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Whole Foods workers seek to unionize
- kbd 8y agoFigure this is an appropriate time to share this story: went to Whole Foods a little while back and the cashier seemed nearly terrified that she'd be terminated if she didn't make sure to ask before checkout if the customer was a Prime member. I'm pretty sure she said that other people had been for forgetting.
- tony_cannistra 8y agoI did a weird double-take when I asked why a sale (yellow-labeled) item didn't ring up as discounted and the cashier asked if I had Prime. He then asked me to search "whole foods QR code" on my Amazon app. I just ... didn't love it.
- SilasX 8y agoSuch a bizarre juxtaposition, it feels like it came out of The Onion.
- ccvannorman 8y agoYou can use the Prime app to have a drone deliver you the correct identification documents, which are printed at a desk across from the cashier, which employees are not allowed to touch.
- shostack 8y agoGuessing they are attempting to maximize linkage of Prime user records to WH purchase habits, so getting you to provide the QR code is just a backup way for them to do so.
- johnnyb9 8y agoIs Amazon really this trigger happy?
- jhwang5 8y agoYou seem to be reaching there, jumping to conclusions that she was terrified of getting fired. How do you tell all that from just someone being apologetic?
- crazygringo 8y agoHow is that any different from grocery stores asking everyone if they have a reward card, clothing stores asking if you have their credit card, McDonald's asking if you want to super-size that, or bartenders being required to offer to upsell liquor? It's extremely common for cashiers to be required to ask if customers are part of whatever program is relevant, if they would like the current promotion, etc. Nobody's going to get fired for forgetting once... but if you're reminded repeatedly by management and you continue not to, then what would you expect to happen?
- house9-2 8y agoOne of the things I used to like about shopping at Whole Foods - no stupid club pricing. Yeah, I have prime - but I am not putting the app on my phone and don't want to give my phone number out, or be bothered too. Just let me buy my groceries in piece.
- EpicEng 8y ago>One of the things I used to like about shopping at Whole Foods - no stupid club pricing Of course not; everything there is (was?) insanely expensive because they knew their core customers would pay.
- zandl 8y agoYou’re paying at the club stores, they’re just spreading it out over different items you buy. WH might still be more but the club isn’t about leaving money on the table.
- EpicEng 8y ago>WH might still be more Sure is. I understand that the club nonsense is a marketing stunt, but at the end of the day WH is (was?) overpriced, which is all that matters.
- SeanBoocock 8y agoEverything? No. Certain produce, bulk items, and white label products were cost competitive, and often cheaper, than regular groceries. At least that was true ~15 years ago when I used to shop there regularly, and save money, in the DC area.
- dominotw 8y agoI've been noticing subtle amazonification of the stores and they are all for the worse.
- stcredzero 8y agoThere are Whole Foods workers who have dedication. There are those who don't. I've had my best luck with Whole Foods in Texas.
- codeddesign 8y agoI fail to see “dedication”. Anyone getting paid minimum wage and working sub hours for a non career job is not going to be highly dedicated to a position. While I’m not against unionizing, I am against the rise of unskilled labor assuming that an employer owes them something. Unionizing isn’t inherently bad, but unions do tend to exploit both the laborer and the employer for the union’s gain. Failed labor unions combined with a workforce culture that feels owed is ultimately hurts these workers in the long term.
- drb91 8y agoI’ve noted that the most fulfilling jobs tend to pay the least. Are all minimum wage jobs satisfying? No. But I’d bet the average social worker is more dedicated than the average engineer. Furthermore, after having talked to several employees of whole foods over the years... I think there’s higher satisfaction there than elsewhere. People enjoy doing things well, even if it is an every day thing.
- Marsymars 8y agoIn my home province, average social worker pay is comparable to average engineer pay.
- s3r3nity 8y agoMy concern with this is that this will only accelerate the probability that Amazon Go merges with Whole Foods to have a cashier-free experience. >Shoppers, however, have saved millions as a result of the shake-up. This is why you're going to have a tough time getting sympathy from the public, and why I think (for better or worse) Amazon will win the PR battle. The average person now has access to healthier grocery / purchasing options as Whole Foods pricing has come down. If prices go up, they'll just switch to Walmart or some other cheaper option - leading to WF losses, and even more layoffs.
