Conflicted about Amazon.

[LuckyCharms]

2 years ago, I remodeled my kitchen (as well as a couple of other rooms). The project took me 9.7 months, according to my spreadsheet. For those who have never remodeled a kitchen...it is difficult and stressful for a DIY person. I'd put it at one of the top 5 stresses in my life. 3 months of those 9.7 months was consumed by research on the computer. The rest was actual work time. The stress related to a kitchen remodel is caused by the following: having to worry about tolerances and clearances, having to measure everything 5 times before you order material (you waste a lot of money if you order the wrong size of something), and having to buy many specialized tools and parts (hinges, hinge mounting plates, knobs, pulls, LED strip lighting, LED can lights, belt sander paper, dowel center set, shelf liners, vent covers, ceiling fans, spray adhesive, etc... you get the idea). So many tools and parts.

Coincidentally, I had happened to join Amazon about 6 months before starting the remodel. As a result, I ordered everything possible from Amazon for the project. This proved to have several benefits such as: the ability to return something and get it replaced quickly if the item was incorrect, the ability to have a central location (my orders page) maintained for all time to see what items I bought, the ability to simply type in a part number or a fragment of a part description and have it instantaneously appear on my computer screen, and the ability to find tools that I have never heard of before to do a non-common task. In short, Amazon saved me a few months of time and a ton of frustration. I most likely would have been able to find every thing that I needed by either going to other websites, or going to brick and mortar stores and asking their staff for help. However, I'd probably still be doing that kitchen if I had done so. In short, Amazon saved me.

That being said, I'm conflicted concerning the treatment of their employees. I don't know what a good answer to this problem is. If Amazon is forced somehow to correct this issue, the cost of doing so will be passed on to the consumer, and they will feel that cost in terms of price, shipping costs, and efficiency. By the same token, having employees work under onerous conditions is not acceptable.

I've been trying to think of possible solutions that could allow local businesses to somehow compete with Amazon in terms of price and service. That would be ideal, but I have not been able to come up with a sustainable business model that would facilitate this competition.

In any case, what I do know is this. Any decisions or applied pressure on Amazon should be done by the consumer, not by the so called POTUS.

[lapfog_1]

1. all things in moderation

For many people, ordering either very common or hard to find items via Amazon is the bees knees.

However, for a *lot* of things, I prefer the "high touch" interaction with mom-and-pop or even chain stores where I can ask real people to answer real questions.

I view Amazon as the Walmart killer. Same low wages. Same or better low prices. Probably fewer employees. A lot of products. Way more selection than Walmart. But I have to wait a day or 10.

That said, sometimes I shop Mom and Pops... sometimes the bigger chains, sometimes (rarely) Walmart, and for some items, Amazon.

[LuckyCharms]

2. I would actually prefer to do all of my shopping,

in the situation I described above, at a locally owned hardware store. However, in this particular case, that would have caused me time and stress, and therefore my health. Maybe the right solution would have been to hire someone else to do it.

[tanyev]

3. Issues could also be handled with laws or regulations, instead of childish tweets from the DOTUS.

[logosoco]

4. We are doing a kitchen remodel!

But we are very low in funds, so we got the bulk of it at the Restore (Habitat for Humanity). I had one cabinet I needed to replace (an old metal one I got for $15 about 20 years ago!), I looked EVERYWHERE for a replacement, the only one that came close was Amazon.

My husband recently needed to replace the lock on his toolbox at work. It is a Craftsman but Sears was not very helpful in finding a new one. He found one finally on Ebay, sold through the Craftsman store. We also went to several stores to find a cover for the top, finally found one Amazon.

So I am thinking stores just don't stock things like they used to, because it is easier for their overhead and the consumers to shop online.

I do agree that here is where trump is showing his best (worst?) about how he does not understand the presidency nor really how this country was made and how it works. He is in it for himself and his family, and those who have kissed his ass regularly.

We need a UBI, but the repubs cannot stand that idea. They don't care about the people in this country any more than what they need to do to get votes and run their businesses with as low of pay as they can get away with.