"Amazon’s disproportionate ability to further enrich and empower already thriving places and workers is glaring." <br/>
"MacGillis explores most intimately the ebbing of human fulfillment that has accompanied Amazon’s promise of high-speed customer service."<br/>
The imperative of "high-speed customer service" for an online retailer is ironic and counterintuitive. Amazon and other online retailers aim to deliver goods faster even while they travel farther distances compared to brick-and-mortar retailers. But brick-and-mortar retailers in sprawl environments are not always convenient, even with access to a car. Essentially, sprawl retailers are the penultimate nodes for goods in their transportation to customers, in what I call "incomplete supply chains." Instead of smaller, better distributed stores, retailers consolidate large stocks in large poorly, distributed store, setting up their own customers to solve their "last-mile" problem through the donation of labor and capital equipment. Why should a customer donate their labor and equipment doing the pickups when Amazon will deliver to your front stoop? <br/>
The sprawl mitigation benefit of online retail is compelling, but the disconnection between the customers and the people who serve them makes service workers easier to ignore.
"The world and its desire are passing away." I didn't just make that up. It's ancient and wise. Whatever we put forward in our writing will pass through the reality check.
From Vauhini Vara:
"Amazon’s disproportionate ability to further enrich and empower already thriving places and workers is glaring." <br/>
"MacGillis explores most intimately the ebbing of human fulfillment that has accompanied Amazon’s promise of high-speed customer service."<br/>
The imperative of "high-speed customer service" for an online retailer is ironic and counterintuitive. Amazon and other online retailers aim to deliver goods faster even while they travel farther distances compared to brick-and-mortar retailers. But brick-and-mortar retailers in sprawl environments are not always convenient, even with access to a car. Essentially, sprawl retailers are the penultimate nodes for goods in their transportation to customers, in what I call "incomplete supply chains." Instead of smaller, better distributed stores, retailers consolidate large stocks in large poorly, distributed store, setting up their own customers to solve their "last-mile" problem through the donation of labor and capital equipment. Why should a customer donate their labor and equipment doing the pickups when Amazon will deliver to your front stoop? <br/>
The sprawl mitigation benefit of online retail is compelling, but the disconnection between the customers and the people who serve them makes service workers easier to ignore.
Still trying to figure out what a purpose-built AirBnB is. A house? A hotel? An all-suite hotel?
"The world and its desire are passing away." I didn't just make that up. It's ancient and wise. Whatever we put forward in our writing will pass through the reality check.