Amazon news and archive

Amazon French warehouses unit fined 32 million euros

France's data protection agency said Tuesday it had fined Amazon's French warehouse management unit 32 million euros ($34.9 million) for an "excessively intrusive" surveillance system to monitor staff performance. Amazon France Logistique monitored the performance of employees through data from scanners used by the staff to process packages,...

Business

Spain fines Amazon, Apple 194 million euros

Spain's competition watchdog said Tuesday it has slapped US tech giants Amazon and Apple with a combined fine of 194 million euros (218 million dollars) for collusion in the sale of products. The two firms had colluded to limit the sale of Apple products on Amazon's Spanish websites "which restricted competition," the regulator said in a...

Business

US agency sues Amazon for tricking customers into subscription service

Amazon tricked consumers into subscribing to its "Prime" service and intentionally complicated the cancelation process, according to a US lawsuit against the retail giant filed Tuesday. The Federal Trade Commission's lawsuit against Amazon includes four civil charges against the company over "manipulative, coercive or deceptive user-interface"...

Business

UK targets big tech to boost online consumer rights

Global tech giants could face fines of up to 10 percent of their annual turnover if a British government bill to protect consumers launched on Tuesday becomes law. The bill aims to strengthen competition in digital markets and crack down on subscription traps as well as prevent online scams such as fake reviews. It envisages giving the...

Business

Amazon to cut 9,000 more jobs, CEO confirms

Amazon CEO Andy Jassy said Monday he was cutting 9,000 more jobs from the online retail giant's workforce, following the 18,000 that were axed in January. "Given the uncertain economy... and the uncertainty that exists in the near future, we have chosen to be more streamlined in our costs and headcount," Jassy said in a memo to staff. The...

Business

'It's hard to survive', say striking UK Amazon workers

"Amazon won't give you anything if you don't fight for it," a union organiser shouted through a bullhorn as dozens of disgruntled workers staged a strike outside the US tech warehouse in Coventry, central England. "We're asking for a raise. One of my children has eczema, I told him to take a bath every other day, I can't pay for the hot water,"...

Business

UK Amazon workers strike amid cost-of-living crisis

Online retail giant Amazon was Wednesday facing its first strike by UK workers, who are protesting over a pay rise deemed unacceptable in a cost-of-living crisis. A few hundred workers at a warehouse in Coventry, central England, have walked out over a pay increase worth five percent, less than half the current UK inflation rate. It comes as...

Retail

Amazon's Prime early access sale dates announced

Amazon's Prime Early Access Sale will take place on 11th and 12th October in fifteen countries. The two-day global shopping event will only be available to Prime members and will feature "hundreds of thousands" of holiday deals. The shopping event will be available in Austria, Canada, China, France, Germany, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands,...

Retail

Amazon increases deal offerings for Black Friday

Amazon is unveiling more Black Friday deals than ever before for its 48-Hour Black Friday Event, from November 25 through November 26. Customers will be able to shop incredible deals with deep discounts on top products and must-have items. New gadgets and electronics from Samsung, kid-favorite toys and baby essentials from Mattel and Cybex gb...

Fashion |Opinion Featured

Is it ethical for me to buy a garment from Amazon's Making the Cut?

Making The Cut, Amazon’s first reality TV show, pits 10 entrepreneurial fashion designers from around the world against each other for a prize of one million dollars and a mentorship from Amazon to help them become the next global brand. Many of the designers have tasted success already in their careers. The standard of design therefore is...

Business |Opinion Featured

Why the world doesn't need Amazon Prime day

Sure, most folks are partial to a bargain. Which is precisely why Amazon introduced its Prime Day shopping bonanza mid-year, at a time of less demand than say Black Friday, Cyber Monday, Christmas, Valentine’s Day and anything else on its pushy retail calendar. Just like sample sales, infomercials or any sales technique, Amazon has created an...

Retail

Amazon Prime day 2021 is here

Amazon.com Inc.'s two-day Prime Day event is happening now with more than 2 million deals on offer. The e-commerce giant's biggest shopping extravaganza of the year started June 21 at 3 a.m. EDT and runs for 48 hours, through June 22. Prime Day 2021 will feature the largest number of deals ever offered in the seven year history of the Prime Day...