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Wirecutter strike and boycott Thanksgiving through Cyber Monday
- coolso 5y agoWirecutter is essentially just a glorified, prettified Amazon affiliate link aggregator anyway. I have tried so many of their recommendations - always making sure not to click the affiliate links directly - and been burned or at the very least disappointed more than enough times, that at this point I just use their site as a starting guide, and then make sure not to actually buy their recommended pick if at all possible. Can we just keep the boycott going in perpetuity?
- bryan0 5y agoI’ve found their recommendations to be pretty good in general. What products were you disappointed by? If both they and CR are in agreement it’s a pretty good bet.
- harlanlewis 5y agoIt definitely depends on the category. I’ve found it most helpful for items that I don’t know much about, the capability and pricing tiers do matter, but it’s not going to be a purchase that needs to be absolutely perfect and I’m unlikely to have a strong opinion about later. Headphones? Stay away - too subjective. A humidifier for the nursery? Perfect.
- clifdweller 5y agoThis is where I have a problem with their reviews will start to dive into it but never really educate the reader enough to make an informed decision over trusting them. i.e in their recommended sleeping pads they don't even consider the lower end ones for testing and they balk at the higher end ones because of material choices(which they don't explain have trade offs ie cold or hot camping they remove mylar pads and nylon)Then they are left with picking from a bunch of clones of each other all at same price point with similar features and left with learning nothing other than they chose clone of a clone all because it goes on sale more often than the others
- HeavenFox 5y agoNot OP but I bought their humidifier recommendation and it wasn't great. Barely made a dent in the humidity level of my small studio apartment. Turns out I was not alone: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25993512 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25993512
- clairity 5y agoi bought that humidifier and it works fine for my purposes. it's purely evaporative, so it doesn't really work well at lower temperatures and won't raise humidity much past 50%. for my use case, it keeps the air moist enough not to irritate me when the heater is on (a few weeks during the winter), which was the problem i was trying to solve.
- coolso 5y agoThe air purifier they recommended makes a loud annoying noise any time the house temp falls below a certain point. The router they recommended started randomly and frequently dropping connections after a year. The WiFi extender they recommended dropped connections from day one and also had noticeable coil whine from across the room. The surge protector they recommended reeked of mid/late 2000s-era cheap plastic and made my living room smell of it for about two weeks. And the expensive house fan they recommended made an off-balance rumbling vibration type noise which made it difficult to fall asleep to. Upon further research into each issue, I found many other people noticing the same things. In addition, many of the products with these issues I exchanged, only to have the replacement exhibit the same exact problem. Their presentation is their only real strength for the most part.
- VWWHFSfQ 5y agoI recommend you stop going to their website. You seem to be having a very tough time.
- karaterobot 5y agoI've gotten good recommendations from Wirecutter, but also very bad ones. I bought their recommended coffee machine, and it's $200, and no better than the $30 Mr. Coffee it replaced (except, I guess, in the referral fee they get). They also recommend an air purifier by Levoit, which performed demonstrably worse than a box fan with a HEPA filter bungee corded on to it[1]. In fairness, Wirecutter recommended a cheaper model, but is that model going to perform better than the more expensive one in the same line? In any case, it's still not cheaper than a box fan and a HEPA filter, which ought to be the baseline you'd test against if you were providing value to your readers. [1] https://www.cbc.ca/news/business/portable-air-purifier-tests-marketplace-1.5900782 https://www.cbc.ca/news/business/portable-air-purifier-tests...
- Cd00d 5y agoI have their recommended coffee machine (OXO Barista Brain), and have loved it for over 3 years. I recommend it to everyone I know that likes drip coffee as much as I do. If you were so happy with a $30 Mr. Coffee, what even compelled you to spend $200??
- mikestew 5y agoIf you were so happy with a $30 Mr. Coffee... Parent never said that, and they're obviously not happy with the Mr. Coffee if they're willing to spend $200 on a coffee maker...which, BTW, better do a better job than a $30 coffee maker.
