This isn’t exactly where this belongs so feel free to delete this. I’m mildly infuriated there is no usable alternative to Amazon.com. I’m more than willing to buy products elsewhere, but it’s so easy to default to Amazon. Please help.

  • SouthEndSunset@lemm.ee
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    11 hours ago

    Thank you for explaining, i knew enough to know that this was some clever wording to avoid paying people properly, but not enough to know the depth or implications. This should really be put about more, cause as it stands people say “isnt it great that Amazon invest in the local road network” or provide computers for schools, or whatever the latest one is…soon theyll be saying “isnt it great that Amazon provide housing”.

    • sp3ctr4l@lemmy.zip
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      10 hours ago

      The even shorter, more direct version is:

      ‘Local community’ actually means ‘Official representatives of the local community.’

      EDIT: And ‘great relationship’ means ‘we do business with whatever entity regularly, and that business we do is more advantageous to us than it is to them’.

      … Also… I’m in America so… maybe this is somehow different in various Euro countries, but I seriously doubt it…

      There’s no way Amazon invests in local roads.

      I’m from Seattle.

      Our roads are absolute ass, I’m talking worse than the average road in a small town in South Dakota or Montana.

      They certainly don’t directly fund any roadwork around Seattle, despite having many logistics hubs in and near the city.

      They’re more likely to strong arm a city, even literally sue them, into upgrading their roads than they are to… like directly contribute some share of their revenue or profit directly into the city’s road maintenance or construction budget.

      0 chance Amazon directly funds building of any roads beyond the roads on their property.

      Provide computers to schools? Sure, I believe that.

      But I am highly doubtful that Amazon directly contributes to building local roads.

      Only way I can even see that kind of making sense in a roundabout way is if the city has some kind of specific tax on heavier vehicles or vehicles used in delivery/logistics…

      In which case … this would apply to any delivery/logistics vehicle of any kind that either transits through or is based out of the city.

      By that logic anyone that pays a sales tax or property tax in the city pays for new roads, likely significantly more, as a group.

      • SouthEndSunset@lemm.ee
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        10 hours ago

        I don’t have source, they’ve claimed to invest in roads and provide computers, but I strongly suspect you’re right, just can’t confirm it cause I can’t provide an example…so let’s just say you’re right.