Amazon to hire 100k warehouse and delivery workers • Hacker News Board

Re: Amazon to hire 100k warehouse and delivery workers

#91

Post by reaperducer » Mon, Mar 16, 2020, 11:02 PM UTC

tlrobinson wrote: post #60

One of the more worrying things to me is how this pandemic (and/or our response to it) will disproportionately affect small businesses and individuals. As Amazon hires 100k workers how many jobs are being lost by small businesses failing?

At least the airlines will get another bailout, after selfishly spending billions on stock buybacks while shrinking seats and hiking fees.

Meanwhile, Joe Average, who ended up running a food truck when Wells Fargo "right sized" him during the last recession, will find a comfortable slab of concrete upon which to rest his head, under the viaduct.

Re: Amazon to hire 100k warehouse and delivery workers

#92

Post by reaperducer » Mon, Mar 16, 2020, 11:05 PM UTC

WalterBright wrote: post #67

tlrobinson wrote: post #60

One of the more worrying things to me is how this pandemic (and/or our response to it) will disproportionately affect small businesses and individuals. As Amazon hires 100k workers how many jobs are being lost by small businesses failing?

Marginal businesses of any size are going to fail, and the less marginal will become marginal. Larger businesses have a proportionately larger need for money to sustain themselves. Big business doesn't mean rich business. Look what's happening to the airlines.

You mean like American Airlines that had a profit of $7.6 billion in 2015, and didn't save dollar one for a rainy day? Instead, it bought back $15 billion worth of stock over six years while raising fees and shrinking seats?

“I don’t think we’re ever going to lose money again,” -Doug Parker, American Airlines CEO, 2017.

Let 'em fail.

Re: Amazon to hire 100k warehouse and delivery workers

#93

Post by [deleted] » Mon, Mar 16, 2020, 11:06 PM UTC

allovernow wrote: post #24

Do we know yet what the probability of packaging borne transmission is? Has anyone seen anything? I saw one study describing virus lifetime on various surfaces but I don't think they tested cardboard. Also I don't know what they're expecting. They either have mountains of stock or they'll be laying these people back off soon when factories close. I think supplies out of China are still disrupted.

[deleted]

Re: Amazon to hire 100k warehouse and delivery workers

#94

Post by reaperducer » Mon, Mar 16, 2020, 11:06 PM UTC

WalterBright wrote: post #64

I suspected Amazon would do well in this crisis, and this development confirms it. My elderly neighbors, for example, are now ordering their groceries online and having them dumped on their doorstep.

Lucky them. Amazon in my area hasn't had an available delivery slot in almost a week.

Re: Amazon to hire 100k warehouse and delivery workers

#95

Post by tdsamardzhiev » Mon, Mar 16, 2020, 11:07 PM UTC

reaperducer wrote: post #89

hirundo wrote: post #68

If this were a Bond movie, Bezos would be cackling in his secret lair about how his viral plan was coming to fruition. Bond (played by Idris Elba) would then cough on Bezos, who would whip out his antidote, which Bond would grab, escape, and release to the world before being killed by Thanos. (Pitch Meeting, call me)

If Bezos needs an evil villain lair for his secret headquarters, I know a fortress in the American desert with three-foot-thick stone walls, solar and diesel electricity, and its own water facilities, perched on a mountain ridge for maximum visibility 150 miles from anywhere meaningful. Last I saw, it was for sale for $750k.

Does it have enough bathrooms though?

Re: Amazon to hire 100k warehouse and delivery workers

#96

Post by reaperducer » Mon, Mar 16, 2020, 11:07 PM UTC

pkaye wrote: post #35

tedmiston wrote: post #14

Earlier quoted context omitted.

In my area (midwest) Amazon (Prime) delivery is out to about 4 days. But it does seem to depend on the item. I ordered a tennis racquet "Prime" yesterday that was in stock and the quoted delivery isn't until Friday / Saturday. Prime Now is now unavailable entirely. At checkout, it simply says "No delivery times available" for all stores. Amazon Fresh also gives no available delivery windows.

According to a news article from yesterday, Amazon Fresh and Whole Foods delivery have been stopped.

There was an article in Reuters or WSJ or something similar about this. It was a computer glitch, and temporary.

Re: Amazon to hire 100k warehouse and delivery workers

#97

Post by VectorLock » Mon, Mar 16, 2020, 11:08 PM UTC

hirundo wrote: post #68

If this were a Bond movie, Bezos would be cackling in his secret lair about how his viral plan was coming to fruition. Bond (played by Idris Elba) would then cough on Bezos, who would whip out his antidote, which Bond would grab, escape, and release to the world before being killed by Thanos. (Pitch Meeting, call me)

>Bond (played by Idris Elba) would then cough on Bezos

Thats on the nose enough that I'm wondering if you knew Idris Elba just announced he had Coronavirus.

Re: Amazon to hire 100k warehouse and delivery workers

#98

Post by a9h74j » Mon, Mar 16, 2020, 11:08 PM UTC

sitdownyoungman wrote: post #51

spike021 wrote: post #20

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Demand, I think. I wanted to order a few necessities and an extra thing (pizza pan). The pizza pan quite likely wouldn't be highly in demand during this (or I'm quite wrong, I don't know) but even with Prime it won't arrive for 4 days.

it's all in the same pick and place system in their warehouses, so i strongly suspect that everything will be impacted in some way.

Also (I presume): limited capacity in delivery, no matter how fast they can pick/place/package.

Re: Amazon to hire 100k warehouse and delivery workers

#99

Post by BetaDeltaAlpha » Mon, Mar 16, 2020, 11:08 PM UTC

hirundo wrote: post #68

If this were a Bond movie, Bezos would be cackling in his secret lair about how his viral plan was coming to fruition. Bond (played by Idris Elba) would then cough on Bezos, who would whip out his antidote, which Bond would grab, escape, and release to the world before being killed by Thanos. (Pitch Meeting, call me)

> ...before being killed by Thanos.

I read Theranos at first.

Re: Amazon to hire 100k warehouse and delivery workers

#100

Post by [deleted] » Mon, Mar 16, 2020, 11:09 PM UTC

tdsamardzhiev wrote: post #95

reaperducer wrote: post #89

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If Bezos needs an evil villain lair for his secret headquarters, I know a fortress in the American desert with three-foot-thick stone walls, solar and diesel electricity, and its own water facilities, perched on a mountain ridge for maximum visibility 150 miles from anywhere meaningful. Last I saw, it was for sale for $750k.

Does it have enough bathrooms though?

[deleted]