Amazon HQ2 and other news

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  • cincybearcat
    cincybearcat Posts: 16,855
    mrussel1 said:
    Want to know why HQ2 failed?  Not because of Ocasio.

    Because of these two...

    Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins nominated Sen. Michael Gianaris as her appointee to the obscure Public Authorities Control Board.

    It was doomed ever since.
    Huh?  Please explain.  To be clear, Amazon didn't fail, they chose to leave because of the local political pressure, of which AOC was a ringleader.  
    Yeah should say, want to know why NY failed?
    hippiemom = goodness
  • Meltdown99
    Meltdown99 None Of Your Business... Posts: 10,739


    I thought these were white collar jobs.  Was Amazon going to violate NY labour laws?  Other than government, not many white colour jobs are union jobs?  Are they?
    Give Peas A Chance…
  • cincybearcat
    cincybearcat Posts: 16,855


    I thought these were white collar jobs.  Was Amazon going to violate NY labour laws?  Other than government, not many white colour jobs are union jobs?  Are they?
    These NY politicians and apparent labor unions are channeling their inner Trumps.
    hippiemom = goodness
  • Meltdown99
    Meltdown99 None Of Your Business... Posts: 10,739


    I thought these were white collar jobs.  Was Amazon going to violate NY labour laws?  Other than government, not many white colour jobs are union jobs?  Are they?
    These NY politicians and apparent labor unions are channeling their inner Trumps.
    I'm not sure where the union fits in here.  Why would white colour workers want a union?  It now seems that the people who were opposed are just grasping at air now.
    Give Peas A Chance…
  • mrussel1
    mrussel1 Posts: 30,904


    I thought these were white collar jobs.  Was Amazon going to violate NY labour laws?  Other than government, not many white colour jobs are union jobs?  Are they?
    These NY politicians and apparent labor unions are channeling their inner Trumps.
    I'm not sure where the union fits in here.  Why would white colour workers want a union?  It now seems that the people who were opposed are just grasping at air now.
    That's right.  It's political spin.  
  • mrussel1 said:
    Want to know why HQ2 failed?  Not because of Ocasio.

    Because of these two...

    Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins nominated Sen. Michael Gianaris as her appointee to the obscure Public Authorities Control Board.

    It was doomed ever since.
    Huh?  Please explain.  To be clear, Amazon didn't fail, they chose to leave because of the local political pressure, of which AOC was a ringleader.  
    https://nypost.com/2019/02/14/this-is-the-man-who-delivered-the-death-blow-to-amazon-deal/

    Yes it failed.  HQ2 failed to secure a spot here in NY.

    So in a nutshell Stewart Cousins appointed Gianaris to this committee/control board that had to vote unanimously on HQ2 being green lighted.

    These two were both unhappy with what Cuomo and DiBlasi had agreed to.

    As soon as Gianaris was appointed to that board it was never going to happen and Amazon knew it so to save face rather than have to try and win over them they took their bat and ball and are going to play elsewhere.

    I know Ocasio was vocal about not wanting it but it was those two that got in axed.
  • brianlux
    brianlux Moving through All Kinds of Terrain. Posts: 43,665
    edited February 2019
    benjs said:
    Brian, I might be in a position to talk about this a bit. Some background: my dad's family business (which I've been in for five years steady now) is in Retail, we have five locations, and Amazon is certainly not something we take lightly. I also say this while developing a background in data sciences (aka understanding the level of customer understanding that they can produce right now, and also recognizing the likely understanding they'll be able to achieve in the near tomorrows).

    I look at Amazon's path to get here, and ask myself honestly, what was nefarious or unique to Amazon to get here, that someone else couldn't? And the only thing I can come up with is a unique trait, and that's "first presence". They and Alibaba (who both happen to be the largest in eComm) were the first to see the internet as an avenue to reach clients. They recognized that you can broadcast your storefront - now so commonplace that that sounds wasteful to even write. They also broke traditional owner-focused business models, and instead invested in their future in a major way: they squirrelled away their profits to re-invest in their organizations' infrastructures, and they managed to assuage the people they serve (funders, lenders, etc.) while doing that - a task I can imagine requires some serious savviness. Being blunt here, any forward-thinking retail business-person should have seen these signs and recognized where they ought not to try to develop a competitive advantage: on fulfillment. That doesn't mean you don't work on optimizing fulfillment (that's a retailer's obligation), but you recognize the futility of trying to be best in that space, and you look elsewhere in addition. As for Amazon - they have earned their competitive advantage fair and square.

