If you don't like how Amazon treats its workers, then never order from them.

[Stuart G]

I don't and never have, and never will..
In relation to this story where 6 workers were killed in Edwardsville Illinois at a Amazon wherehouse

https://www.democraticunderground.com/10142840332

[PTWB]

1. If we refuse to shop from companies and corporations we dislike...

there will be nearly no one left to shop from. I don’t like their business practices either but there really isn’t a good alternative.

[Stuart G]

2. I am sure there are other places to order from..Are there?

I had a Pontiac once (General Motors car, they no longer make) and it broke down somewhere in the middle of
Wyoming. I had to wait 3 days while the local dealer ordered parts to fix it.......

So, I in 2014, (changed from 1914) bought a Toyota instead. One that was built in the U.S.A. by American workers. Still runs ok, kinda old .but so am I...I don't run no more, I walk, and walk, and walk some more..So I still go, and it still goes to.

[budkin]

3. 1914! Wow!

Props on the regular maintenance!

[Stuart G]

4. MISTAKE, MISTAKE...& MISTAKE....2014...i HAVE MADE THE CHANGE....(another mistake?)

..............oh my...another mistake...oh well..Is that why erasers on pencils?

.....................Is that why the delete key is on the computer....just asking before I hide..

[malaise]

18. LOL

[inthewind21]

23. I still drive

my 2009 Toyota. It runs perfect and has never been in the shop for anything. Only regular maintenance items, tires, brakes etc.

[Emrys]

17. I just use eBay instead.

It has its own issues, but I can count my bad experiences over many years on the fingers of one hand, I've always received refunds if something's gone wrong, and I can usually find items there cheaper than Amazon, including books, which used to be Amazon's specialty.

Your argument, taken to its logical conclusion, would run counter to we as consumers having any way of encouraging vendors to improve their employment practices.

[Torchlight]

31. So you say

But people often say many things; some true and supported by evidence, some not and merely asserted.

[catsudon]

52. right, boycotts does not really work

look at how well chik fil a is doing

[VarryOn]

5. My house gets deliveries from Amazon 4 or 5 days a week...

They make it so damn easy.

I told my wife that our next house will have a loading dock built in.

Hell, even Walmart will deliver now.

I'd guess I've not been in a Walmart in a year. And I live 5 miles from their corporate HQ.

[canetoad]

6. And we wonder

Why the planet is warming.

[Fullduplexxx]

7. Careful someone may ask you to give up something you feel you cant ... cellphone .. facebook ..

Flying... etc

[canetoad]

8. Well, this joke is really on you

I use none of those things. Last flew in the 80s. You should really read the book of Professor Mike Berners-Lee who goes into detail about the carbon footprint of almost everything we do.

And yeah, my life is just brilliant without rampant consumerism, thank you for asking.

[BannonsLiver]

12. LOL

Sounds really dull TBH.

[canetoad]

14. Come on buddy

Define dull. And while you're at it, show me what a fantastic, interesting, fun filled life you have.

[canetoad]

19. Scared?

Who said anything about scared. Are you one of those folk who makes fun of Greta?

My world will disappear at the same rate yours does. But I know I did as much as I could to reduce the ominous, black footprint of human generated carbon on our planet. Grow up, BannonsLiver. Look around you and try to stop treating those who are trying to mitigate warming as if they are freaks. It may do you some good.

[BlackSkimmer]

30. Well, my whole family lives in the British Isles.

So flying will stay on my agenda.,

[canetoad]

37. That's all you've got

Isn't it. You still haven't told me about all the good things in your life and how it is far superior to mine. I'm waiting.

[SCantiGOP]

42. You are being rude and quite aggressive

I don’t like to alert on threads, but it seems you are out to attack people and see how far you can run with the argument.
That’s not how you convert people to your point of view.

[canetoad]

43. Noted

And OF COURSE, Amazon purchases are more important than baby seals.

[malaise]

21. Scared?

Where did she say that?

