Amazon.com coming to Detroit?

[iheartthed]

This would be great for the city:

Amazon.com appears to be in the early stages of trying to create a

software

development center in Detroit, according to two job listings from the Internet retailer.

Having a high-tech Amazon presence in Detroit would be a huge boost for efforts to transform the long-battered city into a tech hub. It would also provide new ammunition for brick-and-mortar retailers in the state who have been pushing for sales

taxes

to be collected on online purchases made at Amazon and other Internet shopping sites.

Amazon's corporate website features a job opening for a software development engineer based in Detroit, where it currently does not operate any offices.

Another job posting found on Twitter.com also states that Amazon is looking for a software development engineer "to be a part of a unique opportunity to join the seller experience team in building an Amazon Development Center in Detroit."

http://www.freep.com/article/2012071...text|FRONTPAGE

[Scottathew]

I love Amazon. I'm a "Prime Member" and have a Kindle Fire. Their prices are always competitve, they ship very quickly, and their customer service is great.

[gameguy56]

It would be cool if this and Twitter somehow convinces Google to centralize their A2 and B'ham offices to Downtown.

[rooms222]

Looking at South Carolina, which got both a distribution center and software development jobs, the jobs offer in Michigan appears to be part of a negotiation with the state government on when to actually require the collection of sales tax [[assuming Amazon enters Michigan to create a nexus at all). If Michigan does not play ball, it may put no jobs here for the time being. For the long term, Amazon may switch to a local model where every state has distribution centers, and lockers at your local 7-11 to pick up your merchandise.

http://www.engadget.com/2012/06/25/a...washington-dc/

In SC, as part of the agreement, a letter was sent to customers saying they were supposed to pay sales tax, but actual collection of sales tax by Amazon in SC will not start until 2016. Similar discussions are probably underway with Lansing. Michigan may not want or be particularly suitable for a distribution center, and the state government would prefer the software development jobs as well [[even if there is a shortage of people to fill them)...... More about SC below..... http://www.ecommercebytes.com/cab/ca...12/m01/i30/s02