View Full Version : Amazon, good or bad?
Evidently the Denver metro is high on Amazon's list of places to put a new operation employing up to 50,000 people!! My sister lives in Seattle (yeah, she's an uber lib LOL) and says there have been lots of negatives to having Amazon there-housing prices out of sight, traffic getting worse than it already was i.e. I guess the paper and the NPR station there are doing reports on the downside to having it there. Hmm, while I like the idea of people being employed I wonder how many of those jobs would go to out of staters versus those already here looking for work. Seems like it could turn out to be a bad thing.
Thoughts?
I went to seattle/kirkland/bellevue/Redmond twice last month and people there do not like Amazon. I guess amzn treats Corp people miserable.
Oh, I also went to Kent WA distribution center as well. They look extremely similar to 144 and Washington one from outside.
I personally would not live there. Houses there with about 2400 sqft is abut 1.2m. No thanks. It is almost as dumb as Palo alto ca.
Streets are narrow. Much lower speed limit even suburbs. Majority of streets near kirkland bellevue and Redmond housing area only have 2 lane both way. Trees are so tall that I even lost sense of direction. Not for me.
Now if amzn comes to CO, it will definitely fill some jobs, and we have enough land to expand relative to king county WA.
buffalobo
09-22-2017, 18:51
Mostly out of staters. Low unemployment has reduced pool of available workers.
Just the construction of facility could be worth a couple hundred illegals.
The building by I-70 and E-470 is already up and the one up north will be done within the year. Traffic already sucks here not cause of Amazon and housing prices have been way to high for the last 3-4 years. I could care less. I guess Google is also thinking about putting one of there campus here as well. So if your not happy now you'll be less if google comes.
Seattle is a hell of a lot more than "Amazon". Little mom & pop shops like Microsoft, T-Mobile, and Starbucks.
This area is being referred to as "The Silicon Mountains", which is great for employment if you're a techie (like me). I don't see this area getting any smaller. If you want to avoid people, you're going to have to try harder.
Aloha_Shooter
09-22-2017, 21:05
Amazon is right down there with Facebook, Twitter, and Google IMO. Positively evil company. I still buy stuff from them but not as much as I used to and really don't want them being a major corporate presence in the state.
Zundfolge
09-22-2017, 21:17
Amazon will push the state just a little bit more to the left. So no, its not a good thing.
Bailey Guns
09-22-2017, 21:26
I have to admit I buy a LOT of stuff off of Amazon. Of course, much of it is from third-party sellers. So not everything goes to the devil. A lot of small companies are around because of the presence Amazon gives them.
There are a lot of companies out there I hate doing business with...but it's almost impossible to completely avoid them. Except Apple. I have never bought an Apple product and never will...unless I happen to be dying from something and Apple has the cure. Tough call.
OtterbatHellcat
09-22-2017, 21:44
Dislike Apple.
XC700116
09-23-2017, 00:27
A co-Worker's daughter worked for them for a while and they are really not a good employer to work for from the perspective of longevity. When you start they offer all these great incentives (bonuses, profit sharing etc) if you stay on past a certain period of time (2 years if I remember correctly) but the catch is they have a habit of making an employee's work life an absolute hell when closing in on the benchmark time period, to the point of making you quit, or just firing you for little or no real reason.
I'm NOT a fan of unions at all, but IMHO Amazon is one of the companies out there that the employees actually should have one.
If they come here, it will be a loss in tax revenue for the city/state.
Colorado or whichever city will offer so many incentives just to land them here.
GilpinGuy
09-23-2017, 07:03
Every loss of tax revenue for a city or state is a win for the people in my book.
Hopefully I'll be high fiving Bailey Guns in 8 or 9 months and laughing about all of this.
ETA: I ordered some bore snakes and Barristol last night - take that liberals! I order A LOT of shit from Amazon as well. Living in a relatively remote area makes this awesome. I save gas and (more importantly) time. And I burn all of the cardboard boxes, further increasing my carbon footprint. Win!
OtterbatHellcat
09-23-2017, 07:52
Like.
+1
Sent from my SM-N950U using Tapatalk
I don't know which is worse, but people said they would rather work at Oracle headquarter than Amazon headquarter.
Ouch.
DavieD55
09-23-2017, 11:32
Amazon = globalism = unAmerican
DavieD55
09-23-2017, 11:37
Every loss of tax revenue for a city or state is a win for the people in my book.
