Must stop ordering from Amazon

[isitsnowingyet]

Anyone else?

I know it's the month before xmas but I've been ordering stuff like a steam cleaner; a cross-stitch thing for me to do in the next lockdown; a coffee mug (possibly good as a gift, but I would quite like it as well); etc etc you're getting the picture. I've also ordered numerous gifts as well...

Need to stop now though, before it gets out of hand

You are keeping ppl in a job, I live near an Amazon warehouse and know lots who work there and plenty who started there after losing jobs through lockdown.
If you can afford it, buy what you need or makes you happy.

I am finding Amazon really useful during lockdown. Most of my christmas shopping so far has come from Amazon- I love it.

I have reached the point where amazon boxes arrive and i cannot remember what i bought

Just Amazon? You are doing fine.

I have no idea what is turning up when...

You could spread your money out and continue to buy from amazon but also buy from other shops / independent shops?

Profits go to the US - hence the US stock prices just met an all time high, thanks to all the online companies there, whereas ours are probably just creeping up a little bit from rock bottom, and us paying more tax as all the shops are gone so no tax from UK retail businesses, except for supermarkets.
All those employed in Am warehouses are the people who once worked in UK stores and all the admin staff/buyers etc which were not Xmas only minimum wage.

AlizarinRed

I am a small trader and sell full time on Amazon.
Amazon allows many small businesses like me to exist and thrive.
Over 50% of items on Amazon are sold by independant companies.
I pay UK tax on my profits and spend my income on local business.

@speakout this is really good to know!

Amazon employees spend their money in the U.K. economy and are paid above min wage.

@SBTLove - haha thanks for that - the steam cleaner will bring joy to my kitchen floor which is grey tiles that have only had the most cursorary of wipes with a cloth...

I guess I can afford it and need to learn not to feel guilty about it. I do feel grateful that I have a steady job.

I have reached the point where amazon boxes arrive and i cannot remember what i bought

Just Amazon? You are doing fine.I have no idea what is turning up when...

Me also. This month especially. My People

I also have Amazon guilt, especially after seeing documentary about how warehouse staff are treated.
But they are so easy to order from just a couple of clicks, so i do order a lot from them.
I do try and buy from other shops did most of my xmas shopping online last night and did buy from high street retailers websites and etsy too.
I also often cant remember whats in a parcel when it arrives, slightly embarrassed by my pile of cardboard boxes by recycling bin!

I’m trying hard to reduce my Amazon usage. A minute or two of googling often finds the same thing at same price (incl P&P) from independent seller so I try and support those instead. If I can’t find an alternative then I do guiltily use Amazon. I always check books against Hive books as they deliver for free but donate to local shops.

@PersonaNonGarter

Just Amazon? You are doing fine.

I have no idea what is turning up when...

Yes, me too.

At least with Amazon I can check back on my orders so have some idea of what I’m expecting.

I’ve done lots of Christmas shopping with little online businesses as well this this and have completely lost track.

I had a Viking drinking horn turn up the other day. God knows what I was thinking. I can only assume it was the night I cracked open the mulled wine

JoeWicksSurvivor but when you buy from Amazon you are very often buying from an independant seller.

Do you use Smile Amazon? That way you can benefit a charity.

I am a small trader and sell full time on Amazon.
Amazon allows many small businesses like me to exist and thrive

www.inc.com/jason-aten/amazon-manipulating-search-results-compete-algorithm-in-house-brands.html

I had a Viking drinking horn turn up the other day. God knows what I was thinking. I can only assume it was the night I cracked open the mulled wine

Sorry posted too soon. If you search on Bing you will find articles like the above. If Amazon was a charity 'supporting small businesses' it wouldn't have made billions last year. It is a business and if it suits it financially to support small businesses it will, if it can tweak algorithms to favour it's own profits it does.
I'm not saying it's all bad but for the whole country/world to depend on a megalith Californian conglomerate for all it's purchases is risky in the long run to say the least.
The US is threatening to boycott France in different ways because it wants to put a tax on online shopping. So we will have to buy stuff through them or they might stop buying planes/ whisky etc from us. Not a great position to be in.

I still shop with Amazon but apart from the kindle books I try to make sure I buy from small retailers in the UK - I look to see if they have a website of their own first and if they do I order from there.

@speakout is it better to order direct or via Amazon if ordering direct is an option - I thought direct might mean you get a bigger share of the profit but what works out financially most cost effective for you?

Similar here, things just keep turning up! 😳

@JoeWicksSurvivor

I’m trying hard to reduce my Amazon usage. A minute or two of googling often finds the same thing at same price (incl P&P) from independent seller so I try and support those instead. If I can’t find an alternative then I do guiltily use Amazon. I always check books against Hive books as they deliver for free but donate to local shops.

Hive is worth a link, it employs people in the same way as Amazon but also pays UK tax. www.hive.co.uk/

You can order from other people, and next week go shopping in person. Or even do as I do and if they mention who supplies something (especially books) then order from the bookseller directly.

uk.bookshop.org/
You can order from your local bookshop. Book is sent from a central depot and v quick delivery. But profits go to the bookshops who provide a recommended reading list.

In my opinion Amazon has too much business, plus they don't pay their Tax , so I try and find somewhere else to order it from, somewhere local if I can. Same with eBay.

Don't feel bad about ordering from Amazon OP. We have a huge distribution warehouse near us that employs almost 2000 people. They are absolutely helping our local economy.

Yes, buy local where possible, and yes Amazon's HQ is in the States where all their profits go, but they do benefit the UK too.