Trump targets Amazon in call for postal service to hike prices

[Applewood]

Trump targets Amazon in call for postal service to hike prices


WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump targeted online retailer Amazon(AMZN.O) on Friday in a call for the country’s postal service to raise prices of shipments in order to recoup costs.

“Why is the United States Post Office, which is losing many billions of dollars a year, while charging Amazon and others so little to deliver their packages, making Amazon richer and the Post Office dumber and poorer? Should be charging MUCH MORE!” Trump wrote on Twitter.

The U.S. Postal Service is an independent agency within the federal government and does not receive tax dollars for operating expenses, according to its website. The organization makes up a significant portion of the $1.4 trillion U.S. delivery industry. Other players include Fedex Corp(FDX.N) and United Parcel Service Inc (UPS.N).

...

Excerpt.  Read more at:

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-weather/land-of-the-freeze-arctic-wave-hits-northern-united-states-idUSKBN1EM1PV

[Sanguine]

That'll do it.  Put the PO farther into the hole that is.

[goodwithagun]

Amazon negotiated better shipping prices. Good for them and a big thank you from this Prime member. It makes my dollar go further. If it wasn’t for Amazon still using USPS, the antiquated system would probably be in even worse shape. Wasn’t Trump supposed to be so great because he’s a businessman?

[Oceander]

Amazon didn’t negotiate better rates; it’s taking advantage of a subsidy that shouldn’t be there. 

[Neverdul]

Why just target Amazon? What about eBay, Wal-Mart, Apple, Costco, Target, Macy's, QVC, etc. Unless you pay extra for expedited delivery, and even sometimes if you do, they all ship via the USPS.

 

[goodwithagun]

Wrong link.

[goodwithagun]

Amazon didn’t negotiate better rates; it’s taking advantage of a subsidy that shouldn’t be there.

Then he can request from the Congress members he hasn’t insulted to get rid of the subsidy in the correct manner. Blaming Amazon doesn’t fix the problem, it just makes him look like a tool.

[Oceander]

Then he can request from the Congress members he hasn’t insulted to get rid of the subsidy in the correct manner. Blaming Amazon doesn’t fix the problem, it just makes him look like a tool.

I agree.  But then, I don’t expect much from this president, so I’m not particularly shocked by his mistake. 

[Applewood]

Wrong link.

Sorry.  Don't know why I can't get the right Reuters link, but here is a repeat from MSN:

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/trump-targets-amazon-in-call-for-postal-service-to-hike-prices/ar-BBHu0Ze?li=BBmkt5R&ocid=spartandhp

[TomSea]

Trump again, scores. The best president since the 1800s.

[goodwithagun]

Why just target Amazon? What about eBay, Wal-Mart, Apple, Costco, Target, Macy's, QVC, etc. Unless you pay extra for expedited delivery, and even sometimes if you do, they all ship via the USPS.

 

From the article: “Amazon was founded by Jeff Bezos, who remains the chief executive officer of the retail giant. Bezos also owns the Washington Post, a newspaper that Trump has repeatedly railed against in his criticisms of the news media.”

That answers your question. He’s butthurt.

[goodwithagun]

Trump again, scores. The best president since the 1800s.

.

[Victoria33]

Trump is a vindictive little man with small hands.

[Bigun]

The USPS has been destroyed by none other than the USPS and is, IMHO, beyond redemption.

[Suppressed]

There's a public interest in having an official postal system that's backed by the weight of the government's law enforcement and military protection, to allow for unimpeachable delivery of official documents.  However, expecting this to compete with private delivery systems isn't great.   The USPS has dug itself into quite a hole.

[Oceander]

From the article: “Amazon was founded by Jeff Bezos, who remains the chief executive officer of the retail giant. Bezos also owns the Washington Post, a newspaper that Trump has repeatedly railed against in his criticisms of the news media.”

That answers your question. He’s butthurt.

Probably. 

[Applewood]

Trump again, scores. The best president since the 1800s.

What exactly did Trump score...apart from entertaining his fans?

[Free Vulcan]

It's not as if the U.S. Postal Service is anyone's model of efficiency or business wisdom, but they are in the business of competing with FedEx and UPS for delivery contracts. And they landed a big one last year when Amazon awarded the USPS its primary fulfillment contract. When you started noticing the strange phenomenon of the mailman showing up on Sunday and wondered if the moon would soon be turning to blood, that's all it was. Amazon needs its packages delivered seven days a week, and in order to get the contract, the USPS had to agree to do just that.

