Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

The Bezos backlash is bigger than Blue Origin’s success

qz.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

21–30 of 55 posts

Re: The Bezos backlash is bigger than Blue Origin’s success

#21

Post by HWR_14 »

PaulHoule wrote: post #18
trenning wrote: post #12

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I really don't understand why people have such a hard time weening themselves off Amazon products. It's not even like a physical constraint like having to drive a little further to a different store. Just visit a different website it's the bare minimum of effort needed.

It amazes me how Best Buy, Staples and other physical retailers refuse to compete. For instance you can't buy a quality headset from Plantronics or get a USB NFC reader from either of those firms. Best Buy will sell you a Sony Alpha 7 camera but forget about any lenses other than the kit lens. Don't get me started about how Dick's Sporting Goods sells mostly men's athletic shirts that will show your nipples which wou…

> I asked the people there, "Do you want to sell any clothes or do you want to make excuses for why you aren't selling any?"

They probably just want to be left alone. They get shipped the stuff someone higher in the chain of command ordered. Why are you bothering the sales staff with things outside their control?

Re: The Bezos backlash is bigger than Blue Origin’s success

#22

Post by heliodor »

minikites wrote: post #6
jaytaylor wrote: post #4

"My dad got to watch Neil Armstrong walk on the moon. I get to watch the guy who killed book stores ride a giant dick into space." https://ibb.co/t2tcN3p

Imagine if we taxed the enormous wealth of billionaires and used it for the good of many in society instead of inflating the ego of a single person. Our society is sick and I don't think people will stand for this level of inequality much longer.

People complain about the the many ways Amazon is crossing moral lines. Instead of asking to tax rich people, how about fixing the inadequacies of the government so that Amazon can't transgress moral lines as often and make as much profit?

Saying "tax the rich" as a fix to a problem shows a lack of critical thought.

Re: The Bezos backlash is bigger than Blue Origin’s success

#23

Post by missedthecue »

ithkuil wrote: post #20
missedthecue wrote: post #17

Earlier quoted context omitted.

World governments spent $35 trillion last year. That's annual spend. Why do people on the internet act like all of our social ails could be resolved if only we could tax Bezos and spend $35.01 trillion instead? It's seems governments have a budgeting problem, not a funding problem.

Inequality is a strong psychological issue. No amount of correct math and logic can offset that. We're wired to despise those who have more than others, especially when others are struggling and especially when those who have show off. You can point out objective things like that contemporary billionaires are nothing like super-rich monarchy or noblemen in the past, who literally didn't have to work one day of their…

I understand what you're saying, but I don't see why it should be an excuse. After all, xenophobia and racism are natural human behaviours as well, (and not just human behaviour) but they shouldn't be tolerated, and we shouldn't promote policies that encourage them.

Re: The Bezos backlash is bigger than Blue Origin’s success

#24

Post by crummybowley »

ithkuil wrote: post #20
missedthecue wrote: post #17

Earlier quoted context omitted.

World governments spent $35 trillion last year. That's annual spend. Why do people on the internet act like all of our social ails could be resolved if only we could tax Bezos and spend $35.01 trillion instead? It's seems governments have a budgeting problem, not a funding problem.

Inequality is a strong psychological issue. No amount of correct math and logic can offset that. We're wired to despise those who have more than others, especially when others are struggling and especially when those who have show off. You can point out objective things like that contemporary billionaires are nothing like super-rich monarchy or noblemen in the past, who literally didn't have to work one day of their…

I think math can help.

Even if we stole 10B from Bezos and gave it out equally to every US citizen... Its ~$30. Is this life changing for anybody in the US? If so what percent. Most beggars on the street clear more than $30 a day, some make $30 a hour!

So yeah, common core has failed us, and the inability to understand numbers is a problem.

I do this nearly every time somebody is upset somebody else has money. One time it was some Walmart executive. They got some multi million dollar bonus. I did the math, it would have been something like 2.27 a week more for all the employees.

Edit:

But yet we have folks still going around on twitter saying he could give everybody a million (some even a billion) and still have money left over.

