SoylentNews is people
SoylentNews
Amazon Cancels Or Delays Plans For At Least 16 Warehouses This Year:
After spending billions doubling the size of its fulfillment network during the pandemic, Amazon finds itself in a perilous position.
In the first quarter of 2022, the e-commerce giant reported a $3.8 billion net loss after raking in an $8.1 billion profit in Q1 2021. That includes $6 billion in added costs — the bulk of which can be traced back to that same fulfillment network.
Amazon (NASDAQ: AMZN) CFO Brian Olsavsky said the company chose to expand its warehouse network based on "the high end of a very volatile demand outlook." So far this year, though, it has shut down or delayed plans for at least 16 scheduled facilities.
"We currently have some excess capacity in the network that we need to grow into," Olsavsky told investors on Amazon's Q1 2022 earnings call. "So, we've brought down our build expectations. Note again that many of the build decisions were made 18 to 24 months ago, so there are limitations on what we can adjust midyear."
[...] If you're wondering how that's possible, consider Amazon's unmatched turnover rate. A New York Times investigation uncovered that even before the pandemic, it was as high as 150%. That means there are more employees leaving Amazon warehouses each year than there are being hired.
[Ed's Comment: AC Friendly withdrawn. You can blame you-know-who for the spamming]
In fact, there has been so much turnover that Amazon began tracking it weekly and found it loses an estimated 3% of its warehouse workers every seven days. That means the e-commerce powerhouse sifts through its entire supply of warehouse labor every eight months on average.
Simply put, the strategy isn't sustainable long term. Still, Wulfraat believes Amazon can weather the storm.
"It will take some time to iron out the wrinkles, but they will get through it," he told Supply Chain Dive.
(Score: 4, Informative) by Mykl on Wednesday July 06 2022, @12:16AM (5 children)
I'm sure many of you know this, but just in case: a turnover of 150% does not mean more people are leaving than joining. It means 150% of the workforce, on average, leaves each year. In other words, the average tenure of an employee is 8 months.
(Score: 3, Funny) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday July 06 2022, @12:20AM (4 children)
You lack an understanding of modern physics. When more employees leave than join, you end up with a staff consisting of antiemployees. They are identical to regular employees, but you don't want to be around when the two meet.
(Score: 4, Funny) by mhajicek on Wednesday July 06 2022, @02:12AM (2 children)
If you have a large warehouse void of employees, virtual employee/anti-employee pairs will spontaneously form and coannihilate.
The spacelike surfaces of time foliations can have a cusp at the surface of discontinuity. - P. Hajicek
(Score: 2, Informative) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday July 06 2022, @03:42AM (1 child)
Leaving only a water bottle full of pee behind.
(Score: 2) by Opportunist on Wednesday July 06 2022, @05:13AM
And a manager who goes "Hey, free lemon soda!"
(Score: 2) by DeathMonkey on Wednesday July 06 2022, @02:44PM
I am Heisenberg, destroyer of......oh look, it's over there now.