- kevin_thibedeau 8y ago> The average person now has access to healthier grocery / purchasing options Because every other grocery store is selling poison? The average person doesn't even have a WF near them to shop at.
- twothamendment 8y agoYour comment made me search for the nearest one. According to Google Maps, the nearest Whole Foods Market is over 10 hours away. I guess I'll shop Half Foods Market like I always do.
- jdck1326 8y ago>10 hours away Time isn't a very good measure of distance
- anon12341234 8y agoCongratulations. This is the stupidest fucking comment I've read on HN all day.
- alttab 8y agoUnless you live in Japan, because they all walk the same speed. Seriously, ask how far something is in Tokyo and see the response is in time
- throw2016 8y agoThere are trade bodies, industry bodies, industry associations, chambers of commerce, special interest groups, lobbying groups and it goes on. Every business and corporate is a member of multiple bodies to further their interests and nobody questions these groupings. Yet employee and worker bodies causes discussion and debate as if somehow only this aspect of economic life should not seek to promote and protect their interests. Even billion dollar companies feel the need to form groups but individuals apparently do not benefit from association. This is a completely unrealistic position in the current economic context. This is dissonance at work, to accept the logic of the former and see it work so effectively, and question the latter.
- UpshotKnothole 8y agoDissonance carefully cultivated by decades of lobbying, and ideological indoctrination of the, “better dead than Red,” variety. Look at how little effort it takes to convince people to go to war, lock up their fellow humans for using drugs, and tell me t wasn’t the easiest thing in world for corporations and their pet politicians to accomplish. Just make sure that a large enough bloc conflate worker’s rights with the communism and then sit back and cash your checks. If the people get a little stroppy grow in something about race, abortion, or socialism and try not to smile too obviously all the way to the bank. If even thst fails punish the heretics amd reward the faithful, to the point that people desperate to keep their healthcare don’t even think of raising their heads.
- conanbatt 8y agoAll the other interest groups you mention definitely create the questioning and the criticism. They have just been more successful at permeating public perception. Almost always being complicit with the state. Doctors? Lawyers? Lobbying? They all get criticism. I also dissent with the model of "everybody commits an act against society, why shouldnt anyone engage in the race to capture the spoils". Do not institutionalize robbery!
- Apocryphon 8y agoThe other interest groups, with greater power and influence, have already institutionalized it. Should the disempowered simply refuse to engage, and suffer for it?
- imagiko 8y agoI have noticed that the cashier's have gotten pushy about asking about a Prime account, and very recently about a charity donation. It's a good way to 'make' people donate when asked upfront. I'm sure the probability of people donating increases. When I denied, I was asked if I'd like to round off my payment and have the balance donated. Honestly, it's very annoying. Whole foods is unfortunately becoming an REI store.
- srtjstjsj 8y agoThat's the new trend in many grocery stores. Someone on HN or Reddit mentioned that grocery charities are actually a tactic to estimate the sign of the derivative of e the customer base's grocery-discretionary income, as a hint of when to raise prices.
- bendoidic 8y agoInteresting angle. Any resources to back up that claim? Feels so dirty, like free health screenings for employees, when the real purpose is to built an insurance risk profile for a geographic area.
- cedivad 8y agoHN; the place where people use "sign of the derivative" instead of "trend" or "growth".
- anothergoogler 8y agoI was particularly confused by the typo, "sign of the derivative of e", e being constant.
- deleted 8y ago[deleted]
- YaxelPerez 8y agosign of d/dx e^(discretionary income) perhaps
- deleted 8y ago[deleted]
- nathansobo 8y agoI miss the old Whole Foods. I feel like the shopping experience has gone downhill in a variety of ways.
- sweettea 8y agoSpecifically, the fresh selection and quantity has gone down, the per-store unique items have disappeared, and the whole store is draped in Amazon upsells.
- tomjakubowski 8y agoAlmost overnight following the acquisition, security at my local Whole Foods turned from the usual couple people wandering the store with walkie talkies to a team of "tacticool" guys in sunglasses staring down the aisles and muttering to each other with earpieces and lapel mics. It's creepy.
