Something a tad irksome in the way a corporate behemoth is praised. We all use Amazon, but we all used to shop at Wal-Mart. Difference seems to be everyone alwa

Something a tad irksome in the way a corporate behemoth is praised. We all use Amazon, but we all used to shop at Wal-Mart. Difference seems to be everyone always seemed to at least sligtly detest Wal-Mart, but people talk about Amazon with awe and an almost joy-like appreciation. Some of my friends worked at fulfillment centers, and if most of these 100,000 new hires mentioned are headed to those places, the author fails to mention a very important part: retention. Since he seems very impressed by wheels, one could also compare the fulfillment centers to a gristmill, where people are ground up and discarded. Ever seen an ad for an Amazon fulfillment center hiring event? It's akin to seasonal hiring, where everyone who shows up at event is hired on the spot, knowing a lot of them will quit early on. If a job isn't retained past a certain point, it can't really be seen as a win. It would be interesting to see data about how long the average fulfillment center worker stays in a fulfillment center position. Many of us have read about how grueling it is to work in an Amazon fulfillment center, and after hearing my friends' stories I agree. The good thing for Amazon is that the customer never has to see this. They don't have to feel bad seeing what all went into getting them that tea kettle in under 6 hours. Sure, there is a lot of amazing logisitics and technology involved, but there is also a human element that is hidden. In Wal-Mart, you can walk right into a store and see the effects & signs of mass consumption, cheap products, and cheap labor. I think its visibility has driven a lot of the protests and blowback against Wal-Mart, successful or not. I think not being able to easily see the dark side of Amazon plays into Amazon's customer satisfaction in some ways. You order something and a box arrives. The only interaction you see is the one you made with your computer.