Amazon excepting SNAP???

[Alpha o]

Wallyworld is trying to go upscale in designer fashion. Jet? clothes, so Amazon decided to go after Wallyworld's base customers by discounting Prime.

http://www.businessinsider.com/amazo...17-6?r=UK&IR=T

Thought I saw an article too, where Wally World gets its employees to do some delivery.

[Blossom]

Originally Posted by Catlady

But you don't NEED Prime to shop at Amazon and take advantage of lower prices. All you have to do is meet a $25 minimum for free shipping. A little planning and combining of orders, and that's not so difficult.



I don't drive. I walk or take a bus.



It seems like you are conflating shopping at Amazon with using Prime. I'm all for shopping at Amazon--it's both convenient and economical. Prime, however, is a luxury.

And let me say again that if people who have financial struggles want to use Prime, that's their business. My issue is with AMAZON trying to pretend that they're somehow doing folks a favor by cutting the Prime price by a paltry amount. If Amazon wants to do something for the financially strapped among us, let them offer a percent discount on certain merchandise or find some other way that isn't taking extra money from those people. They're acting in a very calculated and cynical way to line their own pockets while pretending they're being good guys.

You get it. You get why I think it's ridiculous. I grew up on SNAP. I grew up on that government cheese which is not discontinued it's now shredded by the way instead of a block. I currently have some in my fridge.
I won't talk about the nightmares that are food pantries.

I grew up without cable and a phone. We walk to a pay phone down the street. I was 16 when we finally got a home phone but we never had cable. Just a beat up pair of rabbit ears that we took turn holding so we could see our favorite shows. lol

We live in a county full of people who use SNAP. My mom included. And for a very short time hubby and I got SNAP. So I'm talking from experience. In order to qualify for SNAP you can't make much. Now I know several who do game the system but a majority of people are real families trying to stay afloat with what little they have. They don't have cable. They use the library for movies or rewards to get a Redbox code. They know how to use coupons. I have learned much from them on how to live on hardly nothing because we don't qualify for SNAP. We don't have cable just internet which is required to find a job and to take career assessment tests. You can't do those on your phone.

If people use Amazon they probably use the free shipping not Prime and only rarely. I stopped buying from Amazon after they jacked up the prices of everything I use to buy. I can get everything much cheaper locally.

We have stores here that deliver locally the fee is cheap to. I've never use it but I know some who are shut-ins that do. Walmart has curb service even here.

Amazon doesn't stand a chance.

Sent from my XT1528

[fjtorres]

Originally Posted by sun surfer

Wow, that was missing the forest for the trees on Amazon's part. They were micromanaging what areas got the same-day delivery so much that they failed to notice this glaring discrepancy in Boston, and then after being alerted stubbornly stuck to their guns at first. They should've realised ahead of time that if a larger area is getting the service in most of its smaller sections, if the 'left out' section is noticeably minority or lower-income or even simply just completely encircled by sections receiving the service then an uproar and bad publicity would likely follow.

If you read between the lines, the Prime Now crew saw nothing wrong because it was an emergent effect not policy. Odds are somebody higher up (maybe Bezos himself) explained that the appearance of impropriety is just as bad as intentional wrongdoing. Hence the instant 180.

It's not uncommon with STEM types. Like Spock, too much logic; not enough street smarts.

[Cinisajoy]

Originally Posted by Blossom

You get it. You get why I think it's ridiculous. I grew up on SNAP. I grew up on that government cheese which is not discontinued it's now shredded by the way instead of a block. I currently have some in my fridge.
I won't talk about the nightmares that are food pantries.

I grew up without cable and a phone. We walk to a pay phone down the street. I was 16 when we finally got a home phone but we never had cable. Just a beat up pair of rabbit ears that we took turn holding so we could see our favorite shows. lol

We live in a county full of people who use SNAP. My mom included. And for a very short time hubby and I got SNAP. So I'm talking from experience. In order to qualify for SNAP you can't make much. Now I know several who do game the system but a majority of people are real families trying to stay afloat with what little they have. They don't have cable. They use the library for movies or rewards to get a Redbox code. They know how to use coupons. I have learned much from them on how to live on hardly nothing because we don't qualify for SNAP. We don't have cable just internet which is required to find a job and to take career assessment tests. You can't do those on your phone.