Now, if you're going after a piece of business, you do what you have to do to get it. But as the author of The Art of the Deal knows as well as anyone, you can't be willing to just do anything at all to get a deal. You don't promise more than you can deliver, and you don't undercut yourself on price to the point where getting the business will either cause you to lose money, or take up so much of your time and resources for such little return that you're hampered in your ability to make money elsewhere.

Read more at: https://www.hermancain.com/trump-post-office-is-dumb-for-giving-amazon

[Fishrrman]

He's right.
Time to renegotiate.

[ConservativeGranny]

Amazon has saved postal worker's jobs. Without Amazon and other online stores using the USPS the US Postal Service would probably already be a thing of the past. Trump doesn't have his thinking cap on here. This is a personal vendetta for Trump against the owner of Amazon and nothing more. Trump frequently misuses his power in this manner.

[jmyrlefuller]

Why just target Amazon? What about eBay, Wal-Mart, Apple, Costco, Target, Macy's, QVC, etc. Unless you pay extra for expedited delivery, and even sometimes if you do, they all ship via the USPS.

 

Because most of those companies don't have a sweetheart deal with the Postal Service to cover the cost difference.

These companies usually make their money back by passing the price on to small-purchase customer. A guy who buys a $20 shirt from Macy's has to pay an additional $10—at least—for shipping, far more than it actually costs. Or, in Wal-Mart's case, they use a formula that buries the cost into the online price, which is often higher than the brick-and-mortar price.

[DB]

First, why is the postal service competing with private enterprise at all?

Second, Amazon didn't force the postal service to price its services the way they did. If it is improperly priced that is entirely on the postal service and those who govern it.

Third, this only makes Trump look vindictive, which obviously he is, and upsets people who use Amazon Prime which are many. Stupid thing to do.

Last, Trump should have simply worked to fix the postal service and not target their customers as the fall guy. That wouldn't have angered Amazon customers while at the same time fixing a problem that needs fixed.

[DB]

Because most of those companies don't have a sweetheart deal with the Postal Service to cover the cost difference.

These companies usually make their money back by passing the price on to small-purchase customer. A guy who buys a $20 shirt from Macy's has to pay an additional $10—at least—for shipping, far more than it actually costs. Or, in Wal-Mart's case, they use a formula that buries the cost into the online price, which is often higher than the brick-and-mortar price.

I think part of the "deal" with the postal service for both Amazon and Wal-Mart is they provide warehouses near their customers so that the shipping is very efficient for them to provide. In addition Amazon and Wal-Mart probably presort of much of the shipments reducing the burden on the postal service. The postal service is making the trip anyway to deliver mail and this is profitable because it doesn't have to use much long haul transportation or other manpower. I wouldn't be surprised to find out that Trump has it backwards, that the Amazons and Wal-Marts of the world are actually aiding the postal service from going further bankrupt.

[Victoria33]

Probably.

@Oceander
@CatherineofAragon
@ALL WHO DEPEND ON AMAZON FOR A BETTER LIFE

Anyone who messes with my Amazon is dirt.  Hence, Trump is dirt.
Without Amazon and their fast delivery, my life would be much worse, hence, my life is better with Amazon.  Hence, when someone messes with Amazon, they mess with me.  It is not good to mess with me.  Hence, dirt Trump better leave my Amazon alone.  In the Constitution, messing with Amazon is an impeachable offence - you can trust me, it's in there.  Screw with Amazon and this is what you get - 

[Cyber Liberty]

@Oceander
@CatherineofAragon
@ALL WHO DEPEND ON AMAZON FOR A BETTER LIFE

Anyone who messes with my Amazon is dirt.  Hence, Trump is dirt.
Without Amazon and their fast delivery, my life would be much worse, hence, my life is better with Amazon.  Hence, when someone messes with Amazon, they mess with me.  It is not good to mess with me.  Hence, dirt Trump better leave my Amazon alone.  In the Constitution, messing with Amazon is an impeachable offence - you can trust me, it's in there.  Screw with Amazon and this is what you get - 

Still not over the flu yet?  You know, at this stage a Hot Toddy might be the best approach....I'll ask Alexa for the recipe.  I just got a couple of them from Amazon.