Hopefully I'll be high fiving Bailey Guns in 8 or 9 months and laughing about all of this.
ETA: I ordered some bore snakes and Barristol last night - take that liberals! I order A LOT of shit from Amazon as well. Living in a relatively remote area makes this awesome. I save gas and (more importantly) time. And I burn all of the cardboard boxes, further increasing my carbon footprint. Win!
If you only knew who jeff bezos was... you probably wouldn't order A LOT of shit from him.
Bailey Guns
09-23-2017, 11:53
I know who Jeff Bezos is and I order a LOT of stuff from Amazon.
It's not a comment on a person's character because they buy things from a certain company. I know who and what most Hollywood celebrities are about and I still watch some movies and TV. I use Google. If I only did business with companies that have a similar world view as mine, I most likely wouldn't own anything, go anywhere or eat/drink most products.
As I pointed out earlier...much of the stuff I order from Amazon is from other sellers that sell thru Amazon. It's not ALL about Amazon.
hurley842002
09-23-2017, 11:54
I know who Jeff Bezos is and I order a LOT of stuff from Amazon.
It's not a comment on a person's character because they buy things from a certain company. I know who and what most Hollywood celebrities are about and I still watch some movies and TV. I use Google. If I only did business with companies that have a similar world view as mine, I most likely wouldn't own anything, go anywhere or eat/drink most products.
As I pointed out earlier...much of the stuff I order from Amazon is from other sellers that sell thru Amazon. It's not ALL about Amazon.
Like button.
DavieD55
09-23-2017, 11:58
I know who Jeff Bezos is and I order a LOT of stuff from Amazon.
It's not a comment on a person's character because they buy things from a certain company. I know who and what most Hollywood celebrities are about and I still watch some movies and TV. I use Google. If I only did business with companies that have a similar world view as mine, I most likely wouldn't own anything, go anywhere or eat/drink most products.
As I pointed out earlier...much of the stuff I order from Amazon is from other sellers that sell thru Amazon. It's not ALL about Amazon.
I guess that is where you and I differ. I do not patronize Amazon based on principal, you patronize out of convenience.
BladesNBarrels
09-23-2017, 12:01
I know who Jeff Bezos is and I order a LOT of stuff from Amazon.
It's not a comment on a person's character because they buy things from a certain company. I know who and what most Hollywood celebrities are about and I still watch some movies and TV. I use Google. If I only did business with companies that have a similar world view as mine, I most likely wouldn't own anything, go anywhere or eat/drink most products.
As I pointed out earlier...much of the stuff I order from Amazon is from other sellers that sell thru Amazon. It's not ALL about Amazon.
Amazon is the Ward's and Sear's of today.
People use internet versus catalogs now.
Inevitable path of change.
Death is the only way to avoid.
Isn't that a cheerful conclusion?
[Coffee]
Bailey Guns
09-23-2017, 12:09
I guess that is where you and I differ. I do not patronize Amazon based on principal, you patronize out of convenience.
And if I had a list of all the companies you do business with I'm sure I could say the same about you. The difference is I'm willing to admit it.
A co-Worker's daughter worked for them for a while and they are really not a good employer to work for from the perspective of longevity. When you start they offer all these great incentives (bonuses, profit sharing etc) if you stay on past a certain period of time (2 years if I remember correctly) but the catch is they have a habit of making an employee's work life an absolute hell when closing in on the benchmark time period, to the point of making you quit, or just firing you for little or no real reason.
I'm NOT a fan of unions at all, but IMHO Amazon is one of the companies out there that the employees actually should have one.
Profit sharing is quite possible the WORST incentive a company can offer when they don't even make a profit lmfao.
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hurley842002
09-23-2017, 12:16
I guess that is where you and I differ. I do not patronize Amazon based on principal, you patronize out of convenience.
On one hand I admire your conviction, on the other hand I call BS that you support ZERO companies with opposing views to yours.
DavieD55
09-23-2017, 12:22
And if I had a list of all the companies you do business with I'm sure I could say the same about you. The difference is I'm willing to admit it.
There is truth to that as it is very hard if not impossible to not support those who hate us. However, I try to not support when possible.
DavieD55
09-23-2017, 12:23
On one hand I admire your conviction, on the other hand I call BS that you support ZERO companies with opposing views to yours.
I never typed anything about supporting zero companies with opposing views. That is your delusion.
hurley842002
09-23-2017, 12:28
I never typed anything about supporting zero companies with opposing views. That is your delusion.
