Skip to content
  • Categories
  • Recent
  • Tags
  • Popular
  • World
  • Users
  • Groups
Skins
  • Light
  • Cerulean
  • Cosmo
  • Flatly
  • Journal
  • Litera
  • Lumen
  • Lux
  • Materia
  • Minty
  • Morph
  • Pulse
  • Sandstone
  • Simplex
  • Sketchy
  • Spacelab
  • United
  • Yeti
  • Zephyr
  • Dark
  • Cyborg
  • Darkly
  • Quartz
  • Slate
  • Solar
  • Superhero
  • Vapor

  • Default (No Skin)
  • No Skin
Collapse
Brand Logo

agnos.is Forums

  1. Home
  2. Technology
  3. Amazon accused of using algorithms to push warehouse workers to breaking point.

Amazon accused of using algorithms to push warehouse workers to breaking point.

Scheduled Pinned Locked Moved Technology
technology
52 Posts 37 Posters 0 Views
  • Oldest to Newest
  • Newest to Oldest
  • Most Votes
Reply
  • Reply as topic
Log in to reply
This topic has been deleted. Only users with topic management privileges can see it.
  • S [email protected]

    There actually are things that one just cannot find elsewhere easily, and most of the places that reliably carry them locally are places like Walmart which aren’t better. That said, it’s always the very last place I look.

    With all this nonsense I’m going to start asking local stores if they can order stuff for me, though, and just be extra patient. For example, it’s wild how little there is for mandolins at local music stores but at least the British strings I’m going to try switching to are there so that’s something.

    R This user is from outside of this forum
    R This user is from outside of this forum
    [email protected]
    wrote on last edited by
    #34

    Wow, had no idea amazon was the only online marketplace. If we didnt have amazon, wed have to go back to thrift stores or some shit until some genius figures out how to take orders and ship goods far away again.

    Also, musicians love to talk about music, and tend to work in music stores. Start calling around, they dont need to be local, most will ship to you.

    S 1 Reply Last reply
    0
    • D [email protected]

      40 hours of personal time granted every week is great too

      Wtf is this? You have 168 personal hours every week. It is not at the decision of your employer.

      P This user is from outside of this forum
      P This user is from outside of this forum
      [email protected]
      wrote on last edited by
      #35

      You misunderstood. What I meant is that for every hour you work, you get an hour of paid time off. So if you work 40 hours, you could go the entire next week without showing up to work at all if you wanted to.

      1 Reply Last reply
      0
      • thebat@lemmy.worldT [email protected]

        As someone who worked there for a year

        In the warehouse?

        P This user is from outside of this forum
        P This user is from outside of this forum
        [email protected]
        wrote on last edited by
        #36

        Of course. You wouldn't want to drive for them. The stupid AI cameras are always watching. In the warehouse nobody pays attention to you.

        1 Reply Last reply
        0
        • D [email protected]

          Amazon doesn't sell anything you can't buy somewhere else for the same price. You have no excuse to keep using Amazon. Correction, I'm sure people who buy from Amazon have excuses, but they aren't good ones.

          ? Offline
          ? Offline
          Guest
          wrote on last edited by
          #37

          I disagree. I am in no way a fan of Amazon. But there are some niche products that are only sold through the platform by the supplying vendor or are so specialized that there's really no other retailer that is going to make an effort to list it for sale.

          1 Reply Last reply
          0
          • D [email protected]

            Amazon doesn't sell anything you can't buy somewhere else for the same price. You have no excuse to keep using Amazon. Correction, I'm sure people who buy from Amazon have excuses, but they aren't good ones.

            B This user is from outside of this forum
            B This user is from outside of this forum
            [email protected]
            wrote on last edited by
            #38

            You can often find it cheaper than what the price is on Amazon

            1 Reply Last reply
            0
            • tea@programming.devT [email protected]

              Amazon has used tricks, algorithms, and surveillance to discourage warehouse employees from unionizing, according to a paper published in the journal Socius.

              ? Offline
              ? Offline
              Guest
              wrote on last edited by
              #39

              AI is just the wall these asshole stand behind to be cruel and lawless. It doesn’t absolve you from blame, it’s not intelligent it’s a tool, like a gun and if you point it at people and it hurts them you should be jailed.

              C 1 Reply Last reply
              0
              • D [email protected]

                Amazon doesn't sell anything you can't buy somewhere else for the same price. You have no excuse to keep using Amazon. Correction, I'm sure people who buy from Amazon have excuses, but they aren't good ones.

                ? Offline
                ? Offline
                Guest
                wrote on last edited by
                #40

                This is not true. Many of the parts I buy off of Amazon are not only cheaper, but I can get them faster as well. I wish this were not true, but I cannot spend half of my week driving for hours on end to pick up equipment at a higher price.

