Amazon needs just one minute of human labour to ship your package

© Frank Gärtner

As the US – and, to a lesser degree, Europe – spends Black Friday clicking away for cheap e-commerce deals, it seems appropriate to show how Amazon’s warehouses work. And that involves just a minute spent handling the goods. It’s a fascinating look into how robots are instructing pickers and packers.

What this headline fails to mention though, is the more human element of delivery. As ABX pilots head back to work for Amazon, it is clear that there is more to it than mere automation. And here at The Loadstar, we are still slightly reeling from the judge’s comment: “Imagine Christmas without Amazon”. For one thing, anyone over 10 years old can imagine (or remember) that very clearly. And for another thing, does convenience for the consumer really outweigh valid labour concerns?