    Fulfillment is not the only value-added service a retail environment is responsible for. It's responsible for adding joy to the (inherently social) shopping experience, it's responsible for an honest educational experience, curation of the right solutions for clients through a meaningful understanding not just of what a shopper has previously bought, but also who they are and how they appreciate being communicated with. These are areas where, with humans as the face of our organizations, we are actually in a competitive advantage in comparison to Amazon. And we see this evidenced: it's 2019, and to this day our salespeople tell me that when people are in the store, they make purchases far more often than not. Futurists like Doug Stephens (writer of Reengineering Retail) talks about the lift that eComm-only sales environments who open retail stores and see 5x lift within months, and only localized to the cities containing retail stores. While Amazon has taken one competitive advantage off the table, there are so many on there that my opinion is Retailers just need to redefine their boxes if they're feeling this fear.
    Excellent and astute observations as always,  Ben.  Yes, I totally agree that brick and mortar stores have the advantages of human interface you mention.  At my wife's bookstore and the book co-op I used to belong to, that is/was our strong point.  We work very hard to form helpful and friendly relationships with our regulars and make tourists and out-of-towners feel welcome.  All of that combined works well toward forming a sense of community, something generally lacking in e-commerce.  That sense of community is very helpful in many ways- I could write a whole book about that (Wendell Berry and others have!)

    I don't object to the idea of internet shopping.  In fact, in some ways I think it is very useful.  For example, I have about 1000 book titles listed on line that are mostly obscure things that would not likely sell in my wife's or most other book stores.  Rather than take up shelf space in a local store, they are out there for anyone in almost any country to find.  And I have bought books and records on-line that I would have had to travel far and wide to find in a store  (also thus saving on a lot of fuel, time and energy).

    My objection to Amazon is their expressed aggressive attitude toward independent retailers, their reputation for overworking and underpaying employees, and their tax-dodging ways.  We should either all pay the same taxes or all have the same advantages to avoid them. 
    "It's a sad and beautiful world"
    -Roberto Benigni

  • dignin
    dignin Posts: 9,478


    I thought these were white collar jobs.  Was Amazon going to violate NY labour laws?  Other than government, not many white colour jobs are union jobs?  Are they?
    These NY politicians and apparent labor unions are channeling their inner Trumps.
    I'm not sure where the union fits in here.  Why would white colour workers want a union?  It now seems that the people who were opposed are just grasping at air now.
    Haha, they got what they wanted so how does that turn into grasping at air?
  • mrussel1
    mrussel1 Posts: 30,904
    dignin said:


    I thought these were white collar jobs.  Was Amazon going to violate NY labour laws?  Other than government, not many white colour jobs are union jobs?  Are they?
    These NY politicians and apparent labor unions are channeling their inner Trumps.
    I'm not sure where the union fits in here.  Why would white colour workers want a union?  It now seems that the people who were opposed are just grasping at air now.
    Haha, they got what they wanted so how does that turn into grasping at air?
    He's saying the fact that Amazon is anti union (like every business) is not a good reason to run them out because the jobs are not typically union jobs. 
  • Meltdown99
    Meltdown99 None Of Your Business... Posts: 10,739
    dignin said:


    I thought these were white collar jobs.  Was Amazon going to violate NY labour laws?  Other than government, not many white colour jobs are union jobs?  Are they?
    These NY politicians and apparent labor unions are channeling their inner Trumps.
    I'm not sure where the di fits in here.  Why would white colour workers want a union?  It now seems that the people who were opposed are just grasping at air now.
    Haha, they got what they wanted so how does that turn into grasping at air?
    I thought you'd be too busy trying to save nutty and the dippers from a historic defeat out there in Alberta. 
    Give Peas A Chance…
  • dignin
    dignin Posts: 9,478
    dignin said:


    I thought these were white collar jobs.  Was Amazon going to violate NY labour laws?  Other than government, not many white colour jobs are union jobs?  Are they?
    These NY politicians and apparent labor unions are channeling their inner Trumps.
    I'm not sure where the di fits in here.  Why would white colour workers want a union?  It now seems that the people who were opposed are just grasping at air now.
    Haha, they got what they wanted so how does that turn into grasping at air?
    I thought you'd be too busy trying to save nutty and the dippers from a historic defeat out there in Alberta. 
    What does that have to do with Amazon? 

