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> For those that choose to stay, they will forever live with their past action of having turned down lots of money to work there. $5,000 isn't really lots of m

> For those that choose to stay, they will forever live with their past action of having turned down lots of money to work there. $5,000 isn't really lots of money; it's probably about six months of mortgage payments in an average town. On a 25-year mortgage that doesn't make much of a dent. Better to keep grumbling, keep earning and keep a roof over the family.

sixothree 13y ago
I'm guessing for many people at amazon it might be two months salary.
- fecak 13y ago
  $2500 a month is 30K. The average warehouse worker at Amazon is around $25K (1), so the temptation might be there for them. For engineers, that amount is not likely to be considered. 1 - http://money.cnn.com/2013/07/30/news/companies/amazon-warehouse-workers/ http://money.cnn.com/2013/07/30/news/companies/amazon-wareho...
  - joosters 13y ago
    n.b. the vast majority of Amazon warehouse workers are not actually employed by Amazon; it is unlikely that they ever get these offers.
    - Crito 13y ago
      However the offer is for warehouse workers, not for engineers.
      - joosters 13y ago
        But it is for warehouse workers employed by Amazon - which isn't many of them.
- infinite8s 13y ago
  Yeah, agreed, this is for their warehouse employees, not their software developers.
mathattack 13y ago
Much less than 6 months of a mortgage in Seattle, no? Or have I been spending too much time in New York?
- bentcorner 13y ago
  $833/month mortgage gets (I think) about $150k for a 25 year fixed rate loan. It's not impossible to get a home for $150k in Seattle, but your choices are very limited.
  - Domenic_S 13y ago
    For the curious, 4 results: http://www.redfin.com/city/16163/WA/Seattle/real-estate#!max_price=150000&num_beds=2&excl_ss=true&v=8&sst=&region_id=16163&region_type=6&market=seattle http://www.redfin.com/city/16163/WA/Seattle/real-estate#!max...
  - r00fus 13y ago
    Rents have been skewing much higher than mortgage costs for some time. I'd guess it's 2-3 mo. of rent, max. In silicon valley it might be 1-2mo. But people often don't think rationally that way (and definitely not all the time). A large lump sum may seem bigger than it actually is. Which is why sales folks often try to peanut butter the costs over a range ("it's the cost of one coffee a day for a month!")
    - mathattack 13y ago
      Are rents higher than mortgages on comparable properties in SF and Seattle? In NY the mortgages are even worse.
- sib 13y ago
  Don't forget that this offer is for employees in the fulfillment centers, most of which are in areas with very low cost of living.
  - mathattack 13y ago
vidarh 13y ago
You can trigger compliance effects with a can of soda. Of course there needs to be a correspondence in magnitude, but it's not really about the absolute amounts.

sixothree 13y ago

I'm guessing for many people at amazon it might be two months salary.

fecak 13y ago
$2500 a month is 30K. The average warehouse worker at Amazon is around $25K (1), so the temptation might be there for them. For engineers, that amount is not likely to be considered. 1 - http://money.cnn.com/2013/07/30/news/companies/amazon-warehouse-workers/ http://money.cnn.com/2013/07/30/news/companies/amazon-wareho...
- joosters 13y ago
  n.b. the vast majority of Amazon warehouse workers are not actually employed by Amazon; it is unlikely that they ever get these offers.
  - Crito 13y ago
    However the offer is for warehouse workers, not for engineers.
    - joosters 13y ago
      But it is for warehouse workers employed by Amazon - which isn't many of them.
infinite8s 13y ago
Yeah, agreed, this is for their warehouse employees, not their software developers.

mathattack 13y ago

Much less than 6 months of a mortgage in Seattle, no? Or have I been spending too much time in New York?

bentcorner 13y ago
$833/month mortgage gets (I think) about $150k for a 25 year fixed rate loan. It's not impossible to get a home for $150k in Seattle, but your choices are very limited.
- Domenic_S 13y ago
  For the curious, 4 results: http://www.redfin.com/city/16163/WA/Seattle/real-estate#!max_price=150000&num_beds=2&excl_ss=true&v=8&sst=&region_id=16163&region_type=6&market=seattle http://www.redfin.com/city/16163/WA/Seattle/real-estate#!max...
- r00fus 13y ago
  Rents have been skewing much higher than mortgage costs for some time. I'd guess it's 2-3 mo. of rent, max. In silicon valley it might be 1-2mo. But people often don't think rationally that way (and definitely not all the time). A large lump sum may seem bigger than it actually is. Which is why sales folks often try to peanut butter the costs over a range ("it's the cost of one coffee a day for a month!")
  - mathattack 13y ago
    Are rents higher than mortgages on comparable properties in SF and Seattle? In NY the mortgages are even worse.
sib 13y ago
Don't forget that this offer is for employees in the fulfillment centers, most of which are in areas with very low cost of living.
- mathattack 13y ago

vidarh 13y ago

You can trigger compliance effects with a can of soda. Of course there needs to be a correspondence in magnitude, but it's not really about the absolute amounts.