back to article Is it OK if we call $53bn-a-quarter Amazon the Bit Barns and Ignoble?

Amazon, a cloud computing monster with a gift shop tacked on the side, watched its sales surpass $52bn during its latest quarter. Despite big retail sales, much of the giant's profits in the second quarter of the year came from its Amazon Web Services division. The figures for Q2 2018, ending June 30, were revealed on Thursday …

  1. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Amazon is in my good books

    Their courier just delivered my copy of 'The Hut Six Story', hardcover, used, in very good condition, great price.

    And they enable The Grand Tour.

    So perhaps it's okay that they're doing okay.

    Should give their staff a raise though...

    1. Gene Cash Silver badge

      Re: Amazon is in my good books

      Mine too... their website works (well, search is a bit iffy) and they get me my stuff. Encounters with their customer service have been good.

      They're definitely not a tenth as dickish as Apple, Microsoft, or Google.

      Won't ever have Alexa or be a Prime member though. I can wait a couple days for my free shipping.

      1. OnlyMee

        Re: Amazon is in my good books

        What Amazon has and I mean retail arm is an enormous amount of customer trust gained by experience. Its kinda sad that in eCommerce you great simply by delivering what you promised, when you promised and compensate customers without making them hop extra hoops when you failed either of the first two.

        This trust is a huge thing and gives them enormous revenue opportunities going future. ECommerce accounts still only 10% of the total retails dollars but growing at 17% space.

        This growth is also accelerating. If Amazon can keep even close to their current market share they will be absolutely gigantic company once eCommerce hits 50% of the retail and that day will come. While not as dominant in Europe Amazon takes 0.4 dollars for each dollar spent on eCommerce in North America.

        1. TonyJ

          Re: Amazon is in my good books

          "...What Amazon has and I mean retail arm is an enormous amount of customer trust gained by experience. Its kinda sad that in eCommerce you great simply by delivering what you promised, when you promised and compensate customers without making them hop extra hoops when you failed either of the first two..."

          This is where they win, in my personal opinion. When things go wrong they're there for the customer first in almost every case.

          1. 0laf

            Re: Amazon is in my good books

            I'm also a bit confused in my opinions of Amazon. On one hand they're a terrible big company that extracts billions, doesn't pay taxes and doesn't treat their employees very well.

            On the other hand I've saved thousands of pounds over other retailers and their customer service has been some of the best I've ever experienced. Just recently I've had a few cocks ups all cause by issues with Amazon's couriers. First I got a double delivery of an office chair, second I was delivered a power washer that was cosmetically damaged. Ok had I had to chase via chat a few times but this didn't take long. In both cases I was gifted the items. The extra chair was worth £35, the power washer £175 ( bearinng in mind it was cosmetically damaged witha cracked case).

            Compared to the trouble you get with many retailers with issues it's not bad at all.

    2. Joe Werner Silver badge

      Re: Amazon is in my good books

      Well, used books are sold by retailers through Amazon. I had pretty good experiences with them as well, but also with used books stores that used to sell directly over the internet. What I really prefer is wander through the aisles between imposing shelves of such shops to browse - and then buy even more books. I need to build some new shelves...

      1. TonyJ

        Re: Amazon is in my good books

        "...Well, used books are sold by retailers through Amazon. I had pretty good experiences with them as well, but also with used books stores that used to sell directly over the internet. What I really prefer is wander through the aisles between imposing shelves of such shops to browse - and then buy even more books. I need to build some new shelves....."

        Ah the pleasure of a used book shop.

        That quietness and calm.

        But also and almost the key ingredient of it all, the smell.

      2. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        "I need to build some new shelves..."

        About 15 years ago, I actually checked and found that I had well over 100 linear feet of book shelving, crammed full of books. Since then I've roughly doubled the shelving, and they're still overflowing. So maybe 200 linear feet of books on shelves. Stacked, it'd be a pile of books 20 stories tall.

        I've even read about a quarter (25%) of them so far.

  2. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    'We want customers to be able to use Alexa....'

