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Amazon Takes Fresh Stab at $16B Housekeeping Industry

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Re: Amazon Takes Fresh Stab at $16B Housekeeping Industry

#4
> A weekly cleaning of a 1,500-square-foot home runs about $156.

It doesn’t say what’s included but off hand that seems 2-4x expensive for a weekly house cleaning of that size.

That (relatively) high pricing may be specific to Seattle though as they’ve got a high ($15/hr) min wage laws there that would apply. Combined with non-contractor employees, FICA, and benefits, they’re easily looking at $20+/hr in labor costs.

Re: Amazon Takes Fresh Stab at $16B Housekeeping Industry

#6
I'm in the weird position where, we are family planning, but (to our knowledge) unsuccessful, but started getting a series of emails from Amazon congratulating us and offering up suggestions like vitamins, baby registry and, of course, housecleaning services w/ discounts available.

(The first email was, to put it lightly, premature. Now we got one that says "week one", and it could be right, or not. We don't know yet.)

These emails puzzle me, because I pored over my shopping history, and I can't find any indicator that would tip off their algorithm.

But I do get the idea of trying to sell things to expectant mothers. Such as convenience services.

Re: Amazon Takes Fresh Stab at $16B Housekeeping Industry

#7
> The online retailer is swapping the low cost of contract workers for the greater control of employing its own people. Doing so puts it on the hook for things like minimum wage, workers compensation and overtime pay. But it also lets Amazon determine how the workers are trained, which cleaning products they use and how they organize their schedules.

As an Amazon employee, I very much hope this trend continues. Amazon logistics has gone the industry standard route of contractors hiring contractors and no one seems to be happy with it at all. When Amazon is the employer, Amazon can control quality better. Customer obsession means more than just lowest possible price.

(My own personal opinion and of course I don't speak for the company)

Re: Amazon Takes Fresh Stab at $16B Housekeeping Industry

#8

I'm in the weird position where, we are family planning, but (to our knowledge) unsuccessful, but started getting a series of emails from Amazon congratulating us and offering up suggestions like vitamins, baby registry and, of course, housecleaning services w/ discounts available. (The first email was, to put it lightly, premature. Now we got one that says "week one", and it could be right, or not. We don't know yet…

Maybe they are purchasing data from other providers about your search history, site history, etc.

Re: Amazon Takes Fresh Stab at $16B Housekeeping Industry

#9

I'm in the weird position where, we are family planning, but (to our knowledge) unsuccessful, but started getting a series of emails from Amazon congratulating us and offering up suggestions like vitamins, baby registry and, of course, housecleaning services w/ discounts available. (The first email was, to put it lightly, premature. Now we got one that says "week one", and it could be right, or not. We don't know yet…

We may not be there yet, but there's certainly going to be a day where online advertisers know a woman is pregnant before she does based on the changes in her behavior.

I'm not sure if that counts as a dystopia or not. Is there a good word for "Weirdtopia"?

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