'Reliable Amazon Isn’t Anymore' diff viewer (13/14)

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Reliable Amazon Isn’t Anymore	Reliable Amazon Isn’t Anymore
2020-07-08 13:40:22 UTC	2020-07-16 18:26:22 UTC (8 days later)
This article is part of the On Tech newsletter. You can sign up here to receive it weekdays.	This article is part of the On Tech newsletter. You can sign up here to receive it weekdays.
I’ve felt the disappointment. The out-of-stock messages on Amazon for toilet paper and Lysol cleaner. Delivery times quoted in weeks.	I’ve felt the disappointment. The out-of-stock messages on Amazon for toilet paper and Lysol cleaner. Delivery times quoted in weeks.
So many of us want to order online now instead of setting foot in stores, and the pressures on Amazon — by far the leading internet retailer in the United States — are unimaginable. But the recent shortages and delays are surprising for a company that’s usually reliable at quickly shipping us everything under the sun — including a parasol to block the sun.	So many of us want to order online now instead of setting foot in stores, and the pressures on Amazon — by far the leading internet retailer in the United States — are unimaginable. But the recent shortages and delays are surprising for a company that’s usually reliable at quickly shipping us everything under the sun — including a parasol to block the sun.
I talked to my colleague Karen Weise about how Amazon is tackling pandemic shopping challenges and about our current difficulties buying products online.	I talked to my colleague Karen Weise about how Amazon is tackling pandemic shopping challenges and about our current difficulties buying products online.
Are these supply shortages and delays Amazon’s fault, or is there just too much demand?	Are these supply shortages and delays Amazon’s fault, or is there just too much demand?
Karen: It’s both. Amazon is shipping a lot of products, but not everything people want. Other companies have similar challenges. But Amazon is unique because it’s the default place to shop online. People trust them to bring them what they need, when they want it. It makes Amazon more in demand.	Karen: It’s both. Amazon is shipping a lot of products, but not everything people want. Other companies have similar challenges. But Amazon is unique because it’s the default place to shop online. People trust them to bring them what they need, when they want it. It makes Amazon more in demand.
Another challenge that affects Amazon’s service now is the limits of its work force and work spaces. If people are spaced out more in a warehouse, it’s harder to move products around. And many employees have been unsatisfied with the company’s safety measures, and some have stayed home.	Another challenge that affects Amazon’s service now is the limits of its work force and work spaces. If people are spaced out more in a warehouse, it’s harder to move products around. And many employees have been unsatisfied with the company’s safety measures, and some have stayed home.
Are other companies doing better?	Are other companies doing better?
I have not seen good data on this. I don’t know if Walmart is able to get more toilet paper to customers than Amazon is. Unlike Walmart and Target, Amazon doesn’t offer the choice of ordering online and picking up items at a store. In talking to shoppers, they’ve been using that option.	I have not seen good data on this. I don’t know if Walmart is able to get more toilet paper to customers than Amazon is. Unlike Walmart and Target, Amazon doesn’t offer the choice of ordering online and picking up items at a store. In talking to shoppers, they’ve been using that option.
I find my well-established local grocery store in Seattle is doing a good job keeping things stocked.	I find my well-established local grocery store in Seattle is doing a good job keeping things stocked.
You wrote that Amazon is using techniques, like estimating long delivery times, to discourage orders. Amazon is turning away business?!	You wrote that Amazon is using techniques, like estimating long delivery times, to discourage orders. Amazon is turning away business?!
It’s weird! But they clearly have more demand than they can serve. Amazon would rather lose a sale than disappoint you by not delivering an order in a promised time.	It’s weird! But they clearly have more demand than they can serve. Amazon would rather lose a sale than disappoint you by not delivering an order in a promised time.
When they purposefully padded delivery times, it gave them more flexibility about when to fulfill the order, and it discouraged people from ordering certain items. Part of it is about managing people’s expectations.	When they purposefully padded delivery times, it gave them more flexibility about when to fulfill the order, and it discouraged people from ordering certain items. Part of it is about managing people’s expectations.
Will people forgive Amazon’s delays or difficulties in a crisis? (See our readers’ thoughts on this below.)	Will people forgive Amazon’s delays or difficulties in a crisis? (See our readers’ thoughts on this below.)
That’s the existential question. Many customers understand that these are unusual times and are grateful for the deliveries they have gotten. But Amazon was built on the promise that it had everything, and got it to people quickly.	That’s the existential question. Many customers understand that these are unusual times and are grateful for the deliveries they have gotten. But Amazon was built on the promise that it had everything, and got it to people quickly.
