*By Amanda Weston* Reports that Amazon employees, in China and elsewhere, were soliciting bribes as a way to delete negative product reviews have led the company to say it would take "swift action" against anyone found abusing its system. "For Amazon, we have very, very high standards with data protection," Nick Denissen, VP of Marketplace Business at Amazon, said in an interview on Cheddar Monday. "We have very clear business and employee ethical conduct rules, and we're currently investigating these claims, and then we will take appropriate actions." The Wall Street Journal [reported Sunday](https://www.wsj.com/articles/amazon-investigates-employees-leaking-data-for-bribes-1537106401) that some Amazon employees were offering information that could give independent merchants selling on its platform an advantage. The problem was particularly prevalent in China, where a combination of low wages and explosive e-commerce growth has made bribery more attractive. Brokers would offer sales metrics, reviewers' email addresses, and a way to delete negative reviews. Payments reportedly ranged up to more than $2,000. Chandra Steele, senior features writer at PC Mag, said the opportunity for abuse is huge given how many businesses now sell goods and services via the platform. "Half of the things you buy come from third-party sellers, so it's a very big deal," Steele said. “We hold our employees to a high ethical standard and anyone in violation of our Code faces discipline, including termination and potential legal and criminal penalties," An Amazon spokeswoman said in a statement. The report comes as Amazon launches its new [Storefronts shop](https://www.amazon.com/b?ie=UTF8&node=17879387011). It allows customers to shop exclusively from American small- and medium-sized businesses. The curated collection includes more than one million products from almost 20,000 businesses across the country. Denissen said half of all products bought on Amazon come from these mom-and-pop shops. "With Amazon Storefronts, we wanted another innovative and new shopping experience for our customers to discover the great selection that small and medium-sized businesses offer," Denissen said. Amazon has also launched its first national [TV commercial](https://blog.aboutamazon.com/small-business/family-business-goes-big-on-amazon) featuring small businesses using the portal. Holly Rutt, owner and founder of [Little Flower Soap Co.](https://www.amazon.com/handmade/The-Little-Flower-Soap-Co) which is featured in the ad, said her business has doubled since she launched her business on Amazon Handmade in 2016. "Right away I started connecting to a different customer than I had every reached before," Rutt said. "I noticed over half my sales were to men, where before almost 100 percent of my sales had been to women on other platforms that we were selling on. And then also this helped us sort of diversify, so that helps our business's health and stability and to grow." Rutt called herself "lucky" to be featured in the Storefronts launch and said she has felt supported by Amazon from the beginning. As Amazon Storefronts launches, Rutt said she is prepared to do between 100 and 400 orders per day. On launch day, she was already receiving an order every two minutes. Amazon could decimate 150,000 retail jobs by 2022, according to [estimates] (https://www.marketwatch.com/story/amazon-is-going-to-kill-more-american-jobs-than-china-did-2017-01-19). For full interview [click here](https://cheddar.com/videos/amazon-launches-storefronts-putting-small-businesses-in-the-spotlight).

Share:
More In Business
Michigan Judge Sentences Walmart Shoplifters to Wash Parking Lot Cars
A Michigan judge is putting sponges in the hands of shoplifters and ordering them to wash cars in a Walmart parking lot when spring weather arrives. Genesee County Judge Jeffrey Clothier hopes the unusual form of community service discourages people from stealing from Walmart. The judge also wants to reward shoppers with free car washes. Clothier says he began ordering “Walmart wash” sentences this week for shoplifting at the store in Grand Blanc Township. He believes 75 to 100 people eventually will be ordered to wash cars this spring. Clothier says he will be washing cars alongside them when the time comes.
State Department Halts Plan to buy $400M of Armored Tesla Vehicles
The State Department had been in talks with Elon Musk’s Tesla company to buy armored electric vehicles, but the plans have been put on hold by the Trump administration after reports emerged about a potential $400 million purchase. A State Department spokesperson said the electric car company owned by Musk was the only one that expressed interest back in May 2024. The deal with Tesla was only in its planning phases but it was forecast to be the largest contract of the year. It shows how some of his wealth has come and was still expected to come from taxpayers.
Goodyear Blimp at 100: ‘Floating Piece of Americana’ Still Thriving
At 100 years old, the Goodyear Blimp is an ageless star in the sky. The 246-foot-long airship will be in the background of the Daytona 500 — flying roughly 1,500 feet above Daytona International Speedway, actually — to celebrate its greatest anniversary tour. Even though remote camera technologies are improving regularly and changing the landscape of aerial footage, the blimp continues to carve out a niche. At Daytona, with the usual 40-car field racing around a 2½-mile superspeedway, views from the blimp aptly provide the scope of the event.
Is U.S. Restaurants’ Breakfast Boom Contributing to High Egg Prices?
It’s a chicken-and-egg problem: Restaurants are struggling with record-high U.S. egg prices, but their omelets, scrambles and huevos rancheros may be part of the problem. Breakfast is booming at U.S. eateries. First Watch, a restaurant chain that serves breakfast, brunch and lunch, nearly quadrupled its locations over the past decade to 570. Fast-food chains like Starbucks and Wendy's added more egg-filled breakfast items. In normal times, egg producers could meet the demand. But a bird flu outbreak that has forced them to slaughter their flocks is making supplies scarcer and pushing up prices. Some restaurants like Waffle House have added a surcharge to offset their costs.
Load More