If people use Amazon they probably use the free shipping not Prime and only rarely. I stopped buying from Amazon after they jacked up the prices of everything I use to buy. I can get everything much cheaper locally.

We have stores here that deliver locally the fee is cheap to. I've never use it but I know some who are shut-ins that do. Walmart has curb service even here.

Amazon doesn't stand a chance.

Sent from my XT1528

My mom uses Walmart Pickup because they discount some items and it was very handy after she got out of the hospital.

Now on the Amazon doesn't stand a chance, I wouldn't bet too heavily on that one. Many people don't like Walmart so if Amazon does get Walmart priced groceries I think Amazon stands a good chance.

Oh and on your earlier comment, might I recommend Scott 1000 roll sheets, they last longer than the 4/$1 rolls for about the same cost.

[fjtorres]

Originally Posted by ApK

I understand that the indignation comes from the idea of trying to entice someone who can't or shouldn't be spending money on something to do so anyway, against their best interest.

Like when Judge Reinhold's character in "Ruthless People" tried to sell the kid the huge, over priced speakers (Caution: Language NSFW):



As for whether Amazon actually is doing that here (or if Amazon might be PERCEIVED to be doing that here, which is apparently the same thing these days) is under discussion.

ApK

The funny thing is Amazon is *not* engaging in SNAP commerce.
They are merely giving a discount to SNAP recipients who might wish to spend some of their non-SNAP income with them and stretch their resources. They are doing the opposite of what the RUTHLESS PEOPLE (great movie! "That must be the stupidest man in the world!") character was doing.

It's not different to their student discounts on PRIME.

As Cinisajoy pointed out, a lot of those folks who are *already* using Prime without Amazon *enticement" will now save a nice chunk of change.

[Blossom]

Originally Posted by Cinisajoy

I figure all 3 of us are correct.
I agree most are responsible and do think but there is always that 10-20%.

Now where can we find commodities? I bet that cheese would make excellent pimento cheese.

Food pantries once a month. It's shredded and it's not every month they have cheese. They also give a small half a ham. Sometimes it's a chicken fryer. Sometimes dried fruit.

Food pantries are a scary place. I've seen fights break out so many times. People around have guns too. My mom had one pulled on her at the food pantry because she was told to mind her own business while this guy beat his girlfriend to a pulp. This happened last year. It's not a safe place to be.



Sent from my XT1528

[Blossom]

Originally Posted by fjtorres

As to why Amazon is doing this:

1-



http://www.foxbusiness.com/features/...-shoppers.html

2- It wasn't that long ago that Amazon algorithms proved to be a wee bit too efficient at identifying Prime subscriber neighborhoods.

https://www.boston.com/news/business...very-exclusion

So there's both economic and political reasons at play.

You know how Amazon gathers its data? Sites like Swagbucks. People lie on these sites to make money. I have a hard time believing any data Amazon collects through surveys because of it.


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[Cinisajoy]

Originally Posted by Blossom

Food pantries once a month. It's shredded and it's not every month they have cheese. They also give a small half a ham. Sometimes it's a chicken fryer. Sometimes dried fruit.

Food pantries are a scary place. I've seen fights break out so many times. People around have guns too. My mom had one pulled on her at the food pantry because she was told to mind her own business while this guy beat his girlfriend to a pulp. This happened last year. It's not a safe place to be.



Sent from my XT1528

I actually called the place that used to do the government cheese today. There are two places in our town that give out food and as far as I know, no fights at least at one of them.
Here it is every 15 days on free foods. I have never taken advantage even if the food guy told me I needed too. He saw me in my ragamuffin shirt and asked why I hadn't been there to get food.
Now if you use one of the churches or other similar place, they have way more restrictions.

[fjtorres]

Originally Posted by Cinisajoy

Another thought, on the cost, if you have the money one month but not the next, it doesn't matter because you can always get it again when you have the money or really need something in two days and the $6 would be less than what it would cost locally.