Re: The Bezos backlash is bigger than Blue Origin’s success

#25

Post by PaulHoule »

HWR_14 wrote: post #21
PaulHoule wrote: post #18

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It amazes me how Best Buy, Staples and other physical retailers refuse to compete. For instance you can't buy a quality headset from Plantronics or get a USB NFC reader from either of those firms. Best Buy will sell you a Sony Alpha 7 camera but forget about any lenses other than the kit lens. Don't get me started about how Dick's Sporting Goods sells mostly men's athletic shirts that will show your nipples which wou…

> I asked the people there, "Do you want to sell any clothes or do you want to make excuses for why you aren't selling any?" They probably just want to be left alone. They get shipped the stuff someone higher in the chain of command ordered. Why are you bothering the sales staff with things outside their control?

Funny I wrote wegmans supermarket asking if a product packed in type 7 plastic could be packed in 1, 2, or 5 (recyclable) and got a nice reply in 30 min.

Does Amazon really care what answers people give? Would dicks sporting goods? Wegmans at least wants to look as if they care.

Planet fitness once told the NYT that they’d never gotten customer feedback on an issue but they make it so hard to find the form that they obviously don’t want you to use it.

Re: The Bezos backlash is bigger than Blue Origin’s success

#26

Post by JohnFen »

kjaftaedi wrote: post #8
PaulHoule wrote: post #3

In the last month it seems that Amazon has incessantly asked my opinion about every product and service I use (e.g. the store, Amazon Music, ...) My answer is always some variant of "I don't like the way you treat the help"

If you honestly don't like it though you should stop using their services, otherwise the message you are sending is that you care, but not really that much. I know I'm in the minority, but I stopped shopping with Amazon long ago, closed my audible account, and have slowly been migrating my current workplace off our/their AWS infrastructure. A handful of people have mentioned this is too much of a hardline stance, but…

> If you honestly don't like it though you should stop using their services

Agreed. That's what I did.

What I found amusing is that when I cancelled the services, Amazon (unlike pretty much every other company) didn't ask me to tell them why. It seems that they want to know everything about everybody -- except for why someone would want out.

Re: The Bezos backlash is bigger than Blue Origin’s success

#27

Post by pylua »

ddingus wrote: post #10

Of course it is. Big successes do not erase equally big failures. And the failure here, not on Amazon alone, is far too many Americans not earning enough from their labor the fund continuing to exist reasonably and show up to work.

The problem is so obvious it’s amazing that people even debate what the real problem is . Maybe the government is too far out of touch.

Re: The Bezos backlash is bigger than Blue Origin’s success

#28

Post by JohnFen »

PaulHoule wrote: post #19
HWR_14 wrote: post #9

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There is cutting back on their services while still using them. If your sales on the site halve as you complain, that also sends a message.

My prime subscription runs out in April. I have a ways to go before reaching the natural point to not renew it.

Here's what I learned when I cancelled mine: when you cancel, you will still have full use of Prime benefits for the time remaining until the subscription runs out. So if you really want to cancel, there's no reason not to just do it now. You'll still be able to use Prime until April regardless.

Re: The Bezos backlash is bigger than Blue Origin’s success

#29

Post by HWR_14 »

PaulHoule wrote: post #25
HWR_14 wrote: post #21

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> I asked the people there, "Do you want to sell any clothes or do you want to make excuses for why you aren't selling any?" They probably just want to be left alone. They get shipped the stuff someone higher in the chain of command ordered. Why are you bothering the sales staff with things outside their control?

Funny I wrote wegmans supermarket asking if a product packed in type 7 plastic could be packed in 1, 2, or 5 (recyclable) and got a nice reply in 30 min. Does Amazon really care what answers people give? Would dicks sporting goods? Wegmans at least wants to look as if they care. Planet fitness once told the NYT that they’d never gotten customer feedback on an issue but they make it so hard to find the form that they…

If you're writing to a corporate office, that's different. But the people at an individual store have no real control and can only forward your objections up the line.

Re: The Bezos backlash is bigger than Blue Origin’s success

#30

Post by HWR_14 »

JohnFen wrote: post #28
PaulHoule wrote: post #19

Earlier quoted context omitted.

My prime subscription runs out in April. I have a ways to go before reaching the natural point to not renew it.

Here's what I learned when I cancelled mine: when you cancel, you will still have full use of Prime benefits for the time remaining until the subscription runs out. So if you really want to cancel, there's no reason not to just do it now. You'll still be able to use Prime until April regardless.

In other words, you can cancel the renewal without cancelling the current year
Post reply on HN