The general In****ification, vampire capitalism, everything wrong with consumerism etc thread

[Blitz24]

They are increasingly becoming difficult to separate from Chinese drop-shipping concerns though.

If there's a (non-specialist) thing you want, there's usually the real one and eight identical-looking items - one of which is promoted above the others - that ship from China and have brand name comprised of eight random but high-Scrabble-scoring letters.

Or it's a new medication.

 

[Meythia]

They are increasingly becoming difficult to separate from Chinese drop-shipping concerns though.

I am looking for a cutproof armsleeve, but I am reluctant to buy anything that remotely sounds Chinese.
Not because I am reluctant vs Chinese products, but because I dont have enough trust in the product delivering what it promises.
I guess I would be better of simply getting a hauberk ...

 

[TheCracker]

So you have been conditioned to be a loyal Amazon customer and ignore other options from the first thought of "need"

It's not like i don't buy stuff online from elsewhere too, but that can be a minefield. I bought a pair of trainers the other week mindful that i rely on Amazon too much. Shopped around, found somewhere that had them in the right size and colour i was after and at a good price. Seemed like a reliable seller, got decent Trustpilot reviews etc. Said would be with me within 2 working days, which was fair enough as you can't always expect next day delivery, but after 4 days i went to track the package and there was a massive list of: Item processed. Item despatched. Item in transit. Item in depot. Item in customs (apparently a Spanish company parading as a UK one and the item had to come from Spain (at what enviromental cost?). Item cleared customs. Item in depot. Etc, etc. Took just under two weeks to arrive in the end. Two weeks of wondering if i'd been scammed and would i ever get my trainers or the money back. They were in the end exactly what i wanted and most importantly fitted fine - which was all good as a closer look at reviews said that their returns policy was a total nightmare. Sometimes familiarity and ease of use is better than uncertainty. Unfortunately, i hate to admit, aside from the limited use of 3D printing, Amazon prime is the nearest we get to Star Trek 'replicators' for now.

 

[Danoff]

I don't suppose it answers your question suitably so I'll just reiterate, my feelings on this are fairly wide-ranging, as I say, in order to explain my position properly would be a 4000 word essay.

Perhaps you can summarize?

the notion of have something delivered that I could buy locally is a bit mental, but my 'local' is likely different to yours, I live in walkable town. If you have to get to a local ugly-as-**** strip mall, then walk across parking lot after parking lot, and 4-6 lane roads, because everything's separated by acres and acres of asphalt dedicated to cars, you're going to have a different opinion. It's easier and more pleasant for me to keep my money in a 'local/regional/national' economy.

If the item is already near your door, I agree that walking a few feet to get it might be the best course of action.

In my situation, and I think this is not uncommon for plenty of people, I have a store 5 miles from me. I also have an amazon wearhouse 5 miles from me. Likely the item I'm trying to buy is already sitting in that wearhouse and in the store. If I need to buy from the store, I drive to the store and pick it out. If I buy from amazon, it goes on an electric truck with 200 other orders, and it makes its way to me as it does for 200 other people. Imagine if all of them individually drove to the store instead of one electric truck efficiently bringing them all the item.

Now, if it's a big shopping trip, such as for groceries, that might not make sense. If we're talking about checking out with a cart full of stuff, amazon is likely not the most efficient solution. But I don't buy groceries from amazon.

Other times, the item might not be available "locally" but instead might be offered through another online seller. In this case, the chance that the amazon wearhouse already has the item in stock means that instead of ordering the item from out of state or out of the country, I can order it and it will be put on an electric truck 5 miles from me and efficiently brought to me with the orders of many others.

 

[Eunos_Cosmo]

This isn't a particularly nefarious or important case of vampire capitalism, but I think it's worth mentioning. I actually feel like the vampires got hosed in this one, but it still leaves quite a lot of people out of a job.