                ? 1 Reply Last reply
                0
                • ? Guest

                  This is not true. Many of the parts I buy off of Amazon are not only cheaper, but I can get them faster as well. I wish this were not true, but I cannot spend half of my week driving for hours on end to pick up equipment at a higher price.

                  ? Offline
                  ? Offline
                  Guest
                  wrote on last edited by
                  #41

                  This is not true. Many of the parts I buy off of Amazon are not only cheaper, but I can get them faster as well.

                  Only the faster part is true, and only if you use prime, else you can buy from everywhere else and have the same price and delivery time.

                  Cheapest only if you buy a rip-off, buying some item of a certain brand have the same price on Amazon then the brand shop (if not higher on Amazon sometimes)

                  1 Reply Last reply
                  0
                  • trojanroomcoffeepot@lemmy.worldT [email protected]

                    Same old trick in a new venue. This has been happening for a long time in Asian warehousing, but has hopped the pond this last decade or so. Worker's efficiency is set to a certain rate of efficiency, then they're reprimanded/fired for failing to meet it. The catch is that it's a challenging pace to begin with, and the window for successful completion almost-imperceptibly narrows, eventually becoming so ludicrously small that they must injure or maim themselves trying to beat it or even match the pace. Once they quit or cripple themselves, the company simply slides in a new candidate who doesn't yet understand just how Hellacious the work is.

                    S This user is from outside of this forum
                    S This user is from outside of this forum
                    [email protected]
                    wrote on last edited by
                    #42

                    I worked in a British Amazon during the pandemic, the minimum pick rate for one order type was 59 items per hour….its achievable, yeah, if the stars line up. But your minimum is more or less the maximum, if you get me?

                    trojanroomcoffeepot@lemmy.worldT 1 Reply Last reply
                    0
                    • S [email protected]

                      I worked in a British Amazon during the pandemic, the minimum pick rate for one order type was 59 items per hour….its achievable, yeah, if the stars line up. But your minimum is more or less the maximum, if you get me?

                      trojanroomcoffeepot@lemmy.worldT This user is from outside of this forum
                      trojanroomcoffeepot@lemmy.worldT This user is from outside of this forum
                      [email protected]
                      wrote on last edited by
                      #43

                      This is exactly the kind of problem I'm talking about, the metric is absurd. 1.02 seconds/item is a level of efficiency seldom seen outside of robots, applying it to human beings is sadistic, especially considering the consequences for failure. I'm convinced that these sorts of setups have been contrived to establish leverage against workers early on as a means to hold their "already coached/this is your last strike" status over their heads for the entirety of their employment.

                      I don't envy Amazon workers that predicament, but it sounds as though you've found something different and hopefully better?

                      S 1 Reply Last reply
                      0
                      • R [email protected]

                        Wow, had no idea amazon was the only online marketplace. If we didnt have amazon, wed have to go back to thrift stores or some shit until some genius figures out how to take orders and ship goods far away again.

                        Also, musicians love to talk about music, and tend to work in music stores. Start calling around, they dont need to be local, most will ship to you.

                        S This user is from outside of this forum
                        S This user is from outside of this forum
                        [email protected]
                        wrote on last edited by
                        #44

                        To be honest, since most places ship from their physical locations(which may not have stock or carry something at all due to demand) and Amazon’s incredibly predatory practices it means that they are pretty much the only option. I’ve gotten stuff from Etsy as well(but it doesn’t help for, like, water filters and certain appliance parts), and I really have always tried to avoid Amazon, but there are just some things where they’re the only ones where I can buy some of this stuff.

                        And like I said, I’m gunna have to just start asking outright for stuff even if whatever store doesn’t carry it normally. It’ll take some patience but I’ll live.

                        R 1 Reply Last reply
                        0
                        • tea@programming.devT [email protected]

                          Amazon has used tricks, algorithms, and surveillance to discourage warehouse employees from unionizing, according to a paper published in the journal Socius.

                          R This user is from outside of this forum
                          R This user is from outside of this forum
                          [email protected]
                          wrote on last edited by
                          #45

                          I have a buddy whose childhood was a nightmare. It’s non stop humiliation and degredation. He would rather be a hated “adopted” gay kid (he was the maid’s kid and the fact he’s a dead ringer for the patriarch of the family is coincidental) than manage an Amazon Warehouse again.

                          1 Reply Last reply
                          0
                          • tea@programming.devT [email protected]

                            Amazon has used tricks, algorithms, and surveillance to discourage warehouse employees from unionizing, according to a paper published in the journal Socius.

                            A This user is from outside of this forum
                            A This user is from outside of this forum
                            [email protected]
                            wrote on last edited by
                            #46

                            And this is news?

