4 ms·
While that's probably true the optics are pretty obviously terrible.
by gleenn 1y ago
While that's probably true the optics are pretty obviously terrible.
- CamperBob2 1y agoWho's more independent than Amazon?!
- deleted 1y ago[deleted]
- Jensson 1y agoAlmost everyone? Amazon has duty to generate profits for massive amounts of shareholders, you can't be very independent when you are public with high market cap, there are just too many literally invested in what you do.
- 47282847 1y agoIf you own a small shop, you are completely dependent on serving your customers. They will not buy the books you like, they will want the ones they like.
- Jensson 1y agoThat is what we mean with indie though, just being dependent on selling to customers and not other things. Amazon is not indie, there are way too many people holding a stake in Amazon.
- rootsudo 1y agoI had the same thought too, they are the original, independent, online book store. Sure theres share holders and they have business verticals now but - I wouldn't say any outside interest interferes with daily operations at AMZ storefront selling books - just because they scaled off that..
- CamperBob2 1y agoThe irony I had in mind when I made that joke was Bezos prostrating himself before Trump. The richest people with the most to lose really are the least independent people alive, regardless of whether they are connected to the traditional book publishing and distribution establishment.
- bawolff 1y agoIn context, "Independent" just means small scale. You can nit pick about definitions, but i think its well understood by the people involved.
- voidfunc 1y agoThe people who care about the optics is probably exactly overlapping those that care about independent bookstore day. Which is to say, almost nobody cares.
- cammikebrown 1y ago[flagged]
- petesergeant 1y agoWhen making my pros and cons list of where to move to a few months ago, "has Amazon" was very high up my list (sorry Tblisi!) and "good independent book stores" was not on the list.
- lcnPylGDnU4H9OF 1y agoIt’s like Amazon could fire their union-organizing employees on Labor Day and people would just be happy they can still their jelly beans delivered same day.
- deleted 1y ago[deleted]
- GolfPopper 1y ago"It is rather pointless to argue with a man whose paycheck depends upon not knowing the right answer."
- hackernoops 1y ago[flagged]
- tqi 1y agoComplaining about "the optics" is the worst because it basically says "there is no substance to my complaint and yet I will persist to complain"
- freetime2 1y agoI find the opposite to be true - purported book lovers complaining about a book sale is not a good look in my opinion.
- tyre 1y agoI mean I don’t see Amazon as “pro-independent bookstore” so this doesn’t change much imo
- seanmcdirmid 1y agoI don’t think anyone who isn’t looking for something to “ah-ha!” Amazon with is going to bat an eye at this, and those ah-ha! People aren’t into convincing people to change their mind, they are more into echo chambers.
- fc417fc802 1y agoI can only speak for myself but it looks pretty bad to me. I'm not particularly interested in "ah-ha!" I even shop on Amazon fairly frequently. If Walmart engaged in a price war with a small mom and pop bakery across the street I would be similarly unimpressed (disgusted, really).
- kortilla 1y agoThe entire business model of Walmart is to underprice mom and pop bakeries.
- parineum 1y agoThe entire business model of every business is to do more business than their competitors.
- elevatortrim 1y agoThis sentence does not say any more than commenting on burglary to say “everyone tries to get resources for themselves”. A small bakery cannot engage in price manipulation for a meaningful time or volume to oust competition, that activity is completely different category.
- snickerbockers 1y agoBut the problem with burglary isn't the resource acquisition, it's the burglary. Amazon is fundamentally performing the same act as the independent bookstore, they're just doing a better job. Anyways the fundamental problem with most bookstores that aren't Barnes and Noble is that they all do a terrible job of having the things I want to read. When the local artisan bookstore won't bother to stock RA Salvatore or even fucking Tolkien because it's too "low brow" I don't have a whole lot of empathy for them. I actually do enjoy bookstores when they aren't merely a far more inconvenient way to order books from a large corporate distribution center.
- jjeaff 1y agoit will certainly be an exhibit in any future Amazon ant-trust case
- bawolff 1y agoHow so? There is no anti-trust law saying you can't have a sale the same day your competitors are having a party.
- jjeaff 1y agoThere is no specific law against it. Just like there is no specific law against getting "protection fees" from all the businesses in the neighborhood because it would be a shame if something were to happen to it. Which is why we have racketeering/Rico laws. Generally, when anti-trust cases go to court, they will use individual cases like these of anti-conpetitive behavior as evidence to build a case of a pattern of that type of behavior.