So you don’t have to feel quite SO bad for ordering presents on the Web this year…

I neglected to take note of this a couple of days back:

Amazon opens Cayce distribution center

Staff Report
Published Nov. 18, 2011

Amazon.com’s new 1-million-square-foot distribution center near Cayce has opened in time for the holiday shopping season.

“There will be products going out of there in time for the holiday,” a company spokesman said today.

Called a fulfillment center, the facility at the Saxe Gothe Industrial Park near the interchange of interstates 26 and 77, has about 1,000 employees. Some work began as early as mid-October, the spokesman said.

Products will be flowing in and out of the center by rail, truck and air, he added.

The low-key opening is a stark contrast to the political battle that erupted shortly after Gov. Nikki Haley took office in January….

A thousand employees, already? Do any of y’all work there, or know someone who does? I had no idea.

I’m still a big believer in supporting local merchants, which provide local jobs, pay local taxes, etc.

But now, in time for Christmas, Amazon sort of is a local merchant.

So it’s now kind of a gray area. Make what you will of this moral ambiguity.

5 thoughts on “So you don’t have to feel quite SO bad for ordering presents on the Web this year…

  1. Ralph Hightower

    “IT’S A GREAT DAY IN SOUTH CAROLINA!”

    Oh wait, SC Governot Nikki Haley didn’t say that, nor did she cut the ribbon on the Amazon Distribution Center because she opposed the tax breaks and such granted to Amazon, saying that she supports small businesses, such as Wal-Mart.

    Will SC Guv’not Nikki Haley claim credit for creating 1,000 jobs with the Amazon Distribution Center?

    You betcha! As evidenced by John Rainey in his lawsuit against Nikki Haley and his interview in the Free Times, Haley has no integrity whatsoever.

    Thankfully, the state Ethics Commission has issued a ruling on the valuation of flying aboard private Gulfstream flights, which are basically, corporate flying boardrooms. Haley has valued past flights donated by contributors as commercial coach class.

    I would buy film for my camera locally, except I can’t find ISO 100 speed film in Columbia; I can find 200, 400, and 800. Black and white film? Forget it! I have to order film from New York City!

    I also don’t like simple software patents, such as Jeff Bezos’s one-click checkout patent. I worked for a tech company that patented loan approval authorization; approving loan applications was a more involved process, pulling credit reports, applying loan approval rules, etc. Bezos “one-click checkout”, gimme a break!

  2. Uncle Meat

    ‘Been shopping ONLINE w/Amazon for ages;usually trough their ‘marketplace sellers'(cheaper).Brick & Mortar vs Online has been happening for a long,long,time.Gray area…Duh?

  3. `Kathryn Fenner

    The State notes that local merchants are coordinating sales through Amazon and gearing up. I call that win-win: I don’t have to schlep all over town and hope I can find what I’m looking for, and local merchants can sell to a bigger market!

  4. Juan Caruso

    KF makes an excellent point.

    Retailers who list and sell via Amazon’s web site have their products, delivery and return criteria rated in buyer commentary just as if Amazon had shipped it.

    Accumulated comments can be very helpful to careful shoppers less inclined to impulse buying at brick and mortar establishments.

  5. Bart

    As a general rule, before we make a purchase other than food or a few other items, we check Amazon first. If you don’t want to buy from Amazon, no one is twisting your arm to force you to do so.

    But, if you check the item or items you intend to buy and want to see how well it performs, etc., the Amazon website does offer reviews and comments on most of what is sold and we have found it to be pretty accurate and informative.

    I agree with Kathryn. Smart businesses are coordinating with Amazon to help increase sales.

    Forbes has a good article on Bezos. Worth the read.

Comments are closed.