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Amazon Has Transformed the Hasidic Economy

nytimes.com

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Re: Amazon Has Transformed the Hasidic Economy

#71

Post by knicholes »

markdown wrote: post #67
knicholes wrote: post #35

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I grew up LDS my whole pre-adult life. There's a big focus on self-reliance. Also, the men are supposed to serve missions for two years (go teach about Jesus and the church). I imagine the skillset required to go door-to-door teaching people about something is very transferrable to other sales, which is very important when being an entrepreneur.

> Also, the men are supposed to serve missions for two years Not just the men.

Sorry, I should have said, "mandated" instead of "supposed to". Women aren't commanded to serve missions, but they can.

https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/ensign/2013/01/you...

Spencer W. Kimball said, "Every boy and many girls and couples should serve missions. Every prospective missionary should prepare morally, spiritually, mentally, and financially all of his life in order to serve faithfully, efficiently, and well in the great program of missionary work” (“Advice to a Young Man: Now Is the Time to Prepare,” New Era, June 1973, 9; italics added)."

Re: Amazon Has Transformed the Hasidic Economy

#72

Post by ars »

joecool1029 wrote: post #62
fortran77 wrote: post #2

Buzz Feed News (yes!) covered this same story with much more sensitivity several weeks ago. https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/leticiamiranda/amazon-o...

Understand that the way Buzzfeed covered it obscures the very real fact that there's a huge amount of controversy regarding this specific Satmar Hasidic community. This is not a question of Antisemitism, there have been very real issues directly caused by prominent rabbis within this community. These controversies are known to pretty much anyone in the NY metro area, so it makes sense that the NYTimes (being located…

> this commitment translates into a 28% poverty rate

The table used to calculate federal poverty level doesn't scale correctly to high numbers of children.

You can make rather a lot of money, yet be considered poor if you have lots of children.

Additional children don't cost as much as the federal government thinks.

Re: Amazon Has Transformed the Hasidic Economy

#76

Post by brianpayne2 »

yellowstuff wrote: post #47
supahfly_remix wrote: post #7

Does the Hasidic community have any advantages in the reseller market? With some of their traditional businesses, such as the diamond trade they do: evaluating gems, connections for sourcing stones, etc.

B&H, an electronics super store in Manhattan, is owned by Hasidic Jews, and it sells new and used gear. The web site won't even take orders on Shabbat. I wouldn't be surprised if some of the people selling new or used electronics have some connection to B&H or another brick and mortar store.

I had no idea. Ordered some camera gear from them years ago and they had great prices/service. Cool.

Re: Amazon Has Transformed the Hasidic Economy

#77

Post by asdfman123 »

GhettoMaestro wrote: post #19
jweir wrote: post #4

About 6 years ago I ordered a tv on Amazon, it was going to be shipped out and delivered in about a week. About an hour later I got a phone a call with a thick accented voice – "John, John, are you home?" "Who is this?" "I got your TV, we can come over right now." Sure enough they pulled up with their van and I got my TV about two hours after I ordered. Unknown to me I had ordered it from a Hasidic run company just d…

Nice! I wonder if the vendor gets his money earlier from Amazon if he delivered it faster.

They probably were able to save money by delivering it directly, instead of taking it to a postal office to ship it which probably would have been more work anyway.

Re: Amazon Has Transformed the Hasidic Economy

#78

Post by GhettoMaestro »

CydeWeys wrote: post #52
GhettoMaestro wrote: post #19

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Nice! I wonder if the vendor gets his money earlier from Amazon if he delivered it faster.

Definitely. The credit card only charges when it ships.

I never thought about that. I figured Amazon was just being a middle-man for some insane amount of money and making a nice spread off of it.

Re: Amazon Has Transformed the Hasidic Economy

#79

Post by localareaman »

woodandsteel wrote: post #38
localareaman wrote: post #15

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Any story or comment about Jews coming up with a clever way of making money feels anti-semitic to me.

Perhaps you weren't aware that the reason Jews have for a long time been so engaged in commerce is that long ago they got kicked out of their homeland and so many of them weren't able to support themselves any longer with their traditional occupations of farming and herding. So it is not that there is something greedy about Jews, they are just, like everyone, trying to survive.

I'm aware that. I'm saying the article feels like a trope or playing to a stereotype. Maybe I should read the Buzzfeed article, which someone mentioned displayed more sensitivity.

Re: Amazon Has Transformed the Hasidic Economy

#80

Post by localareaman »

mlevental wrote: post #16
localareaman wrote: post #15

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Any story or comment about Jews coming up with a clever way of making money feels anti-semitic to me.

maybe because you're projecting? it's a local culture piece (it's in the ny region section). for better or worse the hasids are large component of ny culture.

Projecting? Have you spent any time on 4chan?
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