Well go big or go home right, and let's not get carried away, it's more of an opinion, no delusions here.
I know who Sam Walton is and who Doug McMillon is. I know what they did with modern sporting rifles and I shop at Walmart, Walmart online, and Walmart pickup.
It sure beats porch pirates by picking up the item at pickup station slash gas station while I put my gas.
:)
Bailey Guns
09-23-2017, 13:22
There is truth to that as it is very hard if not impossible to not support those who hate us. However, I try to not support when possible.
Fair enough. Now...and answer honestly...have you ever bought anything from Amazon?
DavieD55
09-23-2017, 13:32
Fair enough. Now...and answer honestly...have you ever bought anything from Amazon?
No. Not once. I have looked at Amazon, but have never used their services to purchase anything.
Bailey Guns
09-23-2017, 13:39
Ok...I'll leave it at that.
Grant H.
09-23-2017, 14:54
Frankly, I'm not sure if I care whether Amazon comes here or not...
Google is already here, and growing.
Amazon moving in just means more of the same.
CO is already blue. That's not changing anytime soon.
Property values continue to go up, which makes moving out easier in the near future.
Traffic blows already, and I rarely go to Denver, so "Meh"
Despite knowing who/what Bezos is, I use Amazon extensively for both personal and business needs. The time and money savings that are offered through Amazon Prime, especially the business account, out weigh the BS for me. Others may not, but that's a personal choice.
BushMasterBoy
09-23-2017, 15:09
Amazon was the only place for reasonable auto parts I really needed. Rockauto was out and eBay was outrageous, the dealer was charging exorbitant prices. The politics of it, I have no clue. I think their trademark symbol looks like a dick.
KevDen2005
09-23-2017, 17:38
That reminds me, I need to update my shopping cart.
Bailey Guns
09-23-2017, 18:22
Frankly, I'm not sure if I care whether Amazon comes here or not...
<snip>
CO is already blue. That's not changing anytime soon.
Property values continue to go up, which makes moving out easier in the near future.
<snip>
Exactly.
Despite knowing who/what Bezos is, I use Amazon extensively for both personal and business needs. The time and money savings that are offered through Amazon Prime, especially the business account, out weigh the BS for me. Others may not, but that's a personal choice.
Not only that but you can turn the whole "I won't buy from them because I disagree with them" around. Jeff Bezos, who is a flaming liberal and stands against many things I stand for, makes my life and the lives of many, many conservative people, better by providing products to me/them at a better price than anyone else. And believe me when I say he ain't making much money from me because I take serious advantage of that "free" 2-day Prime shipping deal. He pays out the ass to send me a lot of the stuff I buy. Guaranteed.
<snip>
ETA: I ordered some bore snakes and Barristol last night - take that liberals! I order A LOT of shit from Amazon as well. Living in a relatively remote area makes this awesome. I save gas and (more importantly) time. And I burn all of the cardboard boxes, further increasing my carbon footprint. Win!
Amazon is the Ward's and Sear's of today.
People use internet versus catalogs now.
Inevitable path of change.
Death is the only way to avoid.
Isn't that a cheerful conclusion?
[Coffee]
Living in rural America today, online orders and door to door delivery is not only practical but almost a necessity. I can't tell you how many hours and hundreds of miles I logged just looking for a fucking electric blanket last month at retail stores in Longmont and Grand Junction. I ended up buying a good one for $109 via Amazon that Pennys in GJ priced at $200. The Longmont Penny's closed last month for lack of business. Go figure.
And hey, I needed new trail hiking boots but I have big feet. No brick and mortar store carries the size or quality I need. When I find something on Amazon that I need, I always look to buy direct from smaller vendors but Amazon and it's suppliers almost always wins in selection and price.
It's more than a little ironic that rural Americans who are for the most part conservative, are buying and supporting a successful mega corporation headed by an avowed leftist. These capitalists will be seen as the new age robber barons. If history is a predictor then we can expect a populist uprising, union growth and influence, and more central governmental control to control the capitalists, and then the unions. For a time a new middle class may grow but eventually only the people at the top win, particularly the .gov for the taxes it can purloin, and the executives in an ever shrinking elite.
OneGuy67
09-23-2017, 20:04
I do not want them here in the Denver area. Too many people, crappy part time or 3/4 time jobs, do not attract quality people. Already too many people moving here with no jobs or housing for the pot. Traffic sucks enough.
