I'm not sure how this devolved into a meditation of work ethic.
Yes, there are difficult, dirty, hard jobs out there that require physical labor under taxing conditions. And while a warehouse job will probably never be "easy," neither should it be unduly hazardous.
For example, Amazon officials a few years ago were aware of the conditions in their Breinigsville, PA, warehouse such that they "arranged to have paramedics parked in ambulances outside, ready to treat any workers who dehydrated or suffered other forms of heat stress." (See full story at:
http://www.mcall.com/news/local/amaz...,6503103.story)
Needing to have EMTs on constant standby seems to indicate that the "demanding" conditions have escalated to the point where they are, at least potentially, unsafe and life-threatening.
In fairness, Amazon did eventually install air conditioning and improve working conditions. But this was after they were reported to federal workplace safety regulators and the media stories about their warehouse conditions caused such an outcry that they had to prepare statements for their customer service representatives to respond with.
I'm not an Amazon basher. I do shop with them. But it's a considered decision after knowing some facts about their business. I try to keep my business local and with companies that have overall good practices. But this is an ideal that can't always be met. Amazon does have some pluses to offer in value and service. I just don't see them as a "great" or perfect company. I don't think that there are any successful businesses out there with a spotless record if you take everyone's judgements into consideration.