Amazon UK Unpacked: Sad Conditions at the Rugeley Warehouse

[HansTWN]

Originally Posted by pdurrant

Or as google translate has it: "Days a fearless, afraid of foreigners speak Chinese"

Google translate, now THAT is scary.

[BWinmill]

Originally Posted by jgaiser

One of the stories about the evil Amazon that's been going around. You'll let me know when that actually happens and I and the rest of Amazon customers go somewhere else.

It doesn't take conspiracy theories to assume that prices are going to go up. Even ignoring inflation, there is a strong possibility that prices will go up simply because the priorities of management changes.

Let's assume that the motivation is to increase profitability. There is nothing mysterious about that motivation because businesses exist in order to make money. There are a number of ways to do that. One way is to increase volume without changing the profit margin. It works well when the company is still growing. A second way is to increase the profit margin by decreasing costs. There are many ways to do that: increasing worker productivity; using automation, when it is cheaper than labour); or selling goods that have higher margins (presumably ebooks fit in here). The third way is to increase profit margins by increasing the price of the goods sold.

Once again, grand conspiracies to knock out the competition then raise prices aren't necessary. You simply have to understand that the motivation of businesses is to make money.

[murraypaul]

The recent history in this industry is that the players except Amazon consipired to raise prices.
I think Amazon have earned some benefit of the doubt.

[Cyberman tM]

I'm not really sure what to think about this - I haven't read the entire article, though.
It sounds horrible - especially the security - but if the turnover (change of workers?) is extremely high, then it makes sense, I guess. (As in, you don't keep employees long enough to know if you can trust them.)

However, what I really find frightening - and I'm not joking now - is this:

They also walk past a life-sized cardboard image of a cheery blonde woman in an orange vest. “This is the best job I have ever had!” says a speech bubble near her head.

Seriously? If that is true, then I expect the boss of Amazon to be twirling his moustache next. It would fit the theme.

[DiapDealer]

People working crappy jobs. Ah, the humanity!

[pidgeon92]

Originally Posted by Cyberman tM

It sounds horrible - especially the security - but if the turnover (change of workers?) is extremely high, then it makes sense, I guess. (As in, you don't keep employees long enough to know if you can trust them.)

Companies get ripped off by their own employees all the time. Length of employment doesn't mean anything. I worked at a corporation where one of the administrative assistants embezzled ~$250,000.

[fjtorres]

Originally Posted by BWinmill

It doesn't take conspiracy theories to assume that prices are going to go up. Even ignoring inflation, there is a strong possibility that prices will go up simply because the priorities of management changes.

Let's assume that the motivation is to increase profitability.

The thing is, Amazon profitability is fine as is.
They have been expanding their infrastructure by billions of dollars a year purely out of revenues, paying cash instead of taking out loans or selling equity.

An example of that investment is the warehouse in the article.

The moment amazon stops building new warehouses, they'll start reporting scary net revenue. At that point, I suppose we'll see waves of articles about how Amazon must be *overcharging* consumers to make so much money...

[Kali Yuga]

The next time you gripe about a brick & mortar bookstore charging too much for a book, remember this article.

I'm sure it won't stop you from buying the book cheaper online, but just think about it anyway.

[DiapDealer]

Do I need to think about it each time or just the next time? I'm all done if it's the latter.

[obsessed2]

These people should consider themselves lucky. They could be working for this company instead:

http://sumofus.org/press/foxconn-sui...ple-factories/

[DiapDealer]

One person's "atrocious working conditions" is another person's "you mean everyone's job isn't like that?".

[ProfCrash]

Originally Posted by Kali Yuga

The next time you gripe about a brick & mortar bookstore charging too much for a book, remember this article.

I'm sure it won't stop you from buying the book cheaper online, but just think about it anyway.

How many people choose to buy regular chocolate, like Hershey, Nestle, Godiva, Lindt? The chocolate used by all most all of the major chocolate companies comes from growers that use slave labor.

Like coffee? Slave labor

Clothes? Those ones made in China and other developing countries.... Labor practices that make Amazon look wonderful.

How many of the workers at BN get benefits? Walmart? I know Target offers benefits to many folks, I had friends who worked the floor and had benefits. I would put good money on the fact the most of the people you see at BN are part time, making close to minimum wage, and without benefits.

Sorry but most of what we are buying is made in places with have much worse practices then Amazon.

[HarryT]

Which chocolate and coffee-growing nations permit slavery as an institution?

[Apache]

Originally Posted by HarryT

Which chocolate and coffee-growing nations permit slavery as an institution?

I was going to ask that also.
Apache

[jgaiser]

Originally Posted by HarryT

Which chocolate and coffee-growing nations permit slavery as an institution?

Google "coffee slave labor" brings up a number of sites purporting to show slave labor in the coffee/chocolate growing areas, mainly in Africa. Haven't investigated any further than that.