How E-Commerce Lowers Pay … and Leads to Unions

Fragrance workers are among the leading group of newly organized workers. Not exactly the folks who toil in coal mines and auto factories. But why? It starts with Amazon’s amazingly generous return policy for merchandise. To compete, Macy’s, Nordstroms and others have matched or exceeded these policies. Want to return a fragrance bottle at Macy’s? You have up to a year, even if the bottle is heavily used. Nordstrom has no time limit-- just bring back your mostly used bottle for a full refund. Fragrance workers sell on commission. Now, they are finding their pay is deducted for up to a year after they make a sale. Now that’s a recipe for angering workers and facilitating a successful organizing campaign.