Now that Amazon can’t deliver on everything people want super fast, it might be an opportunity for other companies to permanently pick up new shoppers.	Now that Amazon can’t deliver on everything people want super fast, it might be an opportunity for other companies to permanently pick up new shoppers.
~~Updated July 7, 2020~~
The coronavirus can stay aloft for hours in tiny droplets in stagnant air, infecting people as they inhale, mounting scientific evidence suggests. This risk is highest in crowded indoor spaces with poor ventilation, and may help explain super-spreading events reported in meatpacking plants, churches and restaurants. It’s unclear how often the virus is spread via these tiny droplets, or aerosols, compared with larger droplets that are expelled when a sick person coughs or sneezes, or transmitted through contact with contaminated surfaces, said Linsey Marr, an aerosol expert at Virginia Tech. Aerosols are released even when a person without symptoms exhales, talks or sings, according to Dr. Marr and more than 200 other experts, who have outlined the evidence in an open letter to the World Health Organization.
Common symptoms include fever, a dry cough, fatigue and difficulty breathing or shortness of breath. Some of these symptoms overlap with those of the flu, making detection difficult, but runny noses and stuffy sinuses are less common. The C.D.C. has also added chills, muscle pain, sore throat, headache and a new loss of the sense of taste or smell as symptoms to look out for. Most people fall ill five to seven days after exposure, but symptoms may appear in as few as two days or as many as 14 days.
Scientists around the country have tried to identify everyday materials that do a good job of filtering microscopic particles. In recent tests, HEPA furnace filters scored high, as did vacuum cleaner bags, fabric similar to flannel pajamas and those of 600-count pillowcases. Other materials tested included layered coffee filters and scarves and bandannas. These scored lower, but still captured a small percentage of particles.
A commentary published this month on the website of the British Journal of Sports Medicine points out that covering your face during exercise “comes with issues of potential breathing restriction and discomfort” and requires “balancing benefits versus possible adverse events.” Masks do alter exercise, says Cedric X. Bryant, the president and chief science officer of the American Council on Exercise, a nonprofit organization that funds exercise research and certifies fitness professionals. “In my personal experience,” he says, “heart rates are higher at the same relative intensity when you wear a mask.” Some people also could experience lightheadedness during familiar workouts while masked, says Len Kravitz, a professor of exercise science at the University of New Mexico.
The steroid, dexamethasone, is the first treatment shown to reduce mortality in severely ill patients, according to scientists in Britain. The drug appears to reduce inflammation caused by the immune system, protecting the tissues. In the study, dexamethasone reduced deaths of patients on ventilators by one-third, and deaths of patients on oxygen by one-fifth.
The coronavirus emergency relief package gives many American workers paid leave if they need to take time off because of the virus. It gives qualified workers two weeks of paid sick leave if they are ill, quarantined or seeking diagnosis or preventive care for coronavirus, or if they are caring for sick family members. It gives 12 weeks of paid leave to people caring for children whose schools are closed or whose child care provider is unavailable because of the coronavirus. It is the first time the United States has had widespread federally mandated paid leave, and includes people who don’t typically get such benefits, like part-time and gig economy workers. But the measure excludes at least half of private-sector workers, including those at the country’s largest employers, and gives small employers significant leeway to deny leave.
So far, the evidence seems to show it does. A widely cited paper published in April suggests that people are most infectious about two days before the onset of coronavirus symptoms and estimated that 44 percent of new infections were a result of transmission from people who were not yet showing symptoms. Recently, a top expert at the World Health Organization stated that transmission of the coronavirus by people who did not have symptoms was “very rare,” but she later walked back that statement.
Touching contaminated objects and then infecting ourselves with the germs is not typically how the virus spreads. But it can happen. A number of studies of flu, rhinovirus, coronavirus and other microbes have shown that respiratory illnesses, including the new coronavirus, can spread by touching contaminated surfaces, particularly in places like day care centers, offices and hospitals. But a long chain of events has to happen for the disease to spread that way. The best way to protect yourself from coronavirus — whether it’s surface transmission or close human contact — is still social distancing, washing your hands, not touching your face and wearing masks.
A study by European scientists is the first to document a strong statistical link between genetic variations and Covid-19, the illness caused by the coronavirus. Having Type A blood was linked to a 50 percent increase in the likelihood that a patient would need to get oxygen or to go on a ventilator, according to the new study.
