Amazon then FIOS. We dropped Netflix because we found Amazon had what we needed and it came with Prime. We were not able to find the toy we wanted for the baby at the stores around us, so I got it from Amazon. Delivered the next day even. No charge for the delivery. I know stores like Amazon have their pros and cons. I get it. I also want to have extra money to set aside for college fund, take nice vacations, and the like. Diapers, wipes, and the like are expensive. Save me 15% and I am a happy camper. __________________ Assimilation does not have to be painful. Here, have a cup of tea.

04-15-2013, 09:49 PM	#140
ProfCrash Tea Enthusiast Posts: 6,946 Karma: 68064751 Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: Somewhere in the USA Device: Kindle1, Kindle DX Graphite, K3 3G, IPad 3	http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/...057_story.html I made a statement regarding slavery a while back that some folks had trouble reading. I just ran across this story in the Washington Post. __________________ Assimilation does not have to be painful. Here, have a cup of tea.

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03-20-2013, 06:15 PM	#136
pidgeon92 Wizard Posts: 1,934 Karma: 3736870 Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Chicago, IL Device: Kindle 2, Kindle PW, Kindle DXG, Sony 950, Boox M90, Kobo Aura	I spend a heck of a lot more than $1200 annually at Amazon. Prime is definitely a big reason that I purchase so many of my goods there. Toilet paper. Dog treats. Semolina flour. Electronics. Wine racks. Small appliances. If the price at Amazon is reasonable (and I do shop around), I'll buy from them for the 2-day shipping.

03-21-2013, 08:11 AM	#138
fjtorres Grand Sorcerer Posts: 5,440 Karma: 35948061 Join Date: May 2009 Location: 26 kly from Sgr A* Device: PRS-T1, KT, PB701/IQ, K2, PB360, BeBook One, Axim51v, TC1000	I found the mattress anecdote the most telling. It reminded me of the MONEYBALL book. Which is not a baseball book but rather an economics primer about how clever people can exploit inefficiencies in a system (be it baseball player scouting or dry-goods logistics) to outmanuever competitors. Lost in all the hand-wringing over Amazon's massive "factory" warehouses is just how much merchandise they move at low profit margins, helping their suppliers earn their profits. Which are typically much larger than Amazon's own profits. The Bezos quote is most telling; they see they competitors' margin (and overhead) as their competitive advantage so they strive for ever-higher volumes and ever-greater efficiencies in their own operations. And they're always looking for a new angle to old ideas: Prime is really just a new take on Loyalty Card programs, using the video streaming, the ebook lending library, and the free shipping as the key loyalty perks. Their recently-announced digital currency looks to be a digital version of the old Green Stamps. And both are intended to get people to (happily) buy from them. Tricky dudes. And their biggest trick is that they work big so they can sell cheap.


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