Tom Wohlfarth is a philosopher and cultural scientist, author, blogger and co-founder of center of thought democracy.

It is an ancient wisdom that on holidays a society reveals its true essence. Contradictions that are orwise successfully superseded are n revealed. For example, ethnologists indigenous cultures have preferred to observe high festivals, but Goe's description of Roman Carnival is also one of highlights of his Italian journey.

Most Western societies show ir consumption kapitalistischstes face at Christmas: y are less cultural than "consumer nations", and unfortunately this cannot be achieved by referring to simultaneous economic activity of Christian charity, in giving As in donating, inpowering. Behind scenes and in social spaces above all a figure is at centre of Christmas gift-giving mess. She has to play secularized, wants to say outsourced and precarious Santa Claus: The parcel deliverer and parcel Deliveryer. They basically make it possible for gifts to land almost as if by mselves under our fir trees. Especially at Christmas, when general shopping spree is ordered particularly much, even fewer people think of it than usual already, but above all, that ir own orders arrive on time.

Although socio-economic misery of packagers has been known for a long time, this situation is unlikely to change. At end we order furr and more and more at Amazon, Zalando or Foodora. Many companies can afford to charge no or no shipping fees because y simply pass ir costs down. The parcel services are delivered almost 15 million packages per day between beginning of November and end of December in Germany.

Share costs with weakest

Nor does it completely lack logic that inappropriate clothing can be returned for free. If that were not possible, number of orders would decline significantly. This does not mean, however, that shipping must generally be free of charge. However, in order to be able to compete in market, a company can be compelled to offer its customers special conditions, such as free shipping. However, once market power has been acquired, a company should at least be obliged to not simply pass on actual costs of a seemingly free offer to a weaker player.

Last month, Amazon launched its flex program, which could also be described as an overproduction of parcel industry. Packages are run by private drivers in private car, control runs via app. Similar to one in driving service Uber – with difference that relatively well-organized, in some case even more heavily verpfründetened taxi industry did not necessarily only do poorly, while already through and through precarious Logistics experts are only able to make little resistance to this furr milestone of Flexibilization, which in end benefits group in particular.

For years, it has been common in industry for orders from major companies, such as DHL or They are often paid per delivery and must ensure that y are carried out as efficiently as possible at ir own risk. Amazon has also been commissioning its own subcontractors for some time. After all, group affirms that its couriers are not paid per package, but by time with at least ten euros per hour.

Rethinking many pages

It would be wrong, however, to look at online retailers and logistics companies alone with index finger raised. They are just one of many players in a system in which we all think it is normal that everything can be immediately available at any time at no extra charge. There is a need for a rethinking of many pages. We all as customers can, in fact, be happy to receive a new pair of shoes, a replacement charging cable for smartphone or dinner from favourite restaurant delivered to front door within a very short time.

But we must also be prepared to pay a lot for it if we want to be served by ors. and online retailers and delivery services should not pretend that se costs are simply well disguised in nowhere. The responsibility to bring about an end to this service-free mentality, however, lies ultimately with politics – and with us as your constituents. (as consumers, of course, we could just try to consume a little less.) The delivery Hero himself, in any case, does not remain in hyperflexibilisierten conditions of gig economy much more than to organize more in trade unions and start a labour struggle.

Date Of Update: 18 December 2017, 12:02