> The GP didn't claim that Amazon could keep up with demand.
That's true, but GP seems to think that we need Amazon to solve a problem which Amazon doesn't solve.
> Their general point is the whole supply chain is straining, and shutting down Amazon is going to exacerbate the issue. Maybe that's the right thing to do, and maybe it isn't, but the broad consequences are clear.
I don't think it's clear at all that shutting down Amazon will exacerbate the issue, because I don't think "the whole supply chain" is the issue. Specifically with medical supplies, the problem isn't that online retailers can't get stock to customers quickly enough. The problem is that stock doesn't exist. Unless Amazon decides to pivot into medical manufacturing, Amazon isn't the solution to this problem.
The reason Amazon is restocked on toilet paper is that toilet paper manufacture is fairly simple, so manufacturers have already pivoted to manufacture toilet paper. This is a credit to manufacturers, not Amazon.
> Between COVID-19 and the US-China trade war, I hope we're all taking a long hard look at supply chain diversity going foreword.
That's true, but GP seems to think that we need Amazon to solve a problem which Amazon doesn't solve.
> Their general point is the whole supply chain is straining, and shutting down Amazon is going to exacerbate the issue. Maybe that's the right thing to do, and maybe it isn't, but the broad consequences are clear.
I don't think it's clear at all that shutting down Amazon will exacerbate the issue, because I don't think "the whole supply chain" is the issue. Specifically with medical supplies, the problem isn't that online retailers can't get stock to customers quickly enough. The problem is that stock doesn't exist. Unless Amazon decides to pivot into medical manufacturing, Amazon isn't the solution to this problem.
The reason Amazon is restocked on toilet paper is that toilet paper manufacture is fairly simple, so manufacturers have already pivoted to manufacture toilet paper. This is a credit to manufacturers, not Amazon.
> Between COVID-19 and the US-China trade war, I hope we're all taking a long hard look at supply chain diversity going foreword.
This we can agree on, at least.