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I'm in favor of a discount for people that have hard times, but I am not in 100% favor of Amazon picking Welfare as their choice.

What is 'welfare'? Without getting political. Your assessment.

I've read about this policy in other publications and want to mention two factors which provide additional context:
1) As Amazon has been rolling out same day delivery, for business reasons it focused on more densely-populated, high income areas. As a result, the service was not available in many low income areas, and so the company was accused of racism. This program is probably in part a reaction to such criticism.
2) It is well documented that many low-income areas are "food deserts", or more accurately "retail deserts"--in other words, there are no real supermarkets or other retail outlets for neighborhood residents to shop--only fast food, convenience stores, etc. Therefore, especially as Amazon expands into grocery delivery, Prime could offer a real service to these residents--and a real market for Amazon--if the residents can afford the membership fee.

ORIGINAL: Lobster

What is 'welfare'? Without getting political. Your assessment.

Welfare Explanation

ORIGINAL: 76mm

2) It is well documented that many low-income areas are "food deserts", or more accurately "retail deserts"--in other words, there are no real supermarkets or other retail outlets for neighborhood residents to shop--only fast food, convenience stores, etc. Therefore, especially as Amazon expands into grocery delivery, Prime could offer a real service to these residents--and a real market for Amazon--if the residents can afford the membership fee.

Good rationale provided, 76mm.

Just a word about the 'food deserts' USDA has promulgated to feather its own nest. They've been largely debunked. What do I mean? Note USDA's own conclusion (buried in their own in-house pub), which they didn't bother to redact or retract publicly.

http://reason.com/blog/2016/06/13/500-m ... od-deserts

That doesn't mean that companies like Alphabet or Amazon don't fancy themselves 'social justice warriors' and promulgate change where none is really necessary.

I personally believe that Amazon is not doing this out of the kindness of their own heart, but as a cold and calculated means of clawing back market share from Walmart. Walmart has a very high brand utilization amongst the lower economic quartiles-much moreso than Amazon. Any inroads Amazon could claim in the name of social good would be money well spent for Amazon.

ORIGINAL: LarryP

ORIGINAL: Lobster

What is 'welfare'? Without getting political. Your assessment.

Welfare Explanation

No, I said YOUR assessment. Not some cut and dried website. [:D]

Amazon Prime provides a great service at a reasonable price. It's cheaper than Netflix and provides similar high quality content - including a large amount of educational content as well. It also provides a number of free books every month for download to a tablet, while giving you free 2 day shipping to boot.

ORIGINAL: Lobster

ORIGINAL: LarryP

ORIGINAL: Lobster

What is 'welfare'? Without getting political. Your assessment.

Welfare Explanation

No, I said YOUR assessment. Not some cut and dried website. [:D]

I can't honestly explain it without getting political.

I have no feelings on this one way or another but just wanted to pass along what was said on CNBC when this was announced. The talking head commented that statistically people spend more with Amazon Prime and that therefore Amazon,s sales numbers would increase as these people would spend on things they really didn't need driving them further into poverty. I guess only time will tell.

I just don't like the reason that because I work, pay a lot of taxes, paid for my own education I have to pay more while being a loyal customer who spends over $3-4 thousand. I would have preferred everyone get the discount. What happens when the ebt holders buy to much and besides, it's taxpayer money. I am not going to get anywhere with this, I just like the government to stop wasting our money

ORIGINAL: demjansk

I just don't like the reason that because I work, pay a lot of taxes, paid for my own education I have to pay more while being a loyal customer who spends over $3-4 thousand. I would have preferred everyone get the discount. What happens when the ebt holders buy to much and besides, it's taxpayer money. I am not going to get anywhere with this, I just like the government to stop wasting our money

Non Sequitur AND political (<-- two things that go together so often, Mr. Spock wouldn't even lift an eyebrow).

ORIGINAL: Chickenboy

ORIGINAL: 76mm

2) It is well documented that many low-income areas are "food deserts", or more accurately "retail deserts"
--in other words, there are no real supermarkets or other retail outlets for neighborhood residents to shop
--only fast food, convenience stores, etc. Therefore, especially as Amazon expands into grocery delivery,
Prime could offer a real service to these residents--and a real market for Amazon--if the residents can afford
the membership fee.

Good rationale provided, 76mm.

Just a word about the 'food deserts' USDA has promulgated to feather its own nest. They've been largely debunked. What do I mean?
Note USDA's own conclusion (buried in their own in-house pub), which they didn't bother to redact or retract
publicly.

http://reason.com/blog/2016/06/13/500-m ... od-deserts

That doesn't mean that companies like Alphabet or Amazon don't fancy themselves 'social justice warriors' and
promulgate change where none is really necessary. I personally believe that Amazon is not doing this out of
the kindness of their own heart, but as a cold and calculated means of clawing back market share from Walmart.
Walmart has a very high brand utilization amongst the lower economic quartiles-much moreso than Amazon.
Any inroads Amazon could claim in the name of social good would be money well spent for Amazon.

The Walmart near me, in Valley Stream NY, gets the overwhelming majority of its business from lower income areas
in southeast Brooklyn & southern Queens. It was supposed to have (and should have) been built in East New York
(part of Brooklyn) but heavy resistance from the supermarket unions and politicians ended that possibility and all
the tax revenue generated by the store goes to Nassau County rather than NYC.

ORIGINAL: demjansk

...paid for my own education...What happens when the ebt holders buy to much and besides...

I'd ask for your money back on that education [:'(]

Cheers, Neilster

ORIGINAL: demjansk

I just don't like the reason that because I work, pay a lot of taxes, paid for my own education I have to pay more while being a loyal customer who spends over $3-4 thousand. I would have preferred everyone get the discount. What happens when the ebt holders buy to much and besides, it's taxpayer money. I am not going to get anywhere with this, I just like the government to stop wasting our money

I wonder how many people feel the same way when they pay full price for a game that later goes on sale, but I digress. Anyway......

No, it isn't "tax payer" money. It isn't "our" money. Once money leaves your hand, it is as much yours as the money your employer pays you is theirs. What happens if EBT holders buy too much? Nothing, as EBT cards are not a line of credit. You get so much to use each month, and you get it once a month. And if you spend it all before the next allotment, you do with out.

ORIGINAL: demjansk

I just don't like the reason that because I work, pay a lot of taxes, paid for my own education I have to pay more while being a loyal customer who spends over $3-4 thousand. I would have preferred everyone get the discount. What happens when the ebt holders buy to much and besides, it's taxpayer money. I am not going to get anywhere with this, I just like the government to stop wasting our money

Last warning before we close the thread and delete the offending posts.
Please don't post political comments.