So I did my first part in trying to support everyone who dislikes this as much as I do. I cancelled my Prime and I will try to not purchase anything from Amazon for a year. It's not much, but it's something.
I invite everyone to do the same.
I invite everyone to do the same.
I rejected a gift that came in an Amazon box.
Very politely, and apologetically., I said, "I'm really sorry, but I can't accept this." And why, (working conditions, monopoly etc).
It had an effect not only on myself - to make an ideological whimsy into a real and binding action - putting my skin in the game - but also on the other person who was initially embarrassed, then emboldened. It led to a memorable and positive conversation.
Was the conversation really positive? My first instinct was to think that this is incredibly awkward and harsh for the person that made the effort to buy you a gift; or to speak for myself: I would be pretty pissed if a good friend has a birthday, and I buy them an iPhone from AT&T and they refuse my gift because... <working conditions, monopoly>.
I've previously turned down Amazon gift cards at things like social games nights, quizzes etc in the past and asked instead for the equivalent value to be donated to charity. In this case I think there's less risk of embarrassing the giver (there's no personal connection) but hopefully achieves something similar to your intent.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boycott
They were organized of course, which starts by communicating your cause and action to other individuals.
This person had no idea about your beliefs and you pick the receipt of a gift as the moment to inform them through rejection? That seems rather mean for something where Bezos has already been paid.
"Watch the Internet break" basically makes this a non-starter for everyone.
I find that most people I talk to are drawn to Amazon simply because Amazon has managed to set an expectation of fast deliver, often as little as same-day delivery in areas that have a warehouse nearby (like the one I live in). I make every effort to shop local, or find alternative places to order online, but one cannot argue the convenience Amazon has created when it comes to speed and selection. I say that being an old fart who remembers when 6-8 weeks was standard delivery time.
Note I am not defending Amazon, abd frankly, I despise what they have done. The warehouse in my town was build about 6 years ago, and it has definitely had an impact on small businesses combined with the presence of chain retail giants. In most cases, when I need a specific tool for a job, or am trying to find out-of-season product (both happened recently), I have no choice but to turn to Amazon.
This may speak to the larger problem of the busy life we have built (or allowed to be built for us?), but perhaps that is another discussion.
- Shipping times are faster than Amazon. I do consistently see same-day delivery, whereas Amazon almost never did, and had frequent delays (in my area)
- Less of a problem with comingling / fakes
- Returns work better.
- So far, no broken / damaged packaging. Amazon would e.g. toss delicate items, a heavy bottle of detergent, and sharps in the same box with no packaging, with the expected results.
On the downside:
- It's slightly more expensive. On the whole, went accounting for broken / damaged items, fakes, etc., I still think I come out ahead.
- Less selection of esoteric items. I just order those from Aliexpress, Amazon, or eBay (and wait until I get up to $35 free shipping for the former). Amazon never shipped those quickly in either case.
This was not based on unions or ethics. Amazon worked great for me through 2020. It broke in 2020, and since then, I've had consistent issues. Customer service is also no longer empowered to resolve issues.
In Blighty, Argos.
No counterfeit stuff (which frankly, should be a given), same day delivery and a good network of bricks'n'mortar shops (with pick-up and drop-off) if you need it.
https://www.hrmagazine.co.uk/content/news/argos-buzz-bingo-a...
https://www.derbytelegraph.co.uk/news/business/union-takes-l...
Otherwise, eBay is quite good around my area.
Amazon does this too. My fiancée frequently places one order for 5-6 items and receives 3-4 different packages throughout the week.
I cancelled Prime about 6 months ago and I thought it would be difficult, but it's actually been fine.
I shopped at Whole Foods for over a decade and there are staples I thought I couldn't find elsewhere. I discovered through a combination of Trader Joe's, my local grocery store, and Aldi, I found replacements for everything, items I like better, and I save way more money!
As for non-grocery items, I'll often try to buy from the manufacturer directly, even if that means paying a little bit more. If I can't find something directly, I'll check Walmart, Target or other established retailers and usually can find something for a comparable price.
I've also made a slow shift to buying used items. For books, on eBay I can often find them used, in like-new condition for a fraction of the cost at Amazon and with free shipping. It's a gamble and sometimes I get books with highlighted pages or cosmetic damage, but it's rare.
And when Amazon is only the cost effective way to purchase something or I can only find it on Amazon, I'll wait until I can hit $25 for free shipping and wade through Amazon's dark patterns in the checkout process. Turns out, "standard shipping" still ships in 2 days because I'm guessing logistically it's better to just keep inventory flowing with all other Prime purchases. My wife managed PTO orders for teachers at our local school through their non-Prime Amazon account... guess what, every order shipped "early" anyway and received within 2 days. Prime is kind of a scam IMO if fast shipping is the draw (although I never utilized other value-add services like Prime Video or Music).
When someone asks me about Amazon and I mention I don't have Prime, I often get shocked responses. I'm not trying to actively dissuade people from Amazon/Prime if they like it, but I'm hoping it will get people thinking.
Convenience is a hell of a drug.
I guess my point still stands where I'm not buying all my eggs from 1 marketplace.
Amazon succeeds by extracting ruthlessly in all domains. Generally when people understand the scope of these issues, it's only the Land acolytes and the psychopaths who consider Amazon's rise as "progress" unqualified.
Out of all the big tech companies out there, Amazon is the one that delivers the most value to me. I have my gripes with them, but overall I pay them and they send a product I want to my house and that's it.
I am also not fond of unions and understand their position. Them trying to prevent unions from forming in their company isn't something I'm up in arms about, I'd do the same thing if I ran a big company.
I can understand this stance from the POV of a strong armed union monopolizing an industry and preventing small struggling businesses from making ends meet.
These are but lowly workers being exploited by a large corporation that makes hand-on-fist even in hard times. The power imbalance is huge and the cost of a wage increase so small respectively, I can't quite grok why you'd not be for it.
There's a strong push in the media for this, when that happens I get suspicious.
And again, I'm just generally opposed to unions. I don't like them, I don't think they are usually a positive development.