- karaterobot 5y agoI was referring to the OXO 9-cup coffee maker[1]. I don't expect it to be 7 times better than the Mr. Coffee, and would be satisfied if it was just noticeably better in any way. But it's really pretty much the same thing, only more expensive. To be clear, both units are absolutely fine at making coffee. What compelled me to spend $200 on the OXO was the glowing Wirecutter review. [1] https://www.nytimes.com/wirecutter/reviews/best-drip-coffee-maker/ https://www.nytimes.com/wirecutter/reviews/best-drip-coffee-...
- errantspark 5y ago
- soared 5y agoIf you’re reading their content why wouldn’t you click their affiliate links? You’re costing them server hours and purposefully not giving them revenue despite it costing you nothing.
- callmeal 5y ago>If you’re reading their content why wouldn’t you click their affiliate links? Because they blackmail companies into affiliate revenue with the threat of "unrecommending" their products. See: https://www.xdesk.com/wirecutter-standing-desk-review-pay-to-play-model https://www.xdesk.com/wirecutter-standing-desk-review-pay-to...
- Bud 5y agoThat accusation is actually not supported by the facts, as detailed elsewhere in this thread.
- coolso 5y agoAre you saying I should be giving them revenue for not being terribly open about the fact that they only review products which can earn them a commission, and that furthermore, they deserve revenue from me for recommending products I spent about $500 or more in total for, only for them all to have significant flaws?
- newfonewhodis 5y agoI don't know what you are referring to but plenty of times they link directly to a retailers' website where they don't earn commissions. It's also a reasonable way for them to make money that isn't: 1. Invasive tracking 2. Nasty ads 3. Direct subscriptions Take your entitlement elsewhere.
- coolso 5y ago> Take your entitlement elsewhere. What are your thoughts regarding ad blocking? Specifically, do you also find people who use adblockers (I assume you don't use one of course) entitled?
- analyte123 5y agoI think Wirecutter drives a lot of sales, so a manufacturer could just cut corners and nerf their product's quality after they're recommended by Wirecutter in order to cash in. It seems like Wirecutter only re-evaluates their top recs after a couple years have gone by.
- bobthechef 5y agoThat they could doesn't mean they will. That's why articles are dated. If the article reviews the nth generation of product p, then that's what the review is about. If you're reading the review 2-3 years afterward, chances are the product has gone through another iteration (in which case, it no longer applies as equally) or the same product is still in production and the review likely still applies. Besides, why would you only rely solely on Wirecutter? CNET, RTINGS, Reddit, etc. can all be consulted to corroborate each other. Besides, this cheating strategy is only locally sustainable. Once word gets out, they'll lose on their next release. Lies have short legs.
- bryan0 5y agoIf a union isn’t threatening to strike, does that mean they’re not negotiating hard enough?
- dsr_ 5y agoNo. A strike is a weapon of last resort -- you have to have the ability to use it, but you don't want to use it. Much better is when both sides are negotiating rationally. When a union perceives that the company is not negotiating rationally, that's when they take a vote to authorize a strike. Then, hopefully, the strike doesn't happen... but it's available.
- melony 5y agoIs firing the entire union protected under labour laws in at will employment states?
- jpollock 5y agoThe right to strike is federally protected: https://www.nlrb.gov/strikes https://www.nlrb.gov/strikes Seems that if the employer can hire replacements quickly enough, the strikers don't get their jobs back. "Economic strikers defined. If the object of a strike is to obtain from the employer some economic concession such as higher wages, shorter hours, or better working conditions, the striking employees are called economic strikers. They retain their status as employees and cannot be discharged, but they can be replaced by their employer. If the employer has hired bona fide permanent replacements who are filling the jobs of the economic strikers when the strikers apply unconditionally to go back to work, the strikers are not entitled to reinstatement at that time. However, if the strikers do not obtain regular and substantially equivalent employment, they are entitled to be recalled to jobs for which they are qualified when openings in such jobs occur if they, or their bargaining representative, have made an unconditional request for their reinstatement."
