The True Price of Great Holiday Deals
Monday, December 2, 2013
by Robert Reich
The most important website last weekend and in weeks to come on which the hopes and fears of countless Americans are focused (and the Presidents poll-ratings depend) is not HealthCare.gov. Its Amazon.com.
Even if and when HealthCare.gov works perfectly, relatively few Americans will be affected by it. Only 5 percent of us are in the private health-insurance market to begin with. But almost half of Americans are now shopping for great holiday deals online, and many will be profoundly affected not because they get great deals, but because their jobs and incomes are at stake.
Online retailing is the future. Amazon is the main online shopping portal this holiday season but traditional retailers are moving online as fast as they can. Online sales are already up 20 percent over last year, and the pace will only accelerate.Target and many other bricks-and-mortar outlets plan to spend more on technology next year than on building and upgrading new stores.
Americans are getting great deals online, and they like the convenience. But theres a hidden price. With the growth of online retailing, fewer Americans will have jobs in bricks-and-mortar retail stores.
http://robertreich.org/post/68824314189