This.
It is a one-month charge, not a recurring monthly commitment.
One use would be to sign up for back-to-school twice a year.
Or for XMAS shopping.

Beyond that, poor people have been known to read.
Prime gives them a free ebook and a month's access to 1000 popular books for less than the price of a single paperback.

Just because people have limited resources doesn't mean they can't aspire to stretch their cash as far as possible. Or save up for nice things.

[fjtorres]

Originally Posted by Cinisajoy

Oh wait, you would need good internet for that and so another expense.

Well, now...
A lot of places have free wifi in poor neighborhoods.

Even if it's paid, so what?
People on SNAP aren't necessarily absolute paupers.
https://www.sapling.com/8170968/inco...fy-food-stamps

Income. To qualify for SNAP, most households must meet the gross income test. At time of writing, a one-person household must have a pre-tax monthly income of no more than $1,265; as the household adds members, the cutoff goes up by roughly $440 a person.

And yes, Amazon offers free shipping on orders over $25.
They do *NOT* offer free second day shipping. They do not offer free ebooks, free videos, free music access, free access to ebooks, discounted access to FreeTime, etc.

The free ebooks and Prime Reading Access are easily worth $6. When I was a kid I would've killed for those perks. And my monthly allowance ($10) would easily covered both Prime and Freetime.

It's not as if Prime Perks are only for the affluent.

[fjtorres]

Originally Posted by Blossom

You know how Amazon gathers its data? Sites like Swagbucks. People lie on these sites to make money. I have a hard time believing any data Amazon collects through surveys because of it.


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You are free to believe or not believe whatever you care to believe..

But the article clearly stated that Amazon set the same day delivery zones based on the number of *existing* prime subscribers (which they know for a fact), their shipping addresses (ditto), and distance to their same-day distribution depots (they'd better know where those are).

So where do surveys factor into this at all?

[ApK]

Originally Posted by Blossom

Food pantries are a scary place. I've seen fights break out so many times. People around have guns too. My mom had one pulled on her at the food pantry because she was told to mind her own business while this guy beat his girlfriend to a pulp. This happened last year. It's not a safe place to be.

So you judge people who go to food pantries to be violent and dangerous.

Fascinating.

[DiapDealer]

I've been to many a non-violent food pantry. Not saying some might not be worse than others, but it seems unlikely to me that food pantries in general could be labelled as dangerous or scary.

[Cinisajoy]

Originally Posted by fjtorres

Well, now...
A lot of places have free wifi in poor neighborhoods.

Even if it's paid, so what?
People on SNAP aren't necessarily absolute paupers.
https://www.sapling.com/8170968/inco...fy-food-stamps



And yes, Amazon offers free shipping on orders over $25.
They do *NOT* offer second day free shipping. They do not offer free ebooks, free videos, free music access, free access to ebooks, discounted access to FreeTime, etc.

The free ebooks and Prime Reading Access are easily worth $6. When I was a kid I would've killed for those perks. And my monthly allowance ($10) would easily covered both Prime and Freetime.

It's not as if Prime Perks are only for the affluent.

Just did some quick math. For a family of 4 to qualify for food stamps, they can work 40 hours a week at $16 an hour. That isn't small wages. For 2, the person can make up to $10 an hour. That isn't minimum either and it can be lived on without food stamps.

Don't you mean our moms would have killed for it? Mine would have gladly paid that when I was little just to keep me in books. (Before old enough to get an allowance).

[fjtorres]

Originally Posted by Cinisajoy

Just did some quick math. For a family of 4 to qualify for food stamps, they can work 40 hours a week at $16 an hour. That isn't small wages. For 2, the person can make up to $10 an hour. That isn't minimum either and it can be lived on without food stamps.

Don't you mean our moms would have killed for it? Mine would have gladly paid that when I was little just to keep me in books. (Before old enough to get an allowance).

I was allowed to manage my allowance since I was 8.

Partly because instead of bubble gum and candy I spent it on comics and THINGS OF SCIENCE.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Things_of_Science

I was a weird kid.
Haven't changed.