- dsr_ 5y agoThat's an odd phrasing of the question, since normally we talk about rights of the employees being protected. If you want to ask, "is it generally legal to fire all members of a union in retaliation", the answer is "it's complicated". Read https://www.nlrb.gov/strikes https://www.nlrb.gov/strikes
- aurizon 5y agoWhat are their current wages, and what are they offered, but have declined? I am unable to support or castigate unless I know what side is in error. We have seen the huge loss of first class mail starved the US Postal Service of $$, and now the decline in printed page journalism with the ease of access by all manner of fake news/blogs has starved the news papers of $$ - yet on the other hand there is a hedge fund buying news papers - do they know something I do not know?
- vineyardmike 5y agoThey want $300k increase in wages - split across the 65 person team.
- errantspark 5y agoFor real? Is there a citation you've got for this? That seems crazy low.
- vineyardmike 5y ago> During two years of bargaining, The New York Times company has slow-walked contract negotiations with unfair labor practices and insignificant wage offers that severely underpay our staff. We, members of the Wirecutter Union, are fed up. The wage increases we’re seeking amount to only about $300,000, spread over our 65 person unit. Wirecutter has been wildly successful, especially over the time we’ve been bargaining this contract, and continues to bring in record revenue for the Times, which is sitting on over $1 billion in cash. Additionally, Times management has offered paltry guaranteed wage increases of only 1%, despite soaring inflation and cash flows. https://www.gofundme.com/f/support-striking-wirecutter-union-members https://www.gofundme.com/f/support-striking-wirecutter-union... https://twitter.com/wirecutterunion/status/1463175094218416133 https://twitter.com/wirecutterunion/status/14631750942184161...
- ziml77 5y agoAre they making enough off Wirecutter to do that? I have no idea how much Wirecutter brought in this year versus previous years.
- jmuguy 5y agoWonder if this is related to Wirecutter going not just behind the NYT paywall but also requiring an extra subscription beyond the base level. I basically stopped visiting after that.
- ramesh31 5y agohttps://youtu.be/ZW_1hP0SHSQ https://youtu.be/ZW_1hP0SHSQ
- callmeal 5y agoWirecutter is a pay-to-play operation. I stopped heeding their recommendations after I discovered that they were aggressively persuing kickbacks and refusing to review products that do not pay. See https://www.xdesk.com/wirecutter-standing-desk-review-pay-to-play-model https://www.xdesk.com/wirecutter-standing-desk-review-pay-to... for example. Also note that wirecutter in their response do not deny this but try to weasel out by claiming that the word 'kickback' was misleading. https://www.nytimes.com/wirecutter/our-response-to-nextdesk/ https://www.nytimes.com/wirecutter/our-response-to-nextdesk/ One valid criticism NextDesk raised was our use of the word “kickback” in our business communications, which is a misleading description of the affiliate business model because it implies an illicit transaction. In our company’s early days, we misused the term to describe a straightforward affiliate relationship, but we have since changed how we talk about the affiliate business, which is one we continue to stand behind.
- solarkraft 5y agoOh shit. I used to consider them to be one of the most reputable sources.
- deleted 5y ago[deleted]
- hubraumhugo 5y agoPaywall, strike, declining trustworthiness... I see more and more negative comments about Wirecutter. Could that be an opportunity for a rising competitor?
- donmcronald 5y agoIf your source info is untrustworthy affiliated reviewers, how does that aggregate into something I should trust?
- intro-b 5y agoI think there's still a niche for a Wirecutter-like site. But I don't know what it should look like, and how it should function without invasive affiliate advertising. I like reading high quality reviews of practical goods as well as more specialized things. Right now, I just Google search "name of product" + "reddit" and browse through threads to get a general consensus of a product.
