> I'm not judging anyone for using Amazon instead of buying from a store
Given Amazon's labor practices, maybe you should be.
Given Amazon's labor practices, maybe you should be.
Union busting? Piss bottles? Intrusive tracking with zero tolerance for shortfalls? Poor safety? Low pay?
That's rampant everywhere.
There are exceptions, but they make the rule and the exceptions only apply to direct employees so you have to dig, take time, do research, verify certifications/audits, spend more money, and wait longer, to truly avoid abusive companies.
Shopping at unionized Costco doesn't count for shit. That gallon of ketchup you bought was made by someone pissing in a bottle on a dangerous production line.
Please note: I'm not saying it's right. It is not right.
What I'm saying is that people SEEM to be saying "Amazon sucks brah <they clap their hands together like they're knocking dust off> I don't use 'em" and then they're shopping at Target, where the distribution centers and stores are filled with poorly-paid workers pissing in bottles in between safety stand downs because an unsupervised and poorly-trained worker died crushed between a manlift and a wall: https://www.sungazette.com/uncategorized/2024/11/muncy-targe...
If anyone wants to compete in the smug olympics, I'm the unholy lovechild of Usain Bolt and Michael Phelps when it comes to only buying union-made/public benefit corporation/domestic/local products.
Simultaneously, I recognize that not everyone makes as much as I do so Walmart or Amazon may be their only option.
[Citation needed]
We can care about both things.
How many people working in China would find it a dream to work in an Amazon warehouse? I know about Amazon practices second hand from my step son who has both worked in an Amazon warehouse and as a driver.
There have been plenty of stories about small towns having labor shortages and having to increase wages to compete against Amazon warehouse pay because people would rather work there than at a fast food store, daycare, etc.
That's where you didn't share the concern.
Amazon is just one of the nails in the coffin, and if it didn't exist there are still 50 others holding it shut.
We've seen most retail stores fail to convert from a physical to mixed physical+online format.
The number of items a successful electronics store needs is huge. The small mall format wasn't going to work.
For a while, people were sure Barnes and Noble was doomed, but recently they've done a big turnaround, even opening new stores. Anecdotally, the ones I've been to in recent years do seem nicer and more attractive than previously. Maybe there's a lesson in how they were able to stay alive.
It helps that books have become Veblen lifestyle collectibles for (mostly) younger women, and there are entire subcultures on social media dedicated to promoting the lifestyle.