The Pro's Closet is an online bicycle reseller specializing in pre-owned high end bikes & gear, started in 2006. It had a steady if largely unremarkable run....until 2020 when bike sales when absolutely ballistic in the pandemic. They were able to secure about $25m in funding from private equity and the founder "transitioned" to a role on the board, which I read as a big cash-out. The result of this funding was that they moved from a 24,000SF facility to a 137,000SF facility (a 570% increase!) and hired a bunch of people. User comment from the linked article from 2020:

This seems like a massivley premature move reacting to a brief uptick in bicycle demand.I wish them well.

Hmmm, I wonder.

Today: The Pro's Closet Closes Doors After 18 Years in Business

Part of me thinks what really happened here is a charismatic founder leveraged a once-in-a-century opportunity and lured a bunch of VC vampires with the still-piping-hot body of his company in exchange for a payout and then watched them crash and burn.

What's the lesson here? I don't know. Cash out when you can? Don't assume a short term trend caused by a world-wide event is going to last forever? Venture Capitalists are kind of dumb? I don't think I'll terribly miss the business as it was overpriced so maybe all is well and working as it should.

 

[Liquid]

If they dropped the money in front of him, it'd be hard to say no and whatever happens to the firm happens. I see that as more believable than him actively luring investors with the sinister forethought to fleece them and sod the workers.

Perhaps I'm too naïve and optimistic.

 

[Liquid]

Did Silicon Valley Reinvent The Bus Again? on Facebook.

 

[Eunos_Cosmo]

Literally an airport shuttle.

I have to say, every time I fly into NYC I'm bewildered at how poorly the airports are connected.

 

[Liquid]

Late September - Football Manager 25 will be released in November 2024. Pre-order now!
Early October - It's delayed until March 2025. Oops, sorry!

As if the gaming industry needs more kicks in the head from disgruntled fans but I find this a really scummy move. Football Manager is the most popular sports management simulation in the world (there's a huge market for it even if that seems boring or unlikely). Taking people's money on pre-orders to then almost immediately delaying the game by four months is extremely dishonest, misleading and tantamount to theft.

They either knew they'd delay it and just took the money without caring or they've spent over 18 months on this version and only just now found huge issues with it, which would be spectacular incompetence. By the time the game is released in March 2025, the worldwide 2024/25 football season will essentially be over. I imagine many will now skip this game and wait for next season's game instead.

 

[Blitz24]

Late September - Football Manager 25 will be released in November 2024. Pre-order now!
Early October - It's delayed until March 2025. Oops, sorry!

As if the gaming industry needs more kicks in the head from disgruntled fans but I find this a really scummy move. Football Manager is the most popular sports management simulation in the world (there's a huge market for it even if that seems boring or unlikely). Taking people's money on pre-orders to then almost immediately delaying the game by four months is extremely dishonest, misleading and tantamount to theft.

They either knew they'd delay it and just took the money without caring or they've spent over 18 months on this version and only just now found huge issues with it, which would be spectacular incompetence. By the time the game is released in March 2025, the worldwide 2024/25 football season will essentially be over. I imagine many will now skip this game and wait for next season's game instead.

This is why you never pre-order a video game. Don't give an interest free loan.

 

[Pupik]

Literally an airport shuttle.

I have to say, every time I fly into NYC I'm bewildered at how poorly the airports are connected.

Heck, last time I flew to LaGuardia, I had to take a bus from the new Delta terminal to the old Marine Terminal, and then take another little bus to the rental car lot. Every other US airport has just one bus, if the rental car lot is off-property.

I don't get it...there was plenty of room for another handful of rental car bus stops and room for them to circulate about the three terminals.

I don't really understand the distaste for Uber running a shuttle; there's probably many of people who want some sort of express bus from Manhattan to one of the Port Authority airports, and they're filling that desire for a premium.

Transit fans also get bent out of shape easily. Just as people can't stand other drivers and airline passengers, transit is a utopia until you realization sets in that one must share it with others, for which cleanliness and manners are not guaranteed.

 

[Liquid]

21st century office work being measured like it's 20th century factory work.