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Bezos and a Missed Opportunity
The strange case of the missing spine
Jeff Bezos, in an unusual display of chutzpah, briefly considered showing the cost of Trump’s tariffs on each item customers buy from Amazon. In doing so, consumers would see firsthand the cost of the tariffs on their pocketbooks. Tipping Trump’s hand on this to consumers would be a bold move on Bezos’s part.
A lot of consumers, even those who voted for Trump, might be angry if they saw how much more they have to pay for an item because of the tariffs. I experienced something similar a number of years ago at a restaurant. The owner included the cost of employee health insurance on the bill. My bill stated the cost of my meal, the tax, the cost of employee health insurance, and a space to leave a tip.
The owner’s purpose wasn’t so much to educate me about the cost of insurance as it was to make me angry and resentful toward the employees who dared to have health insurance and to feel sorry for him that he had to pay for it.
The end result wasn’t what he expected, though. I wasn’t angry at the employees or about the fact they have health insurance. What angered me was that he was trying to manipulate me by putting that information on my bill. He wanted me to be against the employees having health insurance.