    FTFY Bezos: 'We want Alexa to be able to use customers'

    https://www.theregister.co.uk/2018/04/26/alexa_amazon_echo_spying/

    https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-44534597

    https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-43747421

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Stop

      Re: 'We want customers to be able to use Alexa....'

      Its extra annoying that you pay for your electric toothbrush, smart TV, Echo, etc., and not content with that transaction the consumer electronics companies want to monetize you further.

      1. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        'not content with that transaction the consumer electronics companies want to monetize you further'

        Everyone is a potential lifelong money stream now. And a definite data-point, to be sold over and over again. Privacy is the 3rd world hooker that's being trafficked to the first world pimp... Bought and paid for. Do whatever you like with it boss!

        And that bastion of consumer shows called CES? Its all just 'Corporate End-User Surveillance/Slurp'. Welcome to the sucky world now folks! IoT = Industry-of-Tyrants. You'll take what your given and give thanks even if the security/privacy model sucks!

        1. Anonymous Coward
          Anonymous Coward

          'not content with that transaction the consumer electronics companies want to monetize you further'

          Well, Facebook is starting to be hit by privacy concerns... let's wait for the others.

        2. Dan 55 Silver badge

          not content with that transaction the consumer electronics companies want to monetize you further'

          Maybe it's not so bad, look at Facebook's shares after CA and GDPR was introduced. Looks like quite a few people are deciding they don't like the look of that.

      2. macjules

        Re: 'We want customers to be able to use Alexa....'

        They are effing welcome to record conversations from my "Smart" toothbrush in the bathroom. Mostly they will only get the occasional "Who left the seat up?", "Why is there no hot water?" and "Which teenager let the bath overflow?".

        Good luck with that one Alexa.

        1. Anonymous Coward
          Anonymous Coward

          'They are effing welcome to record conversations from my "Smart" toothbrush in the bathroom.'

          I believe there's a Cardinal Richelieu out there somewhere who could work wonders with just 6 seemingly innocent phrases from you! He has a Data Science PhD now...

  3. Aladdin Sane

    Alexa

    Would you like some toast? Some nice hot crisp brown buttered toast. No? How about a muffin then? Nothing? You know the last time you had toast. 18 days ago, 11.36, Tuesday 3rd, two rounds. I mean, what's the point in buying a toaster with artificial intelligence if you don't like toast. I mean, this is my job. This is cruel, just cruel.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Alexa

      " I mean, what's the point in buying a toaster with artificial intelligence if you don't like toast. I mean, this is my job. This is cruel, just cruel."

      Dunno, talkie toaster ended up being the swing vote in an election. Plus I was always sure he enjoyed winding up Dave.

  4. macjules

    JeffTopia?

    Where every ‘Amazonian’ is highly paid, nobody has to process a minimum 300 packages per day and staff don’t have to pee in a bottle ...

    1. Aladdin Sane
      Gimp

      Re: don’t have to pee in a bottle

      Unless that's their thing. Let's not kink shame anybody.

    2. Anonymous Coward
      Big Brother

      Re: JeffTopia?

      I think it's a world where Alexa-like devices tell customers and workers what to do...

  5. Charlie Clark Silver badge

    A normal company would…

    Ditch the high-cost, low-paid delivery arm and concentrate on digital services. But Amazon, like most of the big digital companies, is still controlled by the founder. Investors go along, firstly, because they have noc choice, and secondly, because they believe in ever-rising stock prices.

    Amazon is having an increasingly detrimental effect on retail around the world: individual deliveries are horribly inefficient and possible only because of cut-throat parcel rates and tax avoidance schemes. If people ever have to pay the real costs for delivery then things could change quickly.

  6. Cuddles

    Not really true

    "In other words, AWS's success allows Amazon to aggressively run its online souk."

    There's no question that AWS has higher margins, but a retail operation making around $1.5 billion profit on $50 billion of sales is really doing very well all by itself. That's basically the same (but swap $ for £) as Tesco.

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