Amazon to Cut E-Book Prices, Shaking Rivals (making Amazon a Monopoly)

[TiberiusB]

66. Yes, just like Walmart, cheap prices MUST be a universal good

Last edited Wed Apr 18, 2012, 12:55 AM - Edit history (1)

Have you ever considered the consequences, beyond your own comfort, of course, of relentlessly pursuing lower prices for everything? How do you think Amazon gets the price down? They use their size and purchasing power and large consumer base to negotiate, and more than occasionally "negotiate" means "bully", suppliers into lowering their costs. Over time, this forces many suppliers to suppress wages and benefits until they can no longer afford to hire American workers and they then are forced to move their operations offshore. This has all happened before with Walmart being the most obvious example. Did it occur to you that the "gouging" by Ma and Pa was a result of their small size and higher operating costs? Can Ma and Pa afford their own lobbyists? Did you read any of the links provided by others in this thread illustrating Amazon's heavy handed business practices? Do you really think this type of concentration of corporate power doesn't affect you in some way, even if it isn't immediately obvious? Take a look at how compromised agencies like the SEC and FDA and FCC are now. Do you think Ma and Pa had a hand in that? What do you do for a living? Does it depend in any way on Americans having disposable income to spread around?

Consider a different afternoon for someone in your area. They've closed their family store after many years in the community because the cost of doing business is no longer in reach. Now they find themselves in a severely depressed job market, combing the newspaper and the internet for any sign of work. They've already sent out dozens of applications with no success. There is unemployment to help pay some of the bills, but it isn't enough and it's going to run out in a year or so. The mortgage hasn't been paid in months and the threatening letters and calls from the bank are starting to come in. Birthdays and Christmas aren't a total loss, thanks to friends and relatives, but obviously there's less to go around and it doesn't alleviate the crushing sense of failure that seeps into their every waking moment as they become increasingly dependent on others just to survive. The weather has been mild, which has been a lucky break, as they need to keep the house and yard in some kind of presentable shape for the inevitable short sale...if they can get it. The fridge is nearly bare, though, thankfully, there's enough to keep everyone from going hungry, at least for now. Tap water is the beverage of choice, with the odd bottle of tea or soda as the rare treat. Of course, the tap water tastes, well, a bit "funky", though nobody knows, or won't say, why. Maybe it has something to do with the rig set up by the gas company a mile or so down the road. Maybe it's just crappy pipes. It doesn't really matter. There's no health insurance, so any problems caused by bad tap water or the flu or falling down the stairs will get the usual dose of frontier medicine, which amounts to "suck it up and push through it", in the hope that nothing "hospital serious" happens. A bill for the internet recently came in. At $45 a month, it's too expensive to sustain on only a few hundred dollars a month in government benefits. Unfortunately, with only one major provider in the area, there aren't any cheaper options. At least there are a few free wifi spots in town. It's a bit of a hike, with gas so expensive, and it makes email less convenient, which might mean lost opportunities, but it's better than nothing. Besides, with all the stuff they are trying to sell on Ebay and Craig's List to raise some money, they can't be without some kind of net access. The sun is starting to set, so they gather themselves together and head out to mail some more job applications and meet the kids at their bus stop. Maybe tomorrow will be better.

Enjoy your beer.