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PUBLiSHER’S NOTE Why Amazon Is Just As Bad As Facebook
Dear Reader,
Recently I wrote about a certain
god-like dictator who has risen to prominence: Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg. You would be forgiven if you thought I was talking about Amazon’s Jeff Bezos, for he is just as powerful, another god unto himself.
Amazon is a parasite that is sucking the vitality out of our local communities. Let’s look at the facts:
Amazon was founded in 1995. Initially it collected and paid sales tax in only fi ve states, even though 45 states have statewide sales tax laws. Th is gave it an unfair advantage over brick-and-mortar stores operating in those states – it could price its products lower because it was not paying the tax. Th is ended only in 2016, after a Supreme Court ruling told Amazon to stop doing this.
Amazon attacked booksellers, excluding them from its platform if they did not give in to its pricing demands.
Like Facebook and Google, Amazon tracks consumers on the web and uses algorithms to stoke their purchasing behavior, to its advantage.
Amazon has launched its own private labels selling popular products that it also carries. In eff ect, Amazon used its distribution channel to study its competitors, then copied them and off ered identical or similar products.
And now, Amazon is leveraging its online power to open physical stores that will spell the death knell of many retailers that already have seen their sales erode because of Amazon.
How does this aff ect you? Well, have you noticed how Amazon sponsors your kid’s soccer league, or supports the local Salvation Army, United Way, and other charitable organizations that are trying to solve problems in our community? Yeah, neither have I. Support for local improvements comes from local business. When we stop supporting them and send our dollars to Amazon, we are depriving our own community of the glue that holds it together.
What about AmazonSmile, the behemoth’s supposedly generous gifts to charities? Let’s do the math: • Since 2013, when Amazon began the program, it has donated $215 million to charity. Th ose are Amazon’s own numbers (you can see them here: https://www.aboutamazon.com/news/ community/215-million-donated-tocharities-through-amazonsmile). • During that same time period, Amazon sold $1.483 trillion. • $215 million is 0.015% – fi fteen onethousandths of one percent of Amazon’s sales during that time.
How generous is that? Hmm, maybe not so much.
Amazon needs to be reined in, for the good of us all. Call or email Congress one more time as together we fi ght the forces from the dark side.
PATRICK J. WOOD
PUBLISHER
Author of “Dear Reader” and “Tapestry of Love and Loss”
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LEAVES ARE ALREADY STARTING TO CHANGE COLOR, AS THIS PHOTO FROM WAUSAU MAMA SHOWS.
THE STUFF
PUBLiSHER’S NOTE ...................................... 2 METRO BRiEFS ............................................. 4
COVID transition
CAPiTOL EYE ............................................... 6
Prehn’s way
COMMENTARY ........................................... 7
Alcohol tax revenues surge during pandemic
COVER FEATURE ......................................... 8
Moving out
TV REViEW................................................. 11
Startup is a wild, messy ride through Miami’s tech scene
HiGHLiGHTS .............................................. 12 BiG GUiDE ................................................ 13 THE BUZZ .................................................. 19
Massage renovation
THE STAFF
Publisher
Patrick J. Wood, publisher@mmclocal.com
General Manager
Tim Schreiber, tschreiber@mmclocal.com
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