[Chapter 877: The Brilliant William White]
Greenspan thought too much. William White was part of the established elite, and of course, he had a responsibility to maintain the existing rules. If everything were to be rebuilt from scratch, those in power would surely bear the greatest brunt.
"Sir, we're hitting a wall here; Amazon's customers are complaining that their orders have been placed for ten days, and the goods still haven't arrived."
William White couldn't help but chuckle at the sight of Fat Cat Tom, who looked utterly defeated. What could he say? If they'd ever experienced Black Friday, they would probably lose their minds.
Many might wonder why there was no Black Friday equivalent only in the land of the rabbit. Didn't America enjoy discounts?
Wrong. America might be the most indiscriminate shopping nation in the world.
Even Black Friday-level promotions never compared to the chaos during any event at Good Deals. Customers would flood the massive parking lots.
Americans just couldn't resist a clearance sale; during every Black Friday, they'd buy tons of stuff they would never use.
The reason they didn't have a day like Black Friday was simple: they couldn't get their goods shipped out. Companies like Amazon and Walmart could take down warehouse-style superstores in Rabbit Country but wouldn't have a chance in America.
Anything related to humans involved prices that were downright laughable.
"Tom, ever since email came into play, the postal system should be a lot less busy. Why aren't you happy that business is booming? By the way, don't several courier companies collaborate? What's going on here?"
Tom looked exasperated. "Don't even get me started on 'happy.' We're brewing a strike here. You wouldn't imagine it, but books are heavier than letters. Of course, it's not okay to say that. They charge by weight, so being heavier seems reasonable, right?"
"A strike? Really? Well, that's creative of them. The postal system can't be responsible for commercial activities? God, that's quite a reason!"
It was a conundrum, and William White had no quick solutions. The efficiency of American delivery drivers was shockingly bad. He recalled that Jim Carrey movie, Ace Ventura: Pet Detective, where a segment described the plight of delivery drivers. Although they wouldn't literally kick packages along the way, it wouldn't be far off.
Was there a good service?
Sure, but it required tips; please treat my delivery kindly.
While it wouldn't resolve everything, it certainly had to help a little. At least five bucks was needed, or it wouldn't happen.
It was just that books were quite expensive in the U.S.; otherwise, the discounts wouldn't cover tips.
"Ahem, boss. It might be because the delivery drivers get hefty tips, and they feel insulted."
"Ah, that's quite a hassle. For now, we can only wait it out. If they strike, we'll just have to go along with it. A company with over 600,000 people--who can say otherwise?"
The sheer number made it an unsolvable problem in America. If they said no, it simply meant no. If they demanded more money, they had to pay.
In extremity, they could even refuse to help you ship. Of course, that wasn't easy either. Without a good reason, they couldn't just refuse to assist.
William White didn't understand; how could a business with hundreds of thousands of employees and over 200,000 vehicles fail because of online shopping? That was just too ridiculous.
"Tom, if I recall correctly, can they handle 20 billion pieces of mail in a year?"
"Sir, it's not quite that much, but it's close enough."
"With every American citizen having an average of 80 pieces a year, if calculated by family, that makes about 150 per household. Supposedly, that stuff can't just be letters. Is there really that much to write?"
Tom found himself lost for words. Clearly, with such a vast number, they were not just letters. He was sure newspapers and magazines made up a significant portion.
If he were honest, how much heavier could a book be than a magazine? If it was a DVD, it might even be lighter than newspapers.
"It's definitely those union jerks stirring things up. In recent years, the postal system's burden has decreased. Their income will naturally be affected, and I think that's the end goal."
"Oh, God, they want pay raises for dozens of thousands. They'd rather abandon the business than address this."
That was basically the situation. Right now, it might not be huge, and it wouldn't take long to adapt. But if Amazon's sales improved further, trouble was inevitable in the future.
"Jeff, I told the boss that we could only wait for now. Those guys are just pushing for raises; it isn't appropriate for us to comment."
"Tom, given the current growth rate, this will be a major issue down the line."
"You personally or Amazon can't possibly build a logistics system. Don't worry; the boss has a plan, but it won't be quick."
"Yeah, I got it. Let's see how FedEx handles this. It's been a week; now that's a joke."
Delivery services during this era were fairly primitive. For shorter distances, they'd just send someone to pick up and deliver.
What? The costs were high.
Of course, they were expensive. Don't even get me started; ordering same-day delivery in Shanghai wouldn't cost less than thirty bucks.
Jack Ma was still something else; Taobao, while crushing many brick-and-mortar shops, also lifted some industries in Rabbit Country to new heights.
Having demand was great, but the logistics were truly complex. No matter how great your logistics were, the final mile involved people. All you could do was try to minimize the reliance on human labor.
Wait a second. Didn't he miss something?
Right! The big rabbit country later came up with a hive delivery system. That was pretty good.
America didn't have community systems?
Who said that? Buildings were there, but tenants wouldn't let you install those things. However, some places, like 7-Eleven, wouldn't be a problem.
After having dinner, he could take a walk and swing by 7-Eleven to pick up his package. And best of all, he wouldn't need to tip.
He really was a genius. Damn, even grocery delivery could utilize this system. He was just too clever.
Hearing the commotion from the office, Tom's assistant could only smile wryly. After Tom left, the boss fiddled around for quite some time alone. It seemed he must have come up with a solution.
"Excuse me, do you need assistance?"
William White's eyes widened; when had his assistant become a flight attendant?
"Uh, that could work."
"The plane is about to take off; please sit tight and fasten your seatbelt."
William White chuckled; that assistant was a real whiz. But who cared? As long as they were happy, that was what mattered to him.
He'd learned a lot today; it wasn't even a question of win-win anymore. Once the warehouse system was set up, he wouldn't have any competitors left in that niche.
Online shopping wasn't all that impressive; digital payments were just okay. If he could streamline logistics as well, that would be something remarkable.
Of course, thinking of it was one thing; successfully implementing it was another. Even with everything going smoothly, it wouldn't materialize in less than three to five years.
As society developed to a certain degree, any abrupt changes became challenging.
Tradition wasn't necessarily bad. For instance, in France, you couldn't use additives in bread. That was wonderful; delicious bread really evoked fond memories.
In William White's view, these large American corporations hardly resembled private enterprises.
Alright, they called themselves publicly traded companies. You could understand them as somewhat equivalent to the collective enterprises of Rabbit Country. They were more vibrant than state-owned enterprises but didn't match the dynamism of private businesses.
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