Amazon created a concrete shortage

[PuffyC]

You now you're living in strange times when people complain about yet more jobs being created because businesses won't stop growing and expanding

 

[Doorman63]

I work in the trades.
All we seem to do lately is Amazon buildings or Data Centers.
I heard Amazon leases most of their buildings.

One we did was 3.5 million sq feet on 4 floors.

 

[RickB]

We'll see how you all feel about it when you can't get in to town from the increase in traffic.

It's all well and good till it stops construction on YOUR building or chokes the main passage to YOUR local business.

I guess you don't know how many distribution centers are around here.

 

[bmaverick]

Already a problem with vacant Walmart stores. The Wals won't sell because they are afraid someone else will open a big box store, so there they sit, huge buildings surrounded by acres of asphalt parking lots.

What Do We Do With These Empty Wal-Marts?

The McAllen Public Library is a breathtaking space. Its 20-foot ceilings are illuminated with streams of natural light, its cozy reading…

medium.com

Sounds so much like the K-Mart era prior to their doors closing. Likewise the Monkey-Wards before that.

 

[RickB]

You can spot an empty or repurposed Rite-Aide building a mile away.

 

[4570Man]

They’re building a Buc-ee’s station here and the same thing happened. I’ve never once thought building it was a bad idea because it made it hard to get concrete. How they plan on staffing it when there’s already no staff to be had is beyond me.

 

[milkman636]

Maybe your area is just short on concrete suppliers? Sounds like opportunity may be knocking in your neighborhood……it all a matter of perspective. I remember the Dakotas figuring out how to attract workers a few short years ago. People will follow the money. That pattern has been long established.

 

[3 Horse Ranch]

It's funny, people complain about the Amazon fulfillment centers in one breath and complain when an Amazon package takes more than a few days to arrive in the next breath. Business come and go, it is the nature of capitalism. What was a good idea in the early 1900s (Ward, Sear etc.) become the failed business lamented over a few decades later. They either have to adapt or fail. The same will hold true for Amazon eventually.
In the town I live near, I have an Ace hardware store a lumber and hardware store, 2 small grocery stores a few other small businesses, mostly pot shops, second hand and curio shops. Amazon and Walmart etc. fit my needs, otherwise I would have a one to four drive to get what I need, and that would mean cost to me and more fossil fuel burned.

 

[ruffdog]

Concrete shortages were happening in 2019/20 too. This is nothing new and surly during a pandemic.

 

[ddbackhoe]

Our county commissioners approved the building of an Amazon fulfillment center against all the protests from their constituents. We already have more jobs than workers and they taut the need for more jobs in their decision.

Meanwhile we're in the midst of a building boom but the Amazon center is buying up all the local concrete. All slab home constrution has come to a standstill. Price of concrete went up and all the bids for slab construction have to be rebid.

Have you all started a recall of your commissioners?