AN ONLINE BARGAIN? AT WHAT COST?
Are you joining the queue for the New Year sales or, instead, opting for an online discount?
There are any number of smarty-pants who congratulate themselves for avoiding the scrum in the sales with the “bogans”, even expressing sympathy for the poor shop assistant overwhelmed by the mob desperate for 50 percent off.
“Hah! We shop online”, they say. “We’re savvy shoppers – no parking hassles, pushing and shoving for us.”
But what’s so “savvy” about shopping online?
When we place an online order and it arrives – as if by magic – at our doorstep days later, we are only dimly aware of the chain of human labour and the earth’s resources that are expended for our convenience and choice.
What, after all, is a “bargain”?
Next time you click to make an order on your computer, it might be worth considering these first-hand accounts of the online story…
Amazon’s Lehigh Valley warehouse. INSIDE AMAZON’S WAREHOUSE
By Spencer Soper.
“Lehigh Valley workers tell of brutal heat, dizzying pace at online retailer.
“Elmer Goris spent a year working in Amazon.com’s Lehigh Valley warehouse, where books, CDs and various other products are packed and shipped to customers who order from the world’s largest online retailer.
“The 34-year-old Allentown resident, who has worked in warehouses for more than 10 years, said he quit in July because he was frustrated with the heat and demands that he work mandatory overtime. Working conditions at the warehouse got worse earlier this year, especially during summer heat waves when heat in the warehouse soared above 100 degrees, he said.”
PITY THE ELFSLAVES OF ONLINE SHOPPING
By Mac McClelland.
“Every time you click “Place Order,” a warehouse worker weeps.
“Since June, I’ve been ruining my friends’ online-shopping lives. Back then, I reported on a vast warehouse in Ohio where goods bought from online retailers are sorted, boxed, and shipped to consumers.”
SANTA’S WORKSHOP
“Sometimes we have no choice, we work till dawn. When you work all night you become dizzy and your eyes hurt because you can’t take any breaks. SANTA’S WORKSHOP takes you to the real world of China’s toy factories. Workers tell us about long working hours, low wages, and dangerous work places. Those who protest or try to organize trade unions risk imprisonment. Low labor costs attract more and more companies to China. Today more than 75 percent of our toys are made in China. But this industry takes its toll on the workers and on the environment.
“The European (and American) buyers blame bad conditions on the Chinese suppliers. But they say that increasingly hard competition gives them no option. Who should we believe? And what can you do to bring about a fairer and more humane toy trade?”
Watch the full Santa’s Workshop documentary here.
8 Responses to this article
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Jackie December 26, 2011
I felt one thing when I read this….anger.
I am probably one of the exceptions but an exception none the less. See back in August I was in an accident that has left me wheelchair bound for sometime and right now just mobile around the house.
Trust me, Christmas shopping in a busy mall is not where you want to be at Christmas when you are in a wheelchair…first off there is just the crowds, then there is the lack of cleanliness of disabled toilets (which usually double as a nappy change room so I get to smell the stenc dirty nappies whilst in there)
We contend with the able bodied people parking in disabled spots so we have to parked on the 4th floor lower and poor hubby has to put me up a 75 degree incline for 10 minutes before we hit the shops!
Instead this year I shopped onlne. I got several dressed for me from online stores like Millers which arrive within 3 days of order and fitted a treat.
I also ordered wine from Brown Brothers, Food from Coles and a few other bibs and bobs here and there.
So let’s face FACTS first shall we…
You state 75% of toys are made in China (ALL TOYS) even the ones sold in stores.
The dresses I brought online were made in China and also available IN STORE
So really isn’t your point here mute…it doesn’t matter if purchased in store or online…the people mentioned will be working the same hours doing the same thing for shoppers regardless of their location.
As for the Amazon workers, they are no different to staff working in Distribution Centres like the one Safeway has at Barnawartha or McDonalds has in the old GMH plant in Dandenong…..they work long hours for little pay and it’s a tedious boring job. So perhaps it would be better to address the conditions of employment and demand these workers have better condition to work in so that consumers can and will continue to happily shop in their preferred method
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Judy December 26, 2011
Excellent response, Jackie.
I read this article expecting to read something about the Australian online experience, so was somewhat disappointed that the bulk of the article was sourced from overseas, and, as Jackie pointed out, wasn’t particularly unique to online selling anyway.
I am an Australian online retailer. I am based in Adelaide, I sell books, and I collect GST, just like other Australian businesses. I was still selling and posting books last Wednesday afternoon, to people around Australia who had purchased them intending to give them as Christmas gifts.
If you want a real Australian online perspective, I’d be happy to talk with you.
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Sarah B December 28, 2011
I agree with Jackie, as a casual worker for many years I can confirm that the situation at Amazon is not unique, the difference in Australia is that we have award conditions and OH & S regulations that go some way to keeping us safe. This probably makes us uncompetitive with China, but I agree, that’s not the fault of online trading.
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Valerie Parv December 28, 2011
How come everything an ordinary person finds useful, affordable and beneficial automatically brings down the wrath of the righteous on our heads? Holding us personally responsible for the plight of the workers in other countries is right up there with “eat your crusts because elsewhere in the world, children are starving.” Undeniably true, but eating a few crusts or not buying a book online might make their lives even worse if they’re suddenly without any income. Shouldn’t we hold accountable the companies dodging Australian taxes and abrogating workers’ rights by moving their businesses offshore? If it would help, I’d gladly send them my crusts.
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mp December 29, 2011
I agree with the sentiments here. I work a difficult job that I can guarantee would make most people buckle at the knees. It doesn’t mean I hate it (I don’t) or I’m having a bad life. I certainly don’t blame the customers when I’m having a bad day- it’s how I pay my bills.That’s life.
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Siggy January 4, 2012
I dare say that the workers who produce and package the goods that are sold in traditional shops fare little better. Ethical sustainable manufacturing is an important topic for conversation but to see it in terms of the shop versus website debate is a little reductive. In some ways the online environment allows for smaller niche businesses that can cater to those who would like to purchase goods produced ethically.
