It's amazing how many people have a negative opinion of the richest of rich and corporations, yet those same people live and die by Amazon. Amazon is probably the most evil and unethical company out there. Yes, that is very subjective, especially as to get so large, it requires actions that the public generally won't agree with. Amazon is just over the top on all areas. From news influence, to tax evasion, to extreme automation, to poor employee working conditions. Aside from being a customer, few have had their lives improved by Amazon. Do you know of anyone who has a good job there? Do you know of any good positions opened? Bezos won't be happy until his whole company is robotics. At least a Walmart is a great center of tax revenue for the city. At least it provides jobs including management. The future of retail as told by Amazon doesn't involve people development. It involves how many boxes you can pack per hour, if you're lucky enough to have that still exist. We're now seeing once great malls and retailers closed and deserted in poor cities. The local governments are so eager to have anyone fill that space that Amazon is getting it pennies on the dollar.
All that, and their prices aren't even the best anymore. It's kind of like Costco where yea, prices are competitive. However, there's this perception that this is the greatest place to shop, and it requires a purchased membership and loyalty. Defenders will consistently say "it is more convenient to have it shipped to my home," like Amazon is the only company that does this. I purchase the majority of my online items from Jet and eBay, who have much better prices. I admit buying from those two is no local or economy booster either. Many competitors will match Amazon prices too. I've found that the prices are often the exact same on most websites, so you don't even have to ask. These retailers also give you an option in some cases to have it shipped, or pick it out today. Amazon's customer service is overrated from old tales of "oh your keyboard is broken, you don't need to ship it back". Today you email them and an outsourced worker provides you a script.
They've acquired so much influence and power that they get to play by a different set of rules from every other retailer. Imagine if Walmart had raked in as much profit as Amazon. Would the stock prices have aligned? Almost every other company is responsible for being profitable, remember the reason why businesses used to exist? Now it's about how many things you can shovel out of the door at no profit in order to create a false worth of investment. The sales tax evasion has been a huge competitive advantage for Amazon, while wreaking havoc on local government income. Even if your state "collects" taxes on Amazon now, it is still very easy to get out of it by checking in the marketplace.
Still, I do give Bezos credit. No one truly understands just how brilliant of an empire he created. Every piece of it is more intricate than you believe. At what point is it too much?