[soldierant]

45. I assume in the post that ws removed.

[CrackityJones75]

10. Because having 40 cars going to walmart is better than one delivery truck?

[canetoad]

13. One delivery truck how many days a week?

[CrackityJones75]

16. What is the difference?

It is still taking the place of people driving to walmart every day it is on the road. Now make those electric.

[canetoad]

20. How cool is this

GD us piling onto someone who is trying their best to do something about global warming. Have a great life buddy.

[Torchlight]

33. Sounds like the difference between six of one and half a dozen of the other.

I think you're limiting yourself to only two possibilities when more exist. Consumer waste and disposable goods for the sake of convenience alone aren't anything to be proud of.

[canetoad]

39. Well said

I know this makes folk uncomfortable; maybe it should.

[Blecht]

22. Which has more of an impact on climate change?

Consider only these two choices.

1. 100 people getting into 100 cars and driving to a store and back.
2. 1 delivery driver delivering 100 packages to 100 homes.

[FSogol]

29. I can stop by a store on my way home from work and not add a single 1/4 mile to my trip.

The delivery van going to my home adds much more carbon.

[PoliticAverse]

40. That would depend on where the van's last or next delivery was. n/t

[CrackityJones75]

9. That won't do shit.

Sorry but it won’t constant pressure and enacting worker protection laws will.

[BannonsLiver]

11. Are people who use Amazon inconsiderate?

Let’s get to the meat of what you wanted to say.

[inthewind21]

24. Lot of

self righteous posts today.

[canetoad]

26. My word it does

And sometimes is just does RIGHTEOUS.

[leftstreet]

27. Yes! Put all Amazon employees out of work!

Never even think of growing a movement that supports workers' rights, never help mount legal challenges to unfair work practices

Just bOyCoTT

[manicdem]

34. OP is correct

I've boycotted Amazon myself. I mostly shop at local stores nowadays and try to support the small businesses as much as I can. These are the people that need help, business owners trying to stay afloat and their employees who need the jobs. I'll shop online once in a while but I try to avoid it if possible.

We have to set the example and show these evil tyrants that we don't need them.

[RobinA]

35. I Try

but it is difficult. I find that I often can't find what I would consider to be basics in the brick and mortar store anymore. Looked high and low for a glass pitcher. Nada. Of course, if I had driven an hour to the outlets I could have found one, but I can't spend my life shopping. Amazon had many. What I try to do is get stuff from the company itself online rather than from Amazon. That works a lot of the time, but there are times when that isn't good either. Amazon is very good about returns, where the online stores can charge you and be slooooow at refunding money. Somethings you can't even find in stores anymore. Paper on which to print photographs. Used to be a whole aisle of it at Best Buy. Now? Maybe one kind or two. For things like that I do use little companies online and have had great luck. Not exactly shopping locally, but shopping with small businesses.

[Happy Hoosier]

36. The problem is...

…. A lot of what I want isn’t carried by local stores. And a lot of local stores are owned by right wing nuts. And when they do have something, they have a poor selection of often only of low quality and it costs a lot more.

[Scrivener7]

44. Chicken or egg? Before Amazon, everything you needed was in a store.

[Happy Hoosier]

47. No... it wasn't.

Before Amazon, I often just couldn't get what I wanted, or I had to travel to big cities. And I had to pay through the nose.

For example, I have unusually wide feet. I haven't been able to get good-fitting shoes off the rack for decades.

Before Amazon I had to pay through the nose to special order shoes (no returns!) that might not fit. With Amazon, I have some variety to choose from and if they don't fit, it's a no-hassle return.

Or if I needed a specialty part to repair my refrigerator, I had to special order through a local appliance shop. And pay so much it was almost worth buying a new one.

When I was quite a large man, I could ONLY get clothes that fit me online, or again, had to travel over an hour to the big city.

These dreamy days of when you get everything you want at a local brick and mortar were simply never real... at least for me.

And like I said.... where I live? Many of the brick and mortar store owners are just to the right of Ayn Rand and very likely treat their employees worse than Amazon ever thought of.