Have them set up shop in La Junta, Lamar, Alamosa, Trinidad, Grand Junction, or some other smaller, more remote area. They might want the influx of people.
Eh, if we stopped supporting people that hate us and/or screw us over, or want to/have already eliminated our rights, we'd have to start with our own gov't. Paid your taxes last year? Yeah, may as well buy from Amazon too.
ETA:
Taking "passive" resistance against the latter will have no effect on the former, where the real problem lies. Nobody is going to fix shit by buying, or not buying, from amazon, or anything else for that matter.
Discouraging but unfortunately true. While I do vote with my feet and $$ re politicians, actors and companies, their budgets are more resilient. I'm but a fly on a lake surface. Amazon and Google, et. al, are too big until anti trust .gov or competition redistributes them.
Do not want. We have too much traffic now.
OtterbatHellcat
09-23-2017, 20:34
Space....the final frontier.
GilpinGuy
09-24-2017, 08:16
I know who Jeff Bezos is and I order a LOT of stuff from Amazon.
It's not a comment on a person's character because they buy things from a certain company. I know who and what most Hollywood celebrities are about and I still watch some movies and TV. I use Google. If I only did business with companies that have a similar world view as mine, I most likely wouldn't own anything, go anywhere or eat/drink most products.
As I pointed out earlier...much of the stuff I order from Amazon is from other sellers that sell thru Amazon. It's not ALL about Amazon.
As usual, I'm late to the party, but this sums it up for me. And BG hit on another point that I love: Prime shipping
I ordered a $4.95 trumpet cleaning thingy for my son. Free 2 day shipping. I win, again. You can't drive from a Denver warehouse to my house for $5. You'd need more than $5 in water if you peddled up here on a bicycle.
GilpinGuy
09-24-2017, 08:36
Amazon was the only place for reasonable auto parts I really needed. Rockauto was out and eBay was outrageous, the dealer was charging exorbitant prices. The politics of it, I have no clue. I think their trademark symbol looks like a dick.
Here's what I do with auto parts:
Check Rockauto, find the part. Copy the part #.
Go to Amazon and paste into the search bar. Many times the part is there.
Sometimes the part is a few bucks more on Amazon, but shipping is free with Prime, and it arrives in 2 days.
Rockauto charges for shipping (even more for 2 day shipping) so many times it's cheaper to go through Amazon in the end.
Rockauto is just a real easy place to find the part #.
It's funny. Lefties are usually trying to pry my hard earned money from my hands. Amazon saves me A LOT. More ching for ammo. Thanks lefties!
As usual, I'm late to the party, but this sums it up for me. And BG hit on another point that I love: Prime shipping
I ordered a $4.95 trumpet cleaning thingy for my son. Free 2 day shipping. I win, again. You can't drive from a Denver warehouse to my house for $5. You'd need more than $5 in water if you peddled up here on a bicycle.
Once the Colorado location is complete that same free Prime shipping will put that item on your front porch same-day. Not to mention usually the cheapest price all-in. Pretty hard to beat that level of service.
DenverGP
09-24-2017, 12:17
and do all your amazon purchases thru smile.amazon.con and select your favorite pro-2a charity who will receive a tiny bit of each purchase. It's not much, but every penny I can get amazon to give to a pro-2a group is a win.
Bailey Guns
09-24-2017, 14:35
^^ Good point. Mine go to the local animal shelter...but a good gun group would be a great idea.
BladesNBarrels
09-24-2017, 15:47
^^ Good point. Mine go to the local animal shelter...but a good gun group would be a great idea.
Not being political, what is your recommendation for a good gun group?
and do all your amazon purchases thru smile.amazon.con and select your favorite pro-2a charity who will receive a tiny bit of each purchase. It's not much, but every penny I can get amazon to give to a pro-2a group is a win.
True, forgot about that nugget. I've been using the NRA Civil Rights Defense Fund for the past couple of years. I'm curious to hear what others are donating to.
Bailey Guns
09-24-2017, 17:01
Not being political, what is your recommendation for a good gun group?
I haven't looked at what's available thru Smile...but I searched "NRA" and several things popped up including the NRA Civil Rights Defense Fund.
ETA: I'm not sure this link will work for everyone.
