Brands have long been able to bid for the premier slot at the top left of Amazon’s listings, but during the pandemic the online retailer has begun using this position for its private-label items, raising antitrust concerns. From a report: Until recently, when Amazon customers typed “melatonin” into the site’s search bar, a variety of sleep supplements would appear in the…
Tag: amazons
Amazon’s Jeff Bezos Called To Testify Before House Antitrust Panel
An anonymous reader quotes a report from NBC News: House lawmakers leading an antitrust investigation into Amazon demanded Friday that CEO Jeff Bezos testify about the company’s alleged practice of gleaning financial information from third-party sellers to bolster its own private label business. The House Judiciary Committee threatened to subpoena Bezos if he does not voluntarily agree to testify. The letter…
Trump Administration Lists Some of Amazon’s Foreign Websites as ‘Notorious’ Counterfeit Markets
The Trump administration Wednesday included Amazon’s foreign websites in Canada, the U.K., Germany, France and India in its annual report on “notorious markets” for counterfeit foreign goods, the first time a U.S. company’s overseas operations have been listed. From a report: The inclusion does not carry any penalty, other than the embarrassment for Amazon of being listed alongside other websites and…
Amazon’s Top Watchdog In Congress Says Its Witness ‘May Have Lied’
An anonymous reader quotes a report from CNBC: Amazon’s witness at a hearing last year “may have lied to Congress” about how the company uses data from its third-party sellers to come up with its private-label products, House Antitrust Subcommittee Chairman David Cicilline said Thursday. The assertion comes after a Wall Street Journal investigation found Amazon employees had used non-aggregated or…
The Pandemic is Playing To Almost Every One of Amazon’s Strengths
An anonymous reader shares a report: As the coronavirus pandemic has forced people to stay inside, few companies have proven themselves as essential as Amazon. From groceries to cleaning supplies, shipments from Amazon have become lifelines for many who are steering clear of supermarkets and other physical retail stores. Company executives have likened the surge in demand to the annual holiday…
Amazon’s Shifting Definition of What Is ‘Essential’
Maddy Varner, reporting for The Markup: On March 17, Amazon informed U.S. sellers that it would no longer accept nonessential products at its warehouses. To the casual shopper, it might have sounded similar to the pledges Amazon has made in Italy, France, and India to stop taking orders from customers entirely for nonessential goods. But examining the fine print reveals that…
Gaps in Amazon’s Response as Virus Spreads To More Than 50 Warehouses
Shifting sick-leave policy and communication issues are causing employees to assert themselves after they stayed on the job. From a report: As millions of Americans heed government orders to hunker down, ordering food and medicines and books and puzzle boards for home delivery, many of Amazon’s 400,000 warehouse workers have stayed on the job, fulfilling the crushing demands of a country…
Amazon’s Covid Hiring Boom Has Applicants Packed Into Job Fairs With No Special Precautions
An anonymous reader shares a report: In March, a laid-off customer-service representative for one of the airline companies attended an Amazon.com employee orientation in Dallas. He found himself packed into a room with about 70 other applicants, sitting shoulder-to-shoulder to watch a PowerPoint presentation about what it’s like to work for the online retailer. The man, who provided a smartphone photo…
Amazon’s New ‘Prime Video Cinema’ Offers Movies Now Playing in Theaters
Amazon just launched “Prime Video Cinema,” which lets you buy and watch movies that are just now playing in theaters, reports CNET: Movies currently offered through the hub include Onward, The Hunt, The Invisible Man and Emma, although Onward is only available at the $18.49 purchase price, while the others are only available for rental at that same reduced price. They’ll…
How Google Kneecapped Amazon’s Smart TV Efforts
Amazon has sold millions of Fire TV streaming devices in recent years, but its efforts to expand the Fire TV platform to smart TVs and cable set-top boxes have been slow-going. That’s not by accident, according to industry insiders: They say Google has long prevented consumer electronics manufacturers from doing business with Amazon, reports news outlet Protocol. From the report: At…