SoylentNews

Freeman [soylentnews.org] writes:

https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2023/10/amazon-drivers-urine-packaged-as-energy-drink-sold-on-amazon/ [arstechnica.com]

The drink had all the hallmarks of a beverage sensation. Striking design, bold font, and the punchy name Release. But inside, each bottle was filled with urine allegedly discarded by Amazon delivery drivers and collected from plastic bottles by the side of the road.

That didn’t stop Amazon from listing it for sale, though. Release even attained No. 1 bestseller status in the “Bitter Lemon” category. It was created by Oobah Butler for a new documentary, The Great Amazon Heist, which airs on Channel 4 in the UK today.

Butler is a journalist, presenter, and renowned puller of stunts—he’s probably most famous for turning his shed in a London garden into the number one ranked restaurant on Tripadvisor [vice.com].
[...]
Drummond [Amazon spokesperson] says this was a “crude stunt” and that the company has “industry-leading tools to prevent genuinely unsafe products being listed.”
[...]
The Great Amazon Heist doesn’t tell us anything particularly new. (Drummond says the documentary is a “heavily distorted picture of our processes and operations that do not reflect the realities of shopping with or working for Amazon.”) But placing all of these elements alongside each other in an hour of television paints a stark picture. Drivers and warehouse workers put up with the conditions because they have no choice [theguardian.com]. Dangerous products were listed and sold to children [theguardian.com] with no checks in place. Byzantine structures [theguardian.com] shield the company from local authorities. According to Amazon’s mission statement [aboutamazon.com], it “strives to be Earth’s most customer-centric company, Earth’s best employer, and Earth’s safest place to work.” The Great Amazon Heist portrays a company that simply doesn’t seem to care.

Original Submission