My Year Without Amazon
Exactly one year ago today, I made my last purchase with Amazon. I made a commitment that I would no longer spend money with the corporate giant, and I have stuck to that goal for the past 12 months. I didn’t just give up Amazon Prime; I gave up Amazon altogether. I’ve never boycotted a company before; I’m not typically one to subscribe to the so-called “cancel culture” we live in. In fact, I often roll my eyes at consumer outrage as people foam at the mouth over the latest faux pas. To be sure, there are multiple reasons why people might want to stop doing business with Amazon: collecting user data by eavesdropping on customers’ conversations, intentionally and ruthlessly undercutting its competition, displacing city residents and impacting rent prices and traffic, finding loopholes to get out of paying taxes, Jeff Bezos’ immense wealth (especially when one considers how little of it he gives away, relatively speaking) or personal indiscretions. As a writer, I’ve spent years following Amazon’s rather acrimonious relationship with the publishing world as well as how the company can make things more difficult for people in my profession. And as a metropolitan Seattle resident, I’ve met many Amazon employees (current and former) at the corporate level — all except one person told me that they hated working there. I could go on, but think I may have already reached my hyperlink quota for 2020. Those things may have moved others, but none of those things are what drove me to this point. What ultimately made me renounce my ties (minuscule though they may be) with the company was the way that the company treats its employees.
I am neither anti-growth nor completely anti-capitalism. I don’t jump on the corporate bashing bandwagon just because a company is successful and the CEO’s refrigerator probably cost more than my college tuition. What does bother me though, is cruelty. After the NY Times article came out describing a toxic work environment, I slowly began withdrawing my support. When subsequent reports came out of reprehensible (unsettling at best) workplace conditions in Amazon warehouses, I was even more horrified. I later learned of Amazon not paying its laborers that well (even though they can certainly afford to) and even using drivers’ own tip money to cover their base pay. All in the name of profit, people are exploited and undervalued. Amazon is unyielding. And for all its impressive visionary leadership, it is concurrently myopic in terms of its own workforce. The more articles I read about Amazon, the more affirmed I am in my decision.
In addition to feeling good about the boycott, I found value in some other ways:
I exercised patience
Two-day shipping is amazing but unnecessary for the majority of items that I was ordering. Nothing was so life or death that I couldn’t wait the standard week or so for a package to arrive, like I did in the good ol’ days before Prime. In most cases, if I needed something sooner I could just go to the store. I concede that it’s less convenient and means I may actually have to interact with other human beings, but it’s not so bad. I don’t need instant gratification.
I remembered Mom & Pop
This year, I supported many businesses directly, several of which were local and/or small. Without them having to pay Amazon a percentage of my purchase, the businesses were able to reap more of the profits. Amazon doesn’t need my money; mom & pop businesses benefitted way more from my contributions.
I saved money
It’s not that I lacked discipline when shopping before, but there were definitely occasions when shopping on Amazon where I would spend a higher amount than I otherwise would have, piling a hodge podge of disparate things (bring me my deodorant, phone case, earrings and brown sugar, Amazon!) into my shopping cart that I didn’t necessarily need, or wouldn’t need until later. And it was nice to have fewer cardboard boxes adorning my doorstep this year. The packages that arrive for me now are from purchases that are more intentional; less impulsive.
I reconnected with my first (retail) love
Like Amazon, I’m able to find thousands of products on eBay. Prices are comparable and sometimes even cheaper. And you don’t have to bid on things; most of the eBay items I’ve ordered over the years had a ‘Buy it Now’ option to bypass participating in an auction (though I have won auctions before too — sometimes spending only a few dollars). If you can ignore the fact that eBay’s UI still hasn’t caught up to 2019 yet, it’s something to consider.
The behemoth that we know as Amazon wields great power — they alone comprise almost half of all ecommerce. I just wish they would use their power for good more often. I haven’t been encouraging anyone else to boycott and I definitely don’t judge even the most ardent of Amazon shoppers. But let me just tell you, it feels great not to spend my money there anymore.
Full disclosure: Though I did not personally purchase anything from Amazon this year and nothing was purchased from Amazon on my behalf, I should share that I did live in a household that used Prime. And I watched the following shows on Amazon with others (though not on my account or on my computer): Homecoming, The Man in the High Castle, Jack Ryan, and episode 1 of Carnival Row. Also, I did not personally buy anything from Whole Foods either because Amazon owns them now, but I did knowingly (though not without pause) eat some things at gatherings that had been purchased from Whole Foods. Perhaps in 2020 my boycott will be purer and I won’t be associated with Amazon at all, but for now it’s a start.
