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The Amazon takeover of Whole Foods could be the beginning of a new era of automation at the grocery store chain. (Photo: Mike Mozart/Flickr/cc)
1984 at the Grocery Store
Amazon is buying Whole Foods, and that's bad news for humans
Jul 16, 2017
Wall Street analysts tell us that Amazon's $14 billion buyout of Whole Foods isn't only a win-win for both of them, but also for consumers, for Amazon intends to lower the organic grocer's prices.
Really? Yes, they say, because Amazon will use its amazing computer-driven tactics to cut Whole Foods' cost of selling groceries.
But Amazon's robotic "efficiency" is achieved by cutting people. It ruthlessly squeezes suppliers, for example, demanding that they give bankruptcy-level wholesale prices to the retail colossus.
That means that small organic farmers and food artisans are destined to be squeezed out of Whole Foods, displaced by deep-pocket, global food makers who are willing to cut corners on quality and the environment in order to get on Amazon's new grocery shelves.
Next on the chopping block is Whole Foods' helpful and friendly work force. Jeff Bezos, Amazon's CEO, doesn't view workers as assets, but as costs. So to jack up the grocery chain's profits, he'll cut those "costs"--aka, people.
He's already testing a store concept that has no cashiers to interfere with your shopping "experience." It uses computer sensors to take your money electronically, instead of paying bothersome humans to do the job of checking you out and--God forbid--conversing with you.
Oh, another plus of connecting us to the corporate computers is that they'll track and record our every move and every purchase, building a detailed personal profile on each of us in order to...well, to do what? And why?
According to the calendar, we're living in 2017. But the Brave New Future of Amazon's electronic, robotic Whole Foods Market tells us we're living in the corporatized version of 1984, where human needs for jobs and personal relationships are subverted to the corporate love of automation and avaricious profits.
We are at a crossroads
This country and this world are at a monumental crossroads. US voters have an opportunity to beat back the forces of fascism and confront the billionaires who are rigging the economy, our media system, and our democracy, making it increasingly impossible for ordinary people to get by. We’re not just talking about the election. We’re talking about what must be done once these fascist elements are vanquished from power. We need a bolder set of solutions than what either major party has so far been willing to offer and a working-class movement ready to fight like hell for it. Trump didn't emerge from nowhere. The conditions that fueled MAGA authoritarianism were created by decades of radical neoliberal economic policies and a corrupt political system dominated by corporate interests. They slashed taxes on the super-rich, promising that the benefits would trickle down. They said giveaways to the corporate titans would make life more affordable for the rest of us. It was all bullshit. And when a bitter, betrayed populace searches for someone to blame, right-wing demagogues have little trouble finding scapegoats. People know when they're being lied to, but you won't hear any of this from the corporate media. Only independent journalism—powered and funded by people who believe in building a better world—can deliver truly trustworthy daily news. If you share our vision, please contribute whatever you can to sustain our work. |
This column was distributed by OtherWords.
Jim Hightower
Jim Hightower is a national radio commentator, writer, public speaker, and author of the books "Swim Against The Current: Even A Dead Fish Can Go With The Flow" (2008) and "There's Nothing in the Middle of the Road But Yellow Stripes and Dead Armadillos: A Work of Political Subversion" (1998). Hightower has spent three decades battling the Powers That Be on behalf of the Powers That Ought To Be - consumers, working families, environmentalists, small businesses, and just-plain-folks.
Wall Street analysts tell us that Amazon's $14 billion buyout of Whole Foods isn't only a win-win for both of them, but also for consumers, for Amazon intends to lower the organic grocer's prices.
Really? Yes, they say, because Amazon will use its amazing computer-driven tactics to cut Whole Foods' cost of selling groceries.
But Amazon's robotic "efficiency" is achieved by cutting people. It ruthlessly squeezes suppliers, for example, demanding that they give bankruptcy-level wholesale prices to the retail colossus.
That means that small organic farmers and food artisans are destined to be squeezed out of Whole Foods, displaced by deep-pocket, global food makers who are willing to cut corners on quality and the environment in order to get on Amazon's new grocery shelves.
Next on the chopping block is Whole Foods' helpful and friendly work force. Jeff Bezos, Amazon's CEO, doesn't view workers as assets, but as costs. So to jack up the grocery chain's profits, he'll cut those "costs"--aka, people.
He's already testing a store concept that has no cashiers to interfere with your shopping "experience." It uses computer sensors to take your money electronically, instead of paying bothersome humans to do the job of checking you out and--God forbid--conversing with you.
Oh, another plus of connecting us to the corporate computers is that they'll track and record our every move and every purchase, building a detailed personal profile on each of us in order to...well, to do what? And why?
According to the calendar, we're living in 2017. But the Brave New Future of Amazon's electronic, robotic Whole Foods Market tells us we're living in the corporatized version of 1984, where human needs for jobs and personal relationships are subverted to the corporate love of automation and avaricious profits.
Jim Hightower
Jim Hightower is a national radio commentator, writer, public speaker, and author of the books "Swim Against The Current: Even A Dead Fish Can Go With The Flow" (2008) and "There's Nothing in the Middle of the Road But Yellow Stripes and Dead Armadillos: A Work of Political Subversion" (1998). Hightower has spent three decades battling the Powers That Be on behalf of the Powers That Ought To Be - consumers, working families, environmentalists, small businesses, and just-plain-folks.
Wall Street analysts tell us that Amazon's $14 billion buyout of Whole Foods isn't only a win-win for both of them, but also for consumers, for Amazon intends to lower the organic grocer's prices.
Really? Yes, they say, because Amazon will use its amazing computer-driven tactics to cut Whole Foods' cost of selling groceries.
But Amazon's robotic "efficiency" is achieved by cutting people. It ruthlessly squeezes suppliers, for example, demanding that they give bankruptcy-level wholesale prices to the retail colossus.
That means that small organic farmers and food artisans are destined to be squeezed out of Whole Foods, displaced by deep-pocket, global food makers who are willing to cut corners on quality and the environment in order to get on Amazon's new grocery shelves.
Next on the chopping block is Whole Foods' helpful and friendly work force. Jeff Bezos, Amazon's CEO, doesn't view workers as assets, but as costs. So to jack up the grocery chain's profits, he'll cut those "costs"--aka, people.
He's already testing a store concept that has no cashiers to interfere with your shopping "experience." It uses computer sensors to take your money electronically, instead of paying bothersome humans to do the job of checking you out and--God forbid--conversing with you.
Oh, another plus of connecting us to the corporate computers is that they'll track and record our every move and every purchase, building a detailed personal profile on each of us in order to...well, to do what? And why?
According to the calendar, we're living in 2017. But the Brave New Future of Amazon's electronic, robotic Whole Foods Market tells us we're living in the corporatized version of 1984, where human needs for jobs and personal relationships are subverted to the corporate love of automation and avaricious profits.
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