I guess I was not clear enough in my previous post.

[MineralMan]

29. Could be a local rate. However, we are pushing for a $15 minimum wage.

Amazon is paying at least that. Amazon workers also receive benefits like health insurance, maternity and paternity leave, and more. So, there it is.

I did not mention local employees who drive the delivery trucks, either. Some are Amazon employees. Others are independent contractors, but all are local to the area in which they work.

Mom and Pop local businesses often pay considerably less than that to their employees, and many offer no benefits at all.

Is Amazon a very tough competitor for local businesses? Yes, it is. No question about it. That is the new reality in retailing. However, there are many other national retailers who have similar effects on local business. Every big box store, for example Still, all of those also hire local employees, and most have boosted their minimum pay level to at or near that $15 minimum. If it's workers who are concerned, it is the locally-owned businesses who pay poorly, not the national corps. Further, ambitious employees of larger businesses have far more opportunities for advancement.

We are sometimes too quick to condemn such businesses, and often do not look at the benefits they have on local economies. Nothing is simple.