In the Netherlands, a city may have to dismantle a historic bridge built in 1927 to let Jeff Bezos sail his mega-yacht through. The boat, costing half a billion dollars, was built too large to pass the historic bridge, a consideration they should have taken into account considering the built it on the wrong side of the bridge. Rather than tell Bezos to shove the masts of his gigantic monstrosity somewhere unpleasant, the city may have to dismantle the historic bridge for the inconsiderate billionaire.
Bezos has also taken to space travel. He even flew to space on one of his own special rockets. Looking down at our little blue marble inspires many to find within themselves compassion for all. Despite his own claims, Bezos was not similarly moved. As his company pushes workers to death (and pee bottles), Amazon has now decided that, rather than cut corporate costs or c-suite pay, it’s time to go after the blood in the stone, the American public. Starting this month, Amazon Prime is going to get 17% more expensive.
Amazon Price Hike
Amazon Prime is going up from $12.99 to $14.99 per month for monthly plans. The annual fee is up to $139 from $119. The price change goes into effect for new users this month, February 18th. For existing members, any plan renewed after March 25th will have the new price. Amazon is hoping Prime is one of those memberships people don’t think much about, and will just go with the price hike later this year, when their plan renews.
Amazon currently offers discounted Prime prices to people on government assistance programs, like EBT and Medicaid. That discounted plan is just under half price, at $5.99/month. Amazon hasn’t said if they’d also increase the price for their most vulnerable users. However, seeing their exploitation of the working class in their warehouses, in small towns where Amazon has become the primary employer, and of their delivery contractors rushing to make deliveries through harsh weather, it’s possible their sympathy just won’t extend to those already struggling to make ends meet.
Troubles at Amazon?
When your CEO is as rich as Jeff Bezos, any claims of needing to increase prices to cover costs come off as hollow. However, costs have gone up at Amazon. Amazon blames “the continued expansion of Prime member benefits as well as the rise in wages and transportation costs” for the price hike. Shipping costs around the world have increased, and Amazon has had to raise pay to attract talent. Partially because working in their warehouses is hellish, and also because even engineers don’t want to contribute to Amazon. They write snarky emails about terrible working conditions and wealth inequality at the company in response to unsolicited emails from recruiters. Or… so I’ve heard.
Amazon has seen increased costs, but it’s not as though they don’t have other ways to cut costs. While cutting executive pay wouldn’t be enough, it’s hard to have sympathy for a company that has monopolized online commerce, mistreats employees, and has made one man rich enough to potentially dismantle historic landmarks and actually shoot himself into space.
If you’re already a subscriber to Amazon Prime, and you don’t want to hand over another $20-$24 per year to the world’s second richest man, you’ll have to cancel before your next renewal after March 25th. This will include Prime Video, so you might want to hurry up and binge all those shows you meant to watch. Personally, I’m a fan of Good Omens, Invincible, and The Boys, but I’ve been meaning to check out Vox Machina. Better get a move on!
Sources:
- Bloomberg (Accessed February 2, 2022)
- Megan Cerullo, CBS News
- Florence Ion, Gizmodo
- Aisha Malik, TechCrunch