    Care to answer the question or are you confused?
  • Lerxst1992
    Lerxst1992 Posts: 8,036


    I thought these were white collar jobs.  Was Amazon going to violate NY labour laws?  Other than government, not many white colour jobs are union jobs?  Are they?
    These NY politicians and apparent labor unions are channeling their inner Trumps.
    I'm not sure where the union fits in here.  Why would white colour workers want a union?  It now seems that the people who were opposed are just grasping at air now.

    Then why did Amazon insist on no union?

    If you believe Amazon was serious about coming here telling the strongest union city in the country no unions I got a bridge to sell you about 5 miles from where their alleged HQ2 was supposed to go.
  • mrussel1
    mrussel1 Posts: 30,904


    I thought these were white collar jobs.  Was Amazon going to violate NY labour laws?  Other than government, not many white colour jobs are union jobs?  Are they?
    These NY politicians and apparent labor unions are channeling their inner Trumps.
    I'm not sure where the union fits in here.  Why would white colour workers want a union?  It now seems that the people who were opposed are just grasping at air now.

    Then why did Amazon insist on no union?

    If you believe Amazon was serious about coming here telling the strongest union city in the country no unions I got a bridge to sell you about 5 miles from where their alleged HQ2 was supposed to go.
    Amazon did not insist on bo unions.  In fact the only union discussions were related to the existing Staten Island facility, and a policy of neutrality for votes.  The queens site was white collar. You wouldn't expect a union there. 

    https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.nytimes.com/2019/02/14/business/economy/amazon-union-cuomo.amp.html
  • mrussel1
    mrussel1 Posts: 30,904
    ... no unions...
  • cincybearcat
    cincybearcat Posts: 16,855


    I thought these were white collar jobs.  Was Amazon going to violate NY labour laws?  Other than government, not many white colour jobs are union jobs?  Are they?
    These NY politicians and apparent labor unions are channeling their inner Trumps.
    I'm not sure where the union fits in here.  Why would white colour workers want a union?  It now seems that the people who were opposed are just grasping at air now.

    Then why did Amazon insist on no union?

    If you believe Amazon was serious about coming here telling the strongest union city in the country no unions I got a bridge to sell you about 5 miles from where their alleged HQ2 was supposed to go.
    These were mostly white collar jobs. Exactly what union did you expect?


    hippiemom = goodness
  • Meltdown99
    Meltdown99 None Of Your Business... Posts: 10,739


    I thought these were white collar jobs.  Was Amazon going to violate NY labour laws?  Other than government, not many white colour jobs are union jobs?  Are they?
    These NY politicians and apparent labor unions are channeling their inner Trumps.
    I'm not sure where the union fits in here.  Why would white colour workers want a union?  It now seems that the people who were opposed are just grasping at air now.

    Then why did Amazon insist on no union?

    If you believe Amazon was serious about coming here telling the strongest union city in the country no unions I got a bridge to sell you about 5 miles from where their alleged HQ2 was supposed to go.
    These are white colour jobs.  They are not union jobs.  Not too many businesses are going to hold a welcome sign saying come "unionize us".
    Give Peas A Chance…
  • dignin
    dignin Posts: 9,478
    I think we need another post declaring these are white collar non union jobs. Three in a row isn't quite enough.

    Okay, everyone got it now?
  • bootlegger10
    bootlegger10 Posts: 16,263
    edited February 2019

    The home of Amazon has a huge homeless problem.  A rising tide raises all ships my ass...  

    If you like no soul for your town and trendy condos then Amazon is your gig.

  • cincybearcat
    cincybearcat Posts: 16,855
    dignin said:
    I think we need another post declaring these are white collar non union jobs. Three in a row isn't quite enough.

    Okay, everyone got it now?
    Isn’t this 4?
    hippiemom = goodness
  • mrussel1
    mrussel1 Posts: 30,904

    The home of Amazon has a huge homeless problem.  A rising tide raises all ships my ass...  

    If you like no soul for your town and trendy condos then Amazon is your gig.

    You think Seattle's homeless issue is due to Amazon's proximity?