- hauget 5y agoQ: Would you trust, or find useful, thumbs up reviews from people you follow online? Say you could see a collection of stuff people endorse via Twitter/IG, would that be of value to you?
- intro-b 5y agoKind of. The only issue is that I only use Twitter/IG for personal friends and not "influencer" level people. I think some of kind of organized curation would be nice. For instance, I follow https://fivebooks.com/ https://fivebooks.com/ a lot, which asks subject matter experts on their recommendation. Something like that for nice consumer goods would be cool.
- deleted 5y ago[deleted]
- gxnxcxcx 5y agoBut wouldn't it be prone to the same co-opting by anyone holding the bigger bag of money like the endorsing that already exists, just adding to the noise of the influencerdom? "Friends" and average nobodies already turn scummy as soon as RandomCorp throws in some kind of stupid referral incentive. Celebrities and has-beens can't be trusted when addressing consumer goods. Leveraging social media to bridge the gap between them is what brought us influencers.
- asdff 5y agoConsumer reports is like this but is subscriber funded vs affiliate or avert model
- 5y ago
- bin_bash 5y agoLooks like they're asking for $300,000 for their 65 workers. That's an average of $4600/person. Does that seem pretty low to anyone else? https://twitter.com/wirecutterunion/status/1463175094218416133 https://twitter.com/wirecutterunion/status/14631750942184161...
- filmgirlcw 5y agoYes. Especially when they aren't asking for the same pay as other New York Times editorial employees -- not even close to it. The pay delta between median editorial guild member of the Times and editorial member of Wirecutter union is over $40,000. So they are asking for a little more than 10% of the delta between two of their unionized editorial writing groups, in terms of median pay.
- Bud 5y agoThat's the amount of the wage increase, not their total wages.
- tedmiston 5y agoRight there with ya. It would be more digestible to know what % the increase is (especially with respect to inflation).
- wolverine876 5y agoI'm surprised Consumer Reports isn't enormously popular here. It's not personal, engaging blog-style writing - it seems written to help the broadest possible audience, but it's the most technical research by far: They have actual domain experts, labs (well-resourced), scientific method, and loads of objective data - e.g., for bicycle helmets, they have human head/body models, put all the helmets on them (I'd guess 50 at least, IIRC), dropped them on their heads (I don't remember how the impacts were constructed), and measured various outcomes. Through their research they discovered new risks, such as the stretch in the chin strap. And it's in sortable, filterable, dynamic tables. What is not to like?!
- humanistbot 5y ago> What is not to like?! People don't like paying for things, especially when there is a free, easy, and legal alternative. I am a CR subscriber, and that $39/year fee was a hard thing for me to pay at first. But then I realized that is less than an hour of work at my salary, and I had already spent more than an hour trying to figure out which review sites were trustworthy. I do find that they don't review everything in a category and can take a long time to review new products, which is frustrating but makes sense.
- joshe 5y agoWas a huge fan 20 years ago, but it's low quality now. They just don't do much work now and the testing is superficial and lazy.
- wolverine876 5y agoTheir home page is covered with reviews. I have't seen superficial or lazy - as I said, they have labs, research, etc., well beyond any competitor - but can you give an example? https://www.consumerreports.org/ https://www.consumerreports.org/ They also are leaders in consumer advocacy, such as for privacy, financial abuse, broadband service, and much more, and organize user testing of things like broadband, water quality, and credit reports https://action.consumerreports.org/ https://action.consumerreports.org/ https://action.consumerreports.org/participatory_research https://action.consumerreports.org/participatory_research
- ChrisArchitect 5y agoHot take: this seems like a very low-traffic period for them as anyone searching BFCM deals will have done the reading before the days? / content written before the days
- dharmab 5y agoWirecutter runs a live update feed on major sale days that aggregates surprise/short term deals.