- morsch 8y agoSecurity people at the supermarket? What are they, worried the peas are going to start a fight with the turnips?
- mulmen 8y ago
- cliffordthedog 8y agoGood timing, last thing Amazon will want right now is a battle with a union. Especially for a company they acquired so recently (shows that things got quickly worse with Amazon in charge). Good luck Whole Foods workers.
- notyourwork 8y agoI'm not sure this shows things got quickly worse. It may just show Whole Foods employees lost control they used to have but I think you are jumping to conclusions.
- amphibian87 8y agoAre you joking? This is Amazon, the company where warehouse workers have to pick an item with so little time, they have to jog around the warehouse. Workers urinating in bottles because using the bathroom during non breaks = termination. Oh, and those breaks last exactly 14 minutes and 59 seconds, because anything after is Bezos' time, and you will be reprimanded. While he is one of the richest people in the world, can't figure out how to spend it all. Literally throwing it away into a corporatefascist space program before he increases wages. Unions should quite obviously have formed by now.
- PeakHackerNews 8y ago>corporatefascist space program This is it, ladies and gentlemen. After years of effort, we've finally done it. We've hit peak HackerNews. Please notice Dang's total refusal to intervene on the above pro-socialist and completely naked agitation Please notice Dang's complete dedication to intervene on this one instead.
- 0x8BADF00D 8y ago> Unions should quite obviously have formed by now. Including the eng team. But the problem with unions is that over time they are corrupted, and quickly become inefficient bureaucratic institutions. I agree with your sentiment, but the reality is far murkier than that.
- ct520 8y agoThese people do realize amazon owns and as is heavily invested in the most technological advance replacement for cashiers right?
- hannasanarion 8y agoSo you're saying they should therefore be happy to be treated like robots?
- ct520 8y agoeconomy is booming, last I checked they were not slaves.
- nickthemagicman 8y agoThere couldn't be two more different companies than Amazon and the pre Amazon Whole Foods company.
- LTjoker 8y agoFunny, I just quit <redacted-Bezos-company> stating I would not participate in a culture of fear.
- ProfBernardo 8y agoIf they don't like working there, then they should go work somewhere else. It's still a free country... right???
- maxxxxx 8y agoThey are also free to unionize, right?
- ProfBernardo 8y agoOf course. Why waste the time to work somewhere you're not happy working, though?
- maxxxxx 8y agoMaybe there aren't that many alternatives for them. In the end it's up to them.
- megablast 8y agoTo make things better for everyone? Not everyone is selfish.
- ProfBernardo 8y agoSo, working somewhere you hate in the name of bettering others is the right thing to do? Does that really help anyone?
- pxlpshr 8y agoA lot of finger pointing at Amazon but most of the employment demands from the 'union' have been characteristics of Whole Foods since looonnngg before the aquisition. For example, unpaid paternity/maternity leave, no recognition of any holiday including federal - just 3 weeks of PTO used at your discretion, below market compensation, crappy benefits, calcified management, and the list goes on. Most people work there because of the perceived culture of being free-spirit & hippy, but from my observation it's not that great of a place to build a career & wealth. Or perhaps it's par for the course and I'm just accustom to tech companies treating their people pretty well given how competitive the market is for top talent. Source: I live in Austin with friends who work at the HQ.
- 2bitmachine 8y agoAnd? If Amazon bought a company with poor working conditions, ripe for unionization, it’s their problem. They’re the bosses now. Maybe the workers hoped things would get better absent labor organization, but now that they’re being managed by a company rife with labor abuses, their circumstances have become more clear to them.
- pxlpshr 8y agoI don't disagree, I think it's a great opportunity for Amazon to make this a big win for their optics - externally for consumers who are starting to view them as the new Walmart and internally for WF employees. I just felt I needed to clarify that attacking Amazon and painting them red in the press for poor employment practices that WF has upheld for a long time was not really a diplomatic strategy for approaching your new boss, especially when a lot of WF employees likely wanted Amazon to be a "hands-off" acquirer.
- chrissnell 8y agoWe're in the middle of the best economy in years. Why would a worker put up with that? Go someplace else. Whole Foods doesn't put stores in small towns. Anyone who works there has plenty of other options.