If air travel is unavoidable, there are some steps you can take to protect yourself. Most important: Wash your hands often, and stop touching your face. If possible, choose a window seat. A study from Emory University found that during flu season, the safest place to sit on a plane is by a window, as people sitting in window seats had less contact with potentially sick people. Disinfect hard surfaces. When you get to your seat and your hands are clean, use disinfecting wipes to clean the hard surfaces at your seat like the head and arm rest, the seatbelt buckle, the remote, screen, seat back pocket and the tray table. If the seat is hard and nonporous or leather or pleather, you can wipe that down, too. (Using wipes on upholstered seats could lead to a wet seat and spreading of germs rather than killing them.)
If you’ve been exposed to the coronavirus or think you have, and have a fever or symptoms like a cough or difficulty breathing, call a doctor. They should give you advice on whether you should be tested, how to get tested, and how to seek medical treatment without potentially infecting or exposing others.
Given the logistical and ethical challenges of shopping right now, have your habits changed?	Given the logistical and ethical challenges of shopping right now, have your habits changed?
I’ve done some online shopping from stores in my neighborhood that I want to be there when this crisis is over. But apart from groceries and some stuff to occupy my kid, I’ve been buying much less in general.	I’ve done some online shopping from stores in my neighborhood that I want to be there when this crisis is over. But apart from groceries and some stuff to occupy my kid, I’ve been buying much less in general.
My old roommates used to call me Consumer Reports, but I don’t have the mental energy for product research. I also don’t need a delivery person or a warehouse worker to spend effort getting me products that don’t feel essential.	My old roommates used to call me Consumer Reports, but I don’t have the mental energy for product research. I also don’t need a delivery person or a warehouse worker to spend effort getting me products that don’t feel essential.
Get this newsletter in your inbox every weekday; please sign up here.	Get this newsletter in your inbox every weekday; please sign up here.
Last week we asked how the pandemic has affected your online shopping and experience with Amazon. We heard from hundreds of you. Here’s a selection of the responses, lightly edited.	Last week we asked how the pandemic has affected your online shopping and experience with Amazon. We heard from hundreds of you. Here’s a selection of the responses, lightly edited.
We had structured our life around Amazon and Amazon Prime Now Whole Foods delivery to meet the vast majority of our shopping needs, including groceries. However, since the onset of the Covid-19 crisis, we have been forced to give up on Prime Now deliveries.	We had structured our life around Amazon and Amazon Prime Now Whole Foods delivery to meet the vast majority of our shopping needs, including groceries. However, since the onset of the Covid-19 crisis, we have been forced to give up on Prime Now deliveries.
At the same time as some forms of life are exploding online, one is also made aware of the limitations of relying extensively on technology. Sometimes, you just have to get on your bicycle and go to the grocery store. At least I can still pay with Apple Pay. — Andrew S. Klug, San Francisco	At the same time as some forms of life are exploding online, one is also made aware of the limitations of relying extensively on technology. Sometimes, you just have to get on your bicycle and go to the grocery store. At least I can still pay with Apple Pay. — Andrew S. Klug, San Francisco
I regularly shop at Amazon because at this retirement home, we are on total lockdown. The experience has been good. I even got a digital thermometer when mine got “lost.” When something is out of stock, Amazon tells me.	I regularly shop at Amazon because at this retirement home, we are on total lockdown. The experience has been good. I even got a digital thermometer when mine got “lost.” When something is out of stock, Amazon tells me.
I hear lots of bad stuff about Amazon, but Jeff Bezos, in my book, got it right when he started Amazon. I couldn’t do easily without it. — Ruth Zekowski, Evanston, Ill.	I hear lots of bad stuff about Amazon, but Jeff Bezos, in my book, got it right when he started Amazon. I couldn’t do easily without it. — Ruth Zekowski, Evanston, Ill.
The only thing I have ordered online in the last eight weeks is two balaclava-style masks for protection. Have I been tempted to shop Amazon? Sure, for a second. Then I think about the workers forced by economic necessity to keep working in potentially hazardous conditions while I sit at home. What makes me so special? — Sandra Graham, Babson Park, Mass.	The only thing I have ordered online in the last eight weeks is two balaclava-style masks for protection. Have I been tempted to shop Amazon? Sure, for a second. Then I think about the workers forced by economic necessity to keep working in potentially hazardous conditions while I sit at home. What makes me so special? — Sandra Graham, Babson Park, Mass.