Amazon isn't going away and it's not going to help pretending it will.

[Scrivener7]

48. But somehow you survived to tell your tale. So yes, everything you needed WAS

in a store.

I never said it was going away. I am saying that, for most of history, we managed to live without it.

[Happy Hoosier]

49. LOL.... Okay... whatever....

My point is that using Amazon is MUCH better. I have a huge selection, the prices are lower, I get my special order in 2 days instead of 4-6 weeks and if the shit don't fit, back it goes, no hassle.

We have "managed" without a lot of things in the past. That doesn't mean it was in any way better.

And you didn't address my other point, which is that the local stores are generally paying a LOT less than the nearest Amazon distributor and with NO benefits. And the owners are funneling their profits to the local GQP. How is that better?

[Scrivener7]

53. Do you see, though, that there is a huge price we are paying for that convenience?

And my local stores pay the same or more than Amazon. If your state hasn't raised the minimum, you might want to talk to your reps about that and do some lobbying.

[catsudon]

51. amazon provides

cheap counterfeit legos.

before amazon i'd be spending triple on real legos, with amazon i can stretch my dollars.

and i hate chinese government, i'm a hypocrite on that.

[Scrivener7]

54. How many legos do you need, and how much in social terms are you willing to pay for them?

Look, I use Amazon way too much too. But I am noticing the social cost, and I'm starting to really cut down.

I have begun to only order from them once a month. I put things into my basket as I think of them, and at the end of the month I review what is in there and only order what I still want. I have done this for 2 months. Each time, I have eliminated about 2/3 of the items before I hit the "order" button.

So I am beginning to wonder: Is Amazon a boon, or is it just a venue to make our crazy consumption culture more crazy and consumptive?

[catsudon]

56. it's also not just amazon

aliexpress is not too far behind.

i remember in the 1980's when people were bashing walmart similar to Amazon today.

i wonder if in the future something else would replace amazon. maybe download your products and print it from personal super 3d replicator printer.

[Scrivener7]

57. Uh oh! What's aliexpress? Nevermind! I don't want to know!

[BeckyDem]

38. Me too, there are alternatives and try to be aware of them.

During the pandemic that was hard for people, so I get that as well.

[SharonClark]

41. If I can't find what I need at my local

grocery or hardware store then I usually go on Amazon where I can find what I want from among hundreds of options. No driving from store to store and coming home frustrated. Love the convenience, selection, time-saving, and prices.

[Scrivener7]

46. Those are my reasons, but I'm trying to stop. I at least

look at other retailers to deliver, and a Target is coming to my neighborhood that I am hoping will help cure me if my Amazon habit. But many long established stores have closed near me and I am certain it is because they couldn't compete with Amazon.

I think I might feel differently if Amazon workers had a union. That would revolutionize retail in a positive direction.

[Happy Hoosier]

50. I hear ya.... BUT...

How many local stores have a unionized workforce these days.

Back in the day I shopped at a grocery store that was unionized. But there are none here in deep red Indiana.

Most of the local brick an mortars pay less than Amazon.

[Scrivener7]

55. Maybe in Indiana they pay less than Amazon. Where I live that is not the case.

You ought to do something about that.

And the local stores include workers and owners. In the day of the local store, a worker could go work for another owner, and the owners had to treat their employees decently to keep them. In many places now, Amazon is the only game in town. And Amazon is an army of workers with little power against an all powerful corporate structure. Right now the workers are often treated abusively. There are umpteen reports that show us that. If there was a union, they'd have a little more leeway to fight against that.

[sir pball]

58. You should also be aware of Amazon Web Services.

They are, by far, the largest "cloud computing"/Web services provider, with a full third of the market.

Pretty much any major site these days uses at least something from them (that's why you'll see the occasional headline about "Amazon going down" and taking a large swath of the Web with them); they're arguably more of a driver for Amazon's size and power, as opposed to the retail aspect - Wal-Mart gets more money from selling crap than Amazon does.

Anybody know if DU uses any AWS products?