The Amazon Ogre

I wanted to add: I don't want to discourage anyone else from boycotting Amazon. It's just that I have to be very price conscious, and I shop accordingly.
 
MadamSarcastra said:
I have no idea what you're talking about. LMAO :p When I leave the house with my ancient not-so-smart phone, I'll drive a car with no GPS or "smart" features, I'll go to an actual grocery store & pick out what I need... by hand! :eek: LOL
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Same here! Does this mean we're old? :p
 
Wolfie said:
Same here! Does this mean we're old? :p
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Nah, that just means we don't let technology & machinery perform very basic tasks (not including stuff like microwaves & such)... ones that (I believe) should require MY attention, and not that of another. Trust issues? Most definitely. I'm not a fan of being around people, but I can pick out my own damn sh*t. I'm not letting warehouses & drones & computers & mistreated employees pluck out my friggin' groceries for me! I can do that on my own, thanks. I always use the self-checkout, too... I know how to scan & weigh my own items. And I'm in & out of the store within minutes, with exactly what I wanted... no waiting or shipping involved. :p
 
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MadamSarcastra said:
I have no idea what you're talking about. LMAO :p When I leave the house with my ancient not-so-smart phone, I'll drive a car with no GPS or "smart" features, I'll go to an actual grocery store & pick out what I need... by hand! :eek: LOL
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Dash buttons are little, well, buttons that wirelessly order specific items for you when you press them. We have a toilet paper one in the bathroom, a detergent one in the laundry room, cat food in the closet, etc.

And Alexa is the artificial intelligence on the Amazon Echo, which is a voice-controlled device that does everything you'd expect from Siri or somesuch, except she's also able to hook up as a speaker via bluetooth and can - you guessed it - order items for you on Amazon if you ask her.
 
I definitely buy produce and nearly all of the rest of my groceries in person - but I live in an urban area where I have a car, a wide selection of competing grocery stores, farmers markets and co-ops, so it's easy. But there will be times when I want to try a new vegan product I've heard about but haven't seen, and I'll order it from www.veganessentials.com. They'll likely charge me and arm and a leg for cold shipping :rolleyes:, but I feel like I'm supporting a worthwhile company. But for household supplies, my favorite brands of jeans, bras, or underpants, or a quick rainjacket replacement for Kelly because she lost hers, I click a few keys and it's here in two days with Amazon. I love that. I'd much rather order online than drive to a mall or a big box store. I try to be pretty minimalist with my purchases, so when I find something that works for me I tend to stick with it, and then it's easy to buy online.
 
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If I weren't so picky about my groceries and produce I would love to order them online to be delivered (probably through Von's), as even a small amount of grocery shopping exhausts me for the day. I do buy things from Amazon, but not much. Usually things I can't get elsewhere or if the item is significantly cheaper. I order my pet food through Chewy.com and also get it at the grocery store. I understand wanting to boycott them, and I try to buy directly from the seller when I can. I feel the same way about Wal-mart and don't buy from them, even when something is cheaper or they are the only seller.
 
I have an Amazon Prime membership and take advantage of it. I love the free two day shipping and the music and video apps. Prime members get a lot of free music and video. I discovered Meghan Trainor that way. I like her. A lot of the free music tends to be older, though, which is fine with me, since I'm older myself. I've bought food from Amazon but not fresh groceries. I think it's the extra cost that turns me off to Amazon Fresh.

I'm of the opinion that handfuls of people boycotting Amazon won't make much of a dent in their profits because their profit margin is so huge and the company operates in so many different countries. But I understand boycotting Amazon if someone doesn't feel comfortable patronizing the company. I avoid Walmart because there's a lot about Walmart I don't like.
 
I have Amazon Prime as well, and I use it for things I can't find locally. For example, for some reason, my area grocery stores no longer carry the bags of vital wheat gluten I used to buy, so I found them on Amazon, and they were even a couple of bucks cheaper. There are so few ethical companies that treat their employees well that if I boycotted those places, I wouldn't be doing much shopping. Sometimes I feel that no matter what I do, I'm supporting something I shouldn't. For me, I don't like shopping at Walmart, for a number of reasons that could probably apply to so many companies.

I also have the Amazon Echo Dot (a gift from our bosses at work), though I haven't used it for shopping yet. I do get my traffic report every morning, though, and it's great for listening to hockey games that I can't watch on TV because I don't have cable. I probably will use it for ordering at some point. It's super convenient, I must say.
 
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I'd argue lower prices are not always a good thing, as they indicate someone along the line was paid way too little for their labor.

Then again, lower prices mean accessibility to those with little money, who often have little money due to being paid way too little for their labor.

Funny how this **** little system we've set up for ourselves works, huh.
 
FortyTwo said:
I'd argue lower prices are not always a good thing, as they indicate someone along the line was paid way too little for their labor.

Then again, lower prices mean accessibility to those with little money, who often have little money due to being paid way too little for their labor.

Funny how this **** little system we've set up for ourselves works, huh.
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How things are priced rarely reflect either way the conditions of the workplace.
I will buy things like coffee, chocolate and many personal products fair trade but I don't go too far because i can't too far. I buy second hand clothes because (well one reason) I know how bad that industry is, and how bad conventional cotton is for everyone.
There really are so many sides to how we look at manufacturing in other countries. It isn't apples to apples
 
I think boycotting can be a good thing. But I can't boycott everything all the time. People need to pick what the most important issue is to them. I know people who boycott Whole Foods, Starbucks and Walmart for various reasons, like the products they sell or unfair labor standards.
 
I try and boycott Walmart because I hate that place for a myriad of reasons! They do have a knock off brand of Grape Nuts I really like, so if I have a reason to go there I'll get those.
I have seen a lot of recipes to make grape nuts- basically just wheat flour and water you bake. I should try it, I could add a lot of other stuff!
I went there last weekend for motor oil and windshield blades-and grape nuts
 
silva said:
I try and boycott Walmart because I hate that place for a myriad of reasons! They do have a knock off brand of Grape Nuts I really like, so if I have a reason to go there I'll get those.
I have seen a lot of recipes to make grape nuts- basically just wheat flour and water you bake. I should try it, I could add a lot of other stuff!
I went there last weekend for motor oil and windshield blades-and grape nuts
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Your post reminded me of this place where you can get very cheap auto parts. RockAuto
I got windshield wiper blades for under $2.50 each, normally $9.99 each in the store. I also paid $350 for a part that the mechanic wanted to charge me around $500 for. They have clearance sales/closeouts too where the prices are super low.
 
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Calliegirl said:
Your post reminded me of this place where you can get very cheap auto parts. RockAuto
I got windshield wiper blades for under $2.50 each, normally $9.99 each in the store. I also paid $350 for a part that the mechanic wanted to charge me around $500 for. They have clearance sales/closeouts too where the prices are super low.
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Thank you! I forgot about that site! Doesn't help when you need stuff ASAP though, which I really did!
 
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