Amazon aims to hire 100,000 employees to keep up with demand

[Polycount]

In brief: Many companies are responding to the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak by closing down locations, telling workers to stay home, and generally scaling back their business temporarily. Amazon, on the other hand, will do the exact opposite. To keep up with vastly increased demand, the retail behemoth will be hiring an astounding 100,000 warehouse and delivery workers throughout the US.

You read that right: 100,000. At a time when much of the world is seeking to avoid working, we're not entirely sure how successful Amazon's hiring push will be, but regardless, it certainly speaks to the severity of this outbreak. As more families and individuals opt to stay home and avoid population-dense locations like supermarkets and malls, they're clearly looking to delivery services to fill the void. This, in turn, is putting quite a bit of strain on Amazon and its competitors.

To entice more employees to sign on for the physically and mentally-taxing labor that comes with working in an Amazon warehouse, the company will be raising hourly pay by $2, £2, or €2, depending on where you live. This pay raise will run through to the end of April, and, all told, it represents a planned expenditure of $350 million.

In addition to supporting increased demand for its own service, Amazon hopes this hiring push will help those in COVID-19-affected industries, like food service and hospitality. Though they may have been temporarily dismissed due to store or restaurant closures, Amazon is happy to bring them on board.

If you're wondering how the company will keep its tens of thousands of employees healthy and protected from COVID-19, we don't have much information for you. Aside from saying it continues to "consult with medical and health experts" and take "all recommended precautions" in its buildings and stores, Amazon did not elaborate on any of its specific COVID-19 prevention strategies.

Nonetheless, it's in the company's best interest to mitigate the spread of this virus in its warehouses, so we assume they have some pretty sophisticated precautions in place.

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https://www.techspot.com/news/84416-amazon-aims-hire-100000-employees-keep-up-demand.html

 

[QuantumPhysics]

Amazon's stock was trading above $2000 till Covid shut all of that down.

They've got not choice but to keep moving or else other courier services will fill the vacuums.

 

[psycros]

I really don't get the attraction of Amazon. Ebay is cheaper, usually has better selection and a has a MUCH better search function. Even Amazon's media catalog isn't that good anymore since every content producer has created their own streaming service. If Amazon has an original show you're interested in you can usually get it ala carte: a show or two is definitely not enough to justify a subscription. Apparently some people also buy groceries through Amazon. Well, most grocery stores now offer pick-up and often delivery to the local area as well which is faster and costs about the same.

 

[Uncle Al]

Hopefully they will give these drivers better training. I have had to file claims for damage to my yard for the drivers backing over the grass and rutting the yard, lost packages, claims that "delivery was handed directly to the occupant" when I'm not home and a host of others. This may be directly related to the NASHVILLE depot center but since they have no ways or means of contacting that center the problem continues! Don't they have any kind of QC???

 

[MaXtor]

I really don't get the attraction of Amazon. Ebay is cheaper, usually has better selection and a has a MUCH better search function.

I used to love Ebay, and I'm sure it's still great for many people, depending where you live. However, I'm in Canada, and a few years ago they introduced pre-paid duties on nearly everything. Items which were never charged duties in the past. All fees factored in, Amazon is much more reasonably priced, and items arrive quicker as well. Now I only use Ebay when I can't find what I'm looking for elsewhere.

 

[Yynxs]

Amazon's return and warranty beat eBay everyday. I bought (supposed to be) giant red crowbar to send to my daughter's office (labeled staple remover). Weighed 22 pounds. Wasn't red so ruined the joke. Amazon shipped it twice and both times was gray metal. They took both back without question and apologized, with me just having to get it to the local Amazon shipping office. That doesn't happen with eBay and I like eBay a lot.

 

[Mister_K]

I really don't get the attraction of Amazon. Ebay is cheaper, usually has better selection and a has a MUCH better search function. Even Amazon's media catalog isn't that good anymore since every content producer has created their own streaming service. If Amazon has an original show you're interested in you can usually get it ala carte: a show or two is definitely not enough to justify a subscription. Apparently some people also buy groceries through Amazon. Well, most grocery stores now offer pick-up and often delivery to the local area as well which is faster and costs about the same.

Piss poor delivery, Prime is the king. Sorry but eBay is not even in the same realm.

 

[BadThad]

Once this virus is washed away into history we'll see the biggest rebound in history. Unless a democrat is elected, then get ready for more pain.