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- biztos 8y agoAll my experience shopping at grocery chains in the US and elsewhere has impressed upon me that these workers represent the absolute classic, textbook case for unionization. Yes, including Whole Paycheck[0] as well as Trader Joe's and Safeway and Von's and everybody else. While I can imagine Amazon having a loathing of unions, if they really want to be in this space they will sooner or later have to contend with the fact that this is an industry that needs a union. And I think, at obvious risk of being wrong, that the US is going to become once again more union-friendly in the coming years. So maybe a very friendly, not very confrontational, laid-back and smiley group of workers flirting with unionization might be a way for Amazon to put a toe in that water without overcommitting. Much as the WholeFoods acquisition was per se. [0]: Whole Foods goes by this nickname in California. Because you spend your...
- deleted 8y ago[deleted]
- jimmy1 8y agoJust FYI, everyone calls Whole Foods Whole Paycheck.
- judgardner 8y agoWhole Wallet as well.
- Multicomp 8y agoI disagree. Before today, I'd never heard of this terminology, and I'm next to a WF each workday.
- bena 8y agoPeople have a lot of "clever" diminutives for things they don't like for nebulous reasons they can't actually articulate. It makes me question the thoughts of anyone who consistently uses them in an argument or rant. It feels as if the speaker is more interested in scoring laughs than making any point.
- sequoia 8y ago"In a statement provided to TechCrunch, a representative of Whole Foods said they respect the “individual rights of [their] team members.”" Ha... now there's a carefully chosen phrase. “[We] have an open-door policy that encourages team members to bring their comments, questions and concerns directly to their team leaders,” I'd refer to this gif[0] but I know they're not serious. If anyone believes individual cashiers asking for maternity leave is a good way to get it, I've got a bridge you might also be interested in buying. 0: http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-3AkXJmV0AIY/T_Yj4_zOF7I/AAAAAAAAAJ0/-hReEvLaRiY/s1600/Oh-Wait-Youre-Serious_o_97195.gif http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-3AkXJmV0AIY/T_Yj4_zOF7I/AAAAAAAAAJ...
- village-idiot 8y agoLawyers were clearly involved in that press release.
- skrebbel 8y ago> If anyone believes individual cashiers asking for maternity leave is a good way to get it I recognize that your comment is dripping of cynicism so I'm not entirely sure which parts are true. You're saying that you can't get maternity leave at Whole Foods (or in the entire USA maybe? I don't know whether this is national or just that Whole Foods is somehow a horrible, terrible, no good employer) when you ask? How about with a doctor's note that says that yes indeed, you're pregnant? Isn't there laws about that sort of stuff? And wasn't Whole Foods supposed to be the upmarket, organic, do-goodery, happy happy joy joy supermarket? Seriously when I read stuff like this I wonder how it's possible that America functions, well, at all. Do they expect people to just bleep the groceries in-between the contractions? Hey yo don't worry I can breast-feed the little one with a single hand and use the other hand to bag your leek.
- rawTruthHurts 8y ago"You're saying that ..." No, that's not what he's saying, and no, a single person does not have the same leverage an entire collective has against a larger company.
- vadym909 8y agoAbout time- I can't imagine how long before more unions start forming. Just hope they come up with a better model for a union 2.0 cos the old model has a pretty bad reputation.
- ProfBernardo 8y agoAh, Tech Crunch... liberal click-bait strikes again. It's like NPR that doesn't sleep.
- torgian 8y agoEff that noise. I’ll just keep buying my food at Food an’ Stuff.
- stevespang 8y agoLet's bleed Jeff Bezos . . . .
- nickkell 8y agoMore power to them! I'm a software developer and I wished I had been in a union a couple of years ago. Back then I was working at a company in the middle of nowhere in England after finishing my degree. After several years the boss decided that we were all being paid too much and increased everyone's weekly working hours without additional compensation. I had no strong ties to the area, so practically straight away I quit and moved to London. Unfortunately for most of my colleagues they had family and friends there and this was the only real tech company in the area. It's an incredible feeling, being an educated professional and yet at the same time completely impotent.