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from the rise-of-the-amazonk-prometheans dept.
Amazon is temporarily removing the $25 minimum order requirement for free shipping. Target has done the same in an attempt to gain more holiday shopping customers. Walmart has offered free shipping for $35+ orders since January 2017.
Amazon is hiring fewer temporary workers for the 2018 holiday season, which may be due to its increasing use of robots and automation, according to a Citi analyst.
The Washington Post reported that Crystal City (Arlington), Virginia was Amazon's likely choice for its second headquarters. However, the Wall Street Journal reports that Dallas, TX, and New York City are also in late-stage talks with the company. Amazon may also decide to build smaller sites in multiple cities.
Also at Forbes.
Update: Amazon will reportedly split HQ2 between two cities
See also: Amazon will soon let you pick which day your package arrives
Saudis Call for Amazon Boycott Over Anger at Washington Post
(Score: 2, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday November 06 2018, @11:26AM (4 children)
Cheap plastic or nonstick cookware could be cancerous crap. For tools I agree, except for whenever you demand quality or longevity for certain tools.
(Score: 2) by VLM on Tuesday November 06 2018, @02:07PM (1 child)
I think its more graymarket than ripoff. Here's the same pc board that Adafruit.com sells, but instead of paying for the research (little as it may be), and adafruit marketing and expensive california lifestyle, its shipped from a pile of random letters company name in China for a quarter the price.
PC board material is indistinguishable from the adafruit product; after all, its all the same Chinese stuff just different marketing and profit margins.
Check out the ADS1115 breakout board, $15 from the adafruit website (plus shipping like $10, so lets say $25 total), $16 from amazon prime for a genuine adafruit board, $3.18 and free shipping from amazon for a togoo brand looks like same pix.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday November 06 2018, @06:52PM
The stuff you get direct from China on ebay/alibaba/banggood/etc. is a bit of a mixed bag.
Most vendors are not sketchy and up front about what they're selling; first there are parts from legit manufacturers (but you probably never heard of them), including made-in-house designs, drop-in-compatible knockoffs, etc. which may or may not be of comparable quality to reputable name-brand parts. Some of this stuff is really good value for money. The cheap stuff is usually missing any kind of independent safety / compliance certifications so if that aspect is important then it's not a good buy.
Then there are "genuine OEM" parts and you can find legitimate graymarket stuff, but sometimes you get sellers that take the rejects that failed a QA check and sell them as the real deal. Sometimes sellers find equipment that falls off the truck and sell that too. These cases can be really hard to distinguish.
Finally there are outright counterfeit items where they (try to) copy labels and branding (including certification markings) onto knockoff parts. Often the counterfeiters don't do a very good job at this so it's pretty obvious if you're careful.
(Score: 2) by VLM on Tuesday November 06 2018, @02:10PM
I think from a chemistry point of view you can assume that to be the case regardless of source, probably you picked two bad examples.
I use stainless steel that lasts forever for general boiling, ditto cast iron for frying, and I do have some hard anodized thats pretty good stuff.
(Score: 2) by Freeman on Tuesday November 06 2018, @06:17PM
Sure, if all you need to do is hang a picture you don't need a quality hammer. Otherwise, it's a good idea to have a few basic, Good Quality tools. At least have a good hammer, power drill with screwdriver bits, and a Dremel. You can get by with those for a lot of things. I might recommend a good quality saw and sander, if you need those. You need the tools to succeed. Otherwise, you're going to be half way through a cut and your cheapo piece of junk saw is going to come apart at the handle. 'cause cheap junk breaks when you actually use it.
Joshua 1:9 "Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee"