Amazon Boycott, Anyone?

Hi all,

If anyone here is interested in working on boycotting Amazon, I'd love to start a thread to support each other as we do that. I feel Jeff Bezos has every right to turn the Washington Post into a right-wing rag if he wants, but I don't have to support it (I'm cancelling my subscription). I have further qualms about the union-busting he does and the way he treats his workers. I can easily find sources in a few days for all the troubling information about him, but can't today.

That said, I'm totally addicted to Amazon. I know I won't be able to go cold turkey. But I may start with just 15 no-Amazon days in March. I hope I can do more, but I want to set a realistic goal.

Anybody want to join?

Here's one link to ponder: https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/con...y-better-uses/

These tax cuts he is advocating for and benefitting from are taking from the lower and middle classes and giving to billionaires.

Thanks for the link, I will check it out.

I'm definitely boycotting tomorrow on Economic Blackout day. I like your idea of 15 days, too.

Nope. I get stuff where I want to.

Nope, I watch too much on Amazon prime and order from Amazon when I need to.
Edit it to add:

but echase, cutting in half what you order or use Amazon for sounds like a good approach.

I can do 15 days

I'm definitely doing the Feb 28th boycott. I'm playing around with boycotting Amazon/cancelling my membership. Haven't decided yet.

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There's also another boycott: Shutdown315, which is a boycott on March 15, but it also involves a whole bunch of things, like moving money to local banks, no shopping, no traveling, no subscriptions.

It would be pretty easy for me to boycott Amazon and other big box stores for 14 days, not counting my prepaid Amazon Prime and Music, but maybe not a huge priority. It's most likely just postponing things on my wish lists, but I don't buy a lot of things This is the first I've heard of it and I keep up pretty well with mainstream news, so I wonder how much it got around and how many will participate. I don't do social media, except this. I get by Whole Foods every week or two and as far as I'm concerned they run a decent business regardless of Bezos, so that's an exception.

I am doing the Feb 28 boycott (amazon included) as I like the idea of the People's Union uprising. I rarely shop at amazon anymore - mostly cheap quality stuff.

I'm glad there are others to join. I'm boycotting tomorrow but am not hopeful that it will have much of an impact. I do have hope that more of us gradually extricating ourselves from Amazon will have an impact in the long run.

I'm doing the boycott thing today. I assume it's more of a symbolic gesture than anything else, but easy enough for me to do.
I've been trying for awhile to move away from Amazon. I try to check eBay first, since a lot of small sellers use both platforms.

One thing I thought of to limit Amazon and I did for a couple of months and might go back to was to buy an Amazon gift card with cash, then limit myself to using that as a source of payment, so it kept impulse purchases way down, and kept the amount down, but if I needed something I could get it. We are really rural so lots of times that is the only way to find something like an appliance part or supplements, although I could buy those online from different vendors, too.

Outlier here …. don’t have Amazon account and only purchase things there a few times a year. Make sure have minimum amount so get free shipping.

We have Amazon Prime. TV Prime we could probably do without. Kindle Unlimited could not do without. Many authors I follow are only there. 3 of us in the family use it almost every day. Mom is not close so it is difficult to use the library for her.

Purchases: Just the cost of driving around or time spent trying to search out items on the internet would keep me on Amazon (as well as the free shipping). Our purchases tend to be fairly unusual like heated knee warmers, leak proof coffee mugs, specialty labels, etc.

Now with Joann going out of business, I can see myself using Amazon for more basic sewing supplies. I already do careful buying of rotary blades on Amazon. Hard to keep away from counterfeit so I only buy on card with English or Japanese print.

I have bought quantities of hot chocolate mixes and coffee pods when the price is equal or lower than grocery shop sale price. But that is the only "food" item I can remember.

So we have already limited our purchasing which is our best advice.

I don't have Prime but do buy from Amazon. I have their credit card and use their cash-back to pay for most of our items. I hate shopping in general. Much like sweetana3, I really appreciate the ability to purchase sesame oil, magazine and postcard sleeves, paper repair tape, specific low carb/gluten free pasta, and Harney's teas - all at the same time and place, instead of going to 5 separate stores and still not finding exactly what we need/want. The museum I volunteer at uses it for many items for gift shop resale, office, cleaning, and repair supplies, etc. and people can donate to us by purchasing/sending these items off our wish list, which is really convenient. I won't buy anything today, boycott or not, as I just don't need anything at the moment. As much as I believe in shopping local and supporting small businesses, which we do when we can, much of what we buy just can't be sourced locally.

I have been very sparingly using Amazon. I am doing the no spend/stay off media today. Except for this site and email. But 15 days without Amazon is easy for me so I am not really sacrificing any thing. But it may make an impact for the March 15 one. Our local banks keep getting bought out...Then there are the credit cards. Whew! I paid cash for lunch out yesterday but the credit card for gas. It's hard to change habits.

Today is “break up boxes day quote and take them to recycling. Ugh. Too much Amazon buying. well not exclusively Amazon, I’ve been getting a fair amount from Etsy lately too

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Originally Posted by sweetana3

Now with Joann going out of business, I can see myself using Amazon for more basic sewing supplies. I already do careful buying of rotary blades on Amazon. Hard to keep away from counterfeit so I only buy on card with English or Japanese print.
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For sewing tools & supplies (they have rotary cutters for instance, I just checked) I like to order from 123stitch dot com. They're out of TX and their service is top notch and really fast delivery.

I think about how Amazon is a pretty new business model, relatively speaking. I looked at my account, and I was able to scroll as far back as 1995. My first order was December 11, 2002--and I spent $102 on five books--I'm guessing they were Christmas presents.

So in 23 years (one-third of my life) it has become embedded in a way that I now find hard to relinquish. I like the ease and convenience, the data history, the range of items to purchase, and other reasons. I could give up the Prime benefits, and I would definitely not miss Prime video because it's not as good as it used to be. But, "a luxury once tasted becomes a necessity" and, alas, I've found that Amazon comes close to being a luxury-turned-necessity.

But I would love to cut the cord.

As far as shopping local, I'm lucky in that my needs have diminished over the past few years and my area, while rural, is very friendly to small business. I tried a "shop local" personal challenge at Christmas time and it wasn't that hard to simply not shop, and then when I shopped, visit one of the retailers here.

Point is--I did without Amazon for 50 years, and I'm sure I could do without it again.

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Today is “break up boxes day quote and take them to recycling

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On our last visit to DD's, we noted one of the spare bathrooms was literally floor to ceiling amazon boxes waiting to be broken down. The only accessible space was around the toilet. They have deliveries at least 3x a week and I guess are too busy to deal with the boxes.

When we got into my parents' house after they were taken to the hospital on an emergency basis, that was one of the things we noticed--they had stopped breaking down boxes and packaging and the stuff was everywhere. I think a lot of shopping behavior replaces human social behavior. I know we do more shopping than we used to do, for example. Getting older has a lot of loneliness built into it.

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Originally Posted by catherine

I think about how Amazon is a pretty new business model, relatively speaking. I looked at my account, and I was able to scroll as far back as 1995. My first order was December 11, 2002--and I spent $102 on five books--I'm guessing they were Christmas presents.

So in 23 years (one-third of my life) it has become embedded in a way that I now find hard to relinquish. I like the ease and convenience, the data history, the range of items to purchase, and other reasons. I could give up the Prime benefits, and I would definitely not miss Prime video because it's not as good as it used to be. But, "a luxury once tasted becomes a necessity" and, alas, I've found that Amazon comes close to being a luxury-turned-necessity.

But I would love to cut the cord.

As far as shopping local, I'm lucky in that my needs have diminished over the past few years and my area, while rural, is very friendly to small business. I tried a "shop local" personal challenge at Christmas time and it wasn't that hard to simply not shop, and then when I shopped, visit one of the retailers here.

Point is--I did without Amazon for 50 years, and I'm sure I could do without it again.

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Bezos started with books and ran a book selling operation for, what, a decade and a half? Before moving into other products

in my library’s book buying operation we used Amazon in those early days for various kinds of bibliographic information including availability because it was, at the time, better than our main suppliers’ databases. Certainly it was glitzier.
So, I have a soft spot in my heart for Amazon because we used it for years and did not buy books from them, ha ha. I suppose you all would think that’s a great FU to Bezos.

One of the downsides of having Amazon on the web available to everyone is that our library employees would be frustrated when we would tell them “sorry, we can’t get [a particular title.]” And they would whine “ but it’s available on Amazon, just look there! “

The reality of those days was that stock availability didn’t really show on Amazon just the fact that the book existed, once existed, or was scheduled to exist in the future. Lots of pre-publication promotion took place for books that never were published.

A great thing about Amazon and later bibliographic databases was that they blurred the line between the old-fashioned “out of print “ and currently available status. Now it doesn’t really matter whether a book is “in print” with copies available from the publisher because near-new used copies are available all over the place.

I see in the NPR news today they are saying there is another mass of Wash Post subscription cancelations. Probably not to do with any boycott, but economics might be catching up with the boligarchs. I was reading that Tesla sales are down 40% in Europe, in spite of other car brand sales increasing.

okay--i get the non-fiction books i read from like Goodwill or places like that, but not from Bozo & of course don't intend to purchase a Testla even though they make a good street racer yet are q u i e t. This was demonstrated during the cruise nights last year. Yup. But yeah---i'm not actively boycotting anything, right now. Just keeping my level of consumption low. Hope that helps you kids some.

Did today's boycott... no problem. I think I shop Amazon once or twice a year, as I prefer ebay (can usually find the same item for the same price if not cheaper). When I worked for an online retailer, I saw how badly Amazon treated their third party sellers... they are making big bucks off of them! (Our company offered free shipping on EVERYTHING, but Amazon would always charge the shipping if item was sold off their website.)

Anyway, easy for me to NOT use Amazon.

I didn't buy anything today from Amazon or Walmart or Target or Kroger or anywhere else people like to boycott. It had nothing to do with making a statement, I just didn't need anything so please don't give me credit for standing up to evil. I may fall off the wagon tomorrow.

I can't say that I will boycott them. I can't get out of running the restaurant/working seven days a week, but I can limit my public exposure somewhat (stay in the kitchen, let others help customers, not go out to stores but order online for home delivery).
I'm actually having a side effect from the infusion they gave me Monday. Face bright red, "chemo pimples" (not actual pimples), dry skin, etc. Didn't happen immediately while there. Trying to figure out what I need, or if we need to adjust my infusions, won't hear back until Monday, and I expect I may order whatever is needed online.
Going to try to work on some of my estate stuff this week. Bunch of disasters at the restaurant, as well as medical with "ti", that I have had to deal with, didn't leave me much time to do what I had hoped this week.

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Originally Posted by Alan

I didn't buy anything today from Amazon or Walmart or Target or Kroger or anywhere else people like to boycott. It had nothing to do with making a statement, I just didn't need anything so please don't give me credit for standing up to evil. I may fall off the wagon tomorrow.

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Last night, I did reflect on the fact that I most likely would have had a "no spend" day even without the shopping blackout thing going on.

(I placed 36 orders with Amazon in 2024, and 15 of these were for Mom supplies. I don't have Prime).

Well I'm back to Amazon today, ordered new Ukrainian flags.

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Originally Posted by catherine

I think about how Amazon is a pretty new business model, relatively speaking. I looked at my account, and I was able to scroll as far back as 1995. My first order was December 11, 2002--and I spent $102 on five books--I'm guessing they were Christmas presents.

So in 23 years (one-third of my life) it has become embedded in a way that I now find hard to relinquish. I like the ease and convenience, the data history, the range of items to purchase, and other reasons. I could give up the Prime benefits, and I would definitely not miss Prime video because it's not as good as it used to be. But, "a luxury once tasted becomes a necessity" and, alas, I've found that Amazon comes close to being a luxury-turned-necessity.

But I would love to cut the cord.

As far as shopping local, I'm lucky in that my needs have diminished over the past few years and my area, while rural, is very friendly to small business. I tried a "shop local" personal challenge at Christmas time and it wasn't that hard to simply not shop, and then when I shopped, visit one of the retailers here.

Point is--I did without Amazon for 50 years, and I'm sure I could do without it again.

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I totally relate, Catherine. I've gotten very dependent on the ease and convenience. But I look at it like vegetarianism. I haven't given up meat entirely, but I've stopped bothering to try recipes with meat and cook all-vegetarian at home, so I just naturally eat meat very rarely. If I could make small changes - check to see if items I buy regularly and know I'll use are available by mail elsewhere - I can reduce my use of it and hopefully, over time, grow less dependent.

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Originally Posted by early morning

Well I'm back to Amazon today, ordered new Ukrainian flags.

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;)

I did the boycott yesterday and am starting today on 20 no-Amazon days in March, which will be a stretch for me, but hopefully, the beginning of growing less dependent.

I have used Amazon Music + a lot, but dropped it, and signed up for Apple Music. I also unsubscribed from Amazon Prime. Any more their new movies are mostly second rate and I can do without the immediacy of one day delivery. Buying things from Amazon makes my life easier and is probably better for the environment than me running around to various stores. I can be more mindful about shopping at Whole Foods. It's a block off one of my normal routes, but there are alternatives. I don't know if any of it matters.

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Originally Posted by Rogar

I have used Amazon Music + a lot, but dropped it, and signed up for Apple Music. I also unsubscribed from Amazon Prime. Any more their new movies are mostly second rate and I can do without the immediacy of one day delivery. Buying things from Amazon makes my life easier and is probably better for the environment than me running around to various stores. I can be more mindful about shopping at Whole Foods. It's a block off one of my normal routes, but there are alternatives. I don't know if any of it matters.

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I’m letting my Prime subscription lapse at the end of the month, but only because I get groceries via Walmart+ now and a lot of the stuff I would get from Amazon, I can get via Walmart. Other things like Dr Bronners or Republic of Tea, I can order direct and have been. I hardly used Amazon music or video. I mostly use Amazon for Kindle books. I’ve done Apple Music for some years now. I love it.

Another reason I like Walmart delivery from the local store over Amazon is that the plastic bags are much easier to deal either than all the boxes. I use the bags for taking my lunch to work and I give excess to a neighbor for dog poop bags.

The boycott was successful! Target appears to be hardest hit and has been forced to begin downsizing.


https://scontent-lga3-3.xx.fbcdn.net...OA&oe=67CAE8AC

I've made it six days this month without Amazon, though I did have to make purchases from Target and Walmart on one day. My one purchase from Amazon was an audio book from Audible - I had a long drive ahead and hadn't given myself enough time to get it through the library. I still have Prime because the reality of my life is every once in a while my daughter and I need something the next day for school or work, but it feels good to be cutting back.

If you want ebooks or audio books, there are always the options from Apple Books, which also has audio books, if you are on iPhone.

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Originally Posted by Tradd

If you want ebooks or audio books, there are always the options from Apple Books, which also has audio books, if you are on iPhone.

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Thanks, Tradd - I'll check that out.

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Originally Posted by Tradd

If you want ebooks or audio books, there are always the options from Apple Books, which also has audio books, if you are on iPhone.

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Apple: $3.6 trillion market cap, making it the world's most valuable company
Amazon: $2.1 trillion market cap

Is the point just to boycott big business, or is it targeted to Bezos or other oligarch controlled enterprises, or those who have taken a knee to DT? Is the intent to affect sales or profits?