                            1 Reply Last reply
                            0
                            • trojanroomcoffeepot@lemmy.worldT [email protected]

                              This is exactly the kind of problem I'm talking about, the metric is absurd. 1.02 seconds/item is a level of efficiency seldom seen outside of robots, applying it to human beings is sadistic, especially considering the consequences for failure. I'm convinced that these sorts of setups have been contrived to establish leverage against workers early on as a means to hold their "already coached/this is your last strike" status over their heads for the entirety of their employment.

                              I don't envy Amazon workers that predicament, but it sounds as though you've found something different and hopefully better?

                              S This user is from outside of this forum
                              S This user is from outside of this forum
                              [email protected]
                              wrote on last edited by
                              #47

                              Yeah, I was there throughout covid…so May 2020 til the first day of 2021 when they say “don’t need you anymore …k thanks bye”. I’ve had some crap jobs, but that’s the only one where I’ve not even been able to face over time. The pick rate for “heavy stuff” was 35 an hour, arguably even worse.

                              As for now, I’ve got some electrical qualifications, so I did some short term site work, then found a maintenance role working for the NHS, with a literal one in a million boss…”I trust you to think for yourself but I’m here if you need me”.

                              Thank you for asking.

                              trojanroomcoffeepot@lemmy.worldT 1 Reply Last reply
                              0
                              • ? Guest

                                AI is just the wall these asshole stand behind to be cruel and lawless. It doesn’t absolve you from blame, it’s not intelligent it’s a tool, like a gun and if you point it at people and it hurts them you should be jailed.

                                C This user is from outside of this forum
                                C This user is from outside of this forum
                                [email protected]
                                wrote on last edited by
                                #48

                                Plenty of dumbfucks say guns don't people, people kill people.

                                The tool and the person are at fault.

                                1 Reply Last reply
                                0
                                • tea@programming.devT [email protected]

                                  Amazon has used tricks, algorithms, and surveillance to discourage warehouse employees from unionizing, according to a paper published in the journal Socius.

                                  ? Offline
                                  ? Offline
                                  Guest
                                  wrote on last edited by
                                  #49

                                  I hate how AI is being used to fuel toxic workplace culture.

                                  1 Reply Last reply
                                  0
                                  • S [email protected]

                                    Yeah, I was there throughout covid…so May 2020 til the first day of 2021 when they say “don’t need you anymore …k thanks bye”. I’ve had some crap jobs, but that’s the only one where I’ve not even been able to face over time. The pick rate for “heavy stuff” was 35 an hour, arguably even worse.

                                    As for now, I’ve got some electrical qualifications, so I did some short term site work, then found a maintenance role working for the NHS, with a literal one in a million boss…”I trust you to think for yourself but I’m here if you need me”.

                                    Thank you for asking.

                                    trojanroomcoffeepot@lemmy.worldT This user is from outside of this forum
                                    trojanroomcoffeepot@lemmy.worldT This user is from outside of this forum
                                    [email protected]
                                    wrote on last edited by
                                    #50

                                    My pleasure, and I'm glad to hear you've found greener pastures.

                                    1 Reply Last reply
                                    0
                                    • S [email protected]

                                      To be honest, since most places ship from their physical locations(which may not have stock or carry something at all due to demand) and Amazon’s incredibly predatory practices it means that they are pretty much the only option. I’ve gotten stuff from Etsy as well(but it doesn’t help for, like, water filters and certain appliance parts), and I really have always tried to avoid Amazon, but there are just some things where they’re the only ones where I can buy some of this stuff.

                                      And like I said, I’m gunna have to just start asking outright for stuff even if whatever store doesn’t carry it normally. It’ll take some patience but I’ll live.

                                      R This user is from outside of this forum
                                      R This user is from outside of this forum
                                      [email protected]
                                      wrote on last edited by
                                      #51

                                      Thats fair, I will say stores do take customer requests into consideration with what they stock, especially if its stuff you need to buy regularly.

                                      S 1 Reply Last reply
                                      0
                                      • R [email protected]

                                        Thats fair, I will say stores do take customer requests into consideration with what they stock, especially if its stuff you need to buy regularly.

                                        S This user is from outside of this forum
                                        S This user is from outside of this forum
                                        [email protected]
                                        wrote on last edited by
                                        #52

                                        Yea, we’ve all gotten so used to online shopping that we’ve forgotten what we’re allowed to do when it comes to local stores. I even worked retail in a motorcycle shop selling gear and ordered stuff from suppliers all the time.

                                        1 Reply Last reply
                                        0
                                        • System shared this topic on
                                        Reply
                                        • Reply as topic
                                        Log in to reply
                                        • Oldest to Newest
                                        • Newest to Oldest
                                        • Most Votes


                                        • Login

                                        • Login or register to search.
                                        • First post
                                          Last post
                                        0
                                        • Categories
                                        • Recent
                                        • Tags
                                        • Popular
                                        • World
                                        • Users
                                        • Groups