Here's a search string for the smile.amazon.com orgs using "second amendment" in the search terms;
https://smile.amazon.com/gp/chpf/homepage/ref=smi_se_scyc_srch_stsr?q=second+amendment&orig=%2F&ie=UTF-8
Bailey Guns
09-24-2017, 17:06
I just did a search using "firearm" and "guns" and several pages came up. I even found the Buffalo Creek Gun Club and the CMP.
airborneranger
09-26-2017, 06:35
I am anxiously awaiting to see where Amazon decides to open their new HQ building. Kansas City is also at the top of the list which works out for me. If any of you want to know what it is like to work in one of their fulfillment centers, just send me a PM and I can fill you in. I retired from the Army this summer and picked up a position as an operations manager in their new robotics sort facility (fulfillment center) in Kansas City.
The rumors of work load are 100% true. Employees work 4X10 hour days. The manager hours go longer (usually 13-14 hour days). We will start in the next few weeks with volunteer overtime and then it will morph into mandatory. We expect the associates to work. In our facility they get a paid 30 minute lunch and an additional unpaid 30 minute break. They are expected to be at their stations when not working. Believe it or not but our biggest problem is getting people to work.
As the ops manager (I have 5 area managers who work for me), I come in an hour prior to shift and stay anywhere from 1-2 hours past shift, making me day a 13-14 day. They are long, stressful days but as many of you have stated earlier they do pay well which is what attracts people to the company.
If the HQ get to CO, I may be looking to get out of the warehouse life and into the HQ rat race :)
"...these dark Satanic Mills...", as Blake once wrote.
Seamonkey
09-26-2017, 15:00
An American company looking to expand HQ in America and hiring Americans.
Yes please!
Not being political, what is your recommendation for a good gun group?
My smile.amazon.com is set up for: Revolutionary War Veterans Association (appleseed). Prime just is to convenient for me to boycott amazon.
buffalobo
09-26-2017, 18:14
My smile.amazon.com is set up for: Revolutionary War Veterans Association (appleseed). Prime just is to convenient for me to boycott amazon.+1 on RWVA.
+1 on post. Living rural where Wal-Mart is 30 miles and any other major retailers are 50 miles away, Prime pays for itself just in gas not burned.
If you're unarmed you are a victim
Based on the tax breaks others are offering, I think Denver is safe (for now).
http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2017-10-19/bids-are-amazon-offered-7-billion-tax-breaks-140k-employee-second-us-hq
New Jersey apparently 'wins' the prize for 'biggest tax cuts' after offering $7 billion in state and city tax credits, or roughly $140,000 per job promised by Amazon...which should be plenty to once again thrust Bezos to the top of the world's richest list. Per Reuters:
[snip]
Denver: Denver has a busy international airport and is surrounded by a highly educated workforce. It’s also home to a surge of millennials looking for high-tech and energy jobs in Colorado, and boasts an outdoorsy lifestyle that’s an easy fit for Amazon’s quality-of-life considerations. Colorado has also chosen eight sites that meet Amazon’s requirements for HQ2. Still, other cities are offering larger tax breaks than Denver.
Hard to wrap my brain around NJ's tax incentives that equal more than avg pay. NJ must have some high taxes to recover that per worker deficit.
Rooskibar03
10-19-2017, 14:45
Based on the tax breaks others are offering, I think Denver is safe (for now).
http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2017-10-19/bids-are-amazon-offered-7-billion-tax-breaks-140k-employee-second-us-hq
Hard to wrap my brain around NJ's tax incentives that equal more than avg pay. NJ must have some high taxes to recover that per worker deficit.
Someone correct me by NJ has some of the highest personal, income, sales, property taxes in the nation.
Also saw that rents in Denver would jump another 1.1% if Amazon came to town. That sounds light IMHO.
Someone correct me by NJ has some of the highest personal, income, sales, property taxes in the nation.
Also saw that rents in Denver would jump another 1.1% if Amazon came to town. That sounds light IMHO.
Very light.
If avg salaries are $100K/year it's going to push costs well above what our current median income ($62K I think) can afford.
And that $100K number is what I was talking about. A 100% tax rate doesn't recover the $140K incentive. There must be other taxes they would impose on Amazon to make up for it.
New Jersey is like a drug dealer. They'll get you hooked, but then you'll really pay later because they know there's a cost to leaving after the deal runs out.
Double00
10-21-2017, 13:04
We have ben told at UPS that the two new buildings will increase our volume X3. I work 12hrs. a day now. Good thing I get paid by the hour!
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