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Instacart’s gig workers are planning a nationwide strike

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Re: Instacart’s gig workers are planning a nationwide strike

#151

Post by monadic2 »

lotsofpulp wrote: post #148
monadic2 wrote: post #146

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Why don’t they have enough cash on hand to weather a few months of no sales? Why are american businesses so vulnerable to a downturn after two decades of discussing “black swan” events and “antifragility”? I am honestly bewildered.

Because a competitor business will instead use that cash to offer a better product and customers will flock to them. If you see a new or renovated hotel next to an old one, which one will you stay in? If an airline keeps flying old planes and the other airlines invest in new, nicer planes, which one will you choose to fly on? We see this story play out on these very Hacker News forum, where the common mantra is busin…

> Because a competitor business will instead use that cash to offer a better product and customers will flock to them.

Then how come competition doesn’t produce better products?

Re: Instacart’s gig workers are planning a nationwide strike

#152

Post by lotsofpulp »

monadic2 wrote: post #151
lotsofpulp wrote: post #148

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Because a competitor business will instead use that cash to offer a better product and customers will flock to them. If you see a new or renovated hotel next to an old one, which one will you stay in? If an airline keeps flying old planes and the other airlines invest in new, nicer planes, which one will you choose to fly on? We see this story play out on these very Hacker News forum, where the common mantra is busin…

> Because a competitor business will instead use that cash to offer a better product and customers will flock to them. Then how come competition doesn’t produce better products?

In my experience, products have gotten better. The cars I drive, the hotels I stay in, the internet and devices I use, the planes I fly in, etc.

Re: Instacart’s gig workers are planning a nationwide strike

#153

Post by l_davis »

triangleman wrote: post #112
l_davis wrote: post #110

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If the public used cotton masks, it would help and wouldn't take masks away from health care workers. If this were more normalized, the rate of spread could be lowered.

Hoping to see Czech Republic's actions bear fruit in the next few days: https://twitter.com/jeremyphoward/status/1242894406031757313

I love that - going to share the link on my social media.

Re: Instacart’s gig workers are planning a nationwide strike

#154

Post by dbuder »

notduncansmith wrote: post #102
nexuist wrote: post #79

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Over $100 is insane for groceries? We regularly spend that much for a family of three almost every weekend. Admittedly, we are in a high CoL area.

I see you’re being downvoted, just wanted to add that our family of 3 also regularly spends over $100 weekly on groceries. We live in a fairly high cost-of-living area as well (Los Angeles, SF before that). A mix of prepared foods and raw ingredients, trying to source responsibly, for ~20 feedings adds up quickly.

It's not about what median families spend weekly on groceries, it's about your average order value and that's $20-30 by my guess, maybe dragged up by some big orders but you'll find that people who order in bulk won't want to pay 10% and that most of your orders will be for near the minimum you set.

Re: Instacart’s gig workers are planning a nationwide strike

#155

Post by monadic2 »

lotsofpulp wrote: post #152
monadic2 wrote: post #151

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Because a competitor business will instead use that cash to offer a better product and customers will flock to them. Then how come competition doesn’t produce better products?

In my experience, products have gotten better. The cars I drive, the hotels I stay in, the internet and devices I use, the planes I fly in, etc.

I suppose it's a matter of perspective.

Re: Instacart’s gig workers are planning a nationwide strike

#156

Post by fnordfnordfnord »

chrisseaton wrote: post #133
fnordfnordfnord wrote: post #80

Earlier quoted context omitted.

No requirement to look for work for the unemployed, that's been waived, at least in my state.

'No requirement' as long as you can live on poverty-level benefits, you aren't afraid of losing skill competency, and you think future employers won't kind the gap on your resume?

I think the normal rules are out the window. Nobody is going to find an employment gap beginning in March of 2020 very remarkable.

Re: Instacart’s gig workers are planning a nationwide strike

#157

Post by Matticus_Rex »

mirimir wrote: post #69
Matticus_Rex wrote: post #32

Earlier quoted context omitted.

And in countries where children need income to eat, we've seen that banning child labor pushes children into the sex trade, because they don't stop needing to eat when you make it illegal for them to work. Hardly a good example of why the argument is wrong.

Doesn't the sex trade count as labor? Also, it's generally parents who provide food for their kids. And if they can't, governments ought to do so. So "sex trade" ought never to be an option. Edit: A boy in my wife's family died in ~1900, working as a breaker boy in eastern Pennsylvania.[0] Or at least, there's a note to that effect in her family Bible. 0) https://thebreakerboysbrianeicher.weebly.com/the-work-of-a-b..…

Ah, yes, making it double illegal for children to enter the sex trade will fix it!

Re: Instacart’s gig workers are planning a nationwide strike

#158

Post by Matticus_Rex »

wpietri wrote: post #144
Matticus_Rex wrote: post #32

Earlier quoted context omitted.

And in countries where children need income to eat, we've seen that banning child labor pushes children into the sex trade, because they don't stop needing to eat when you make it illegal for them to work. Hardly a good example of why the argument is wrong.

[citation needed] Further, it's not like the only two options available are "exploit children in factories" and "exploit children in brothels". Things like the bolsa familia, for example, have been very effective.

The canonical citation there is the UNICEF report on children and families from 1997 (I think that's the year -- it's been a while since I was immersed in that literature) following the Bangladesh child labor ban.

Re: Instacart’s gig workers are planning a nationwide strike

#159

Post by ccktlmazeltov »

everybodyknows wrote: post #63
ccktlmazeltov wrote: post #38

Will they raise their pay as well? I know I'll get downvoted for exposing my point of view, but I'm one of the many people who do not tip the delivery man, so I really hope that they obtain better wages from their employers.

Society might be better if tipping were not baked into the system, but there it is: wage scales, labor and tax codes have completed normalization of tipping, at least in the US. Your principled act of rebellion will produce not reform of commercial culture, but only distress for those who serve you -- and for yourself.

that's your point of view, and obviously not mine. If everybody stopped tipping people would refuse to continue working in these conditions.
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