12.03.13
Make money the Jeff Bezos way!
Get people to work in your warehouses for virtually nothing, at Christmas!
Tell them it’ll make cash for their favorite charity. But don’t really share much of the profit because this is the sharing economy, if you know what I mean and I think you do. Ho! Ho! Ho!
Amazon.com Offers Holiday Gift-Wrapping Program for Kentucky Nonprofits
By Wrapping Amazon Holiday Gifts, Groups Can Earn $$
LEXINGTON, Ky.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Nov. 5, 2007–As Amazon.com gets ready to delight millions of customers this holiday season, the company’s Lexington, KY, fulfillment center is offering nonprofit organizations the opportunity to earn extra money by having its volunteers gift-wrap products for Amazon customers.
The “Gift-Wrap Your Holidays with a Smile??? program will earn the nonprofit organization between $.60 and $.75 for each item gift-wrapped by a volunteer. In 2006, more than $137,000 was donated to non-profits that participated in the Lexington program.
The program, which is open to all 501(c)3-certified organizations, will run from November 19 through December 22, 2007. Shifts range from a minimum of four hours to a maximum of 10, and organizations can send 5-20 volunteers for each shift.
“We’re thrilled to be able to offer ‘Gift Wrap Your Holiday Programs with a Smile’ for the third year,??? said Michael Passales, General Manager, Lexington. “It’s a great way to put yourself in the holiday spirit and earn money for your charity at the same time.???
DL adds Amazon charges $3.99 to $5.99 for the gift-wrapping option.
Now let’s do some arithmetic!
$137,000 for the non-profits. Divided by 60 cents, for the contribution from each package, equals 228,333 gifts wrapped.
For Amazon’s gift-wrapping option, let’s choose the middle between the cost estimates for wrapping small and large packages, $4.99. Four dollars and ninety nine cents times 228,333 gifts equals $1,139,381.67.
You would think someone would have taken the diligence to do the figures and say, no thanks, we won’t be doing “volunteer??? work that grosses Jeff Bezos Incorporated ten times what we “get??? at Christmas time.
There are much better ways to show the holiday spirit than boosting the bottom line for the sweatshop and delivery drones tycoon while wrapping stuff for the haves and those who haven’t yet been sufficiently knee-capped by the economy.
Jeff Bezos and Amazon are just perfect for our time.
You have to respect the con.
Get people to work for you for almost nothing while tricking them into feeling good about it.
The juggernaut of creative disruption rolls on.
The visage of holiday good spirit, with a special plan just for you!
bill said,
December 6, 2013 at 12:48 pm
I think they are in the process of elevating Jeffie up to the sacred heights of Jobistan. He now has his own private press to polish up his image. Soon, maybe Jeffie can stand on stage and conjure up that same reality distortion field that Stevie used to.
Another outstanding humanitarian in the making. I can’t wait for the home video release.
George Smith said,
December 6, 2013 at 1:40 pm
Wait until the journalists at the Washington Post start getting his directives. That’ll be a cold shower.