4 ms·

So what do we do about this? Should I cancel my Prime membership and never order from Amazon again?

by mwcampbell 8y ago

donkey-hotei 8y ago
Yes.
arentiright 8y ago
https://www.facebook.com/Maher/videos/10155744641847297/ https://www.facebook.com/Maher/videos/10155744641847297/
- mwcampbell 8y ago
  Can you explain why you brought up that video? Are you saying that boycotting Amazon is merely a symbolic move?
  - arentiright 8y ago
    It's a hollow symbolic move that doesn't produce real change.
djsumdog 8y ago
I stopped shopping at Wal-Mart in 2009 and I stopped shopping at Amazon when I returned to the US a few years ago. But I realize these are symbolic. You can't affect a company by purchasing decisions. I still shop at Whole Foods even after the buyout. The idea you can vote with your dollars is bullshit and ignores the power these companies have with their advertising.
- macspoofing 8y ago
  >The idea you can vote with your dollars is bullshit It's not. You're just annoyed noone is 'voting' with you.
  - sincerely 8y ago
    I think the idea is that a company with enough money (who hasn't done something that people would viscerally consider horrible) can influence enough people through advertising that the well-informed consumers "voting with their dollars" don't make a meaningful difference.
    - macspoofing 8y ago
      Is it really advertising that's at fault here? OP has a big issue with WalMart. I don't have a problem with WalMart at all. WalMart is an inevitability in a world where selection pressure rewards increased efficiency and lower costs. The most natural way to achieve that is through scale and centralization. But OP is clearly ideology driven and has a warped view of WalMart as some sort of super villian, that most normal people don't. He is confused why nobody follows him in his boycott and scapegoats advertising.
ocdtrekkie 8y ago
I would, in general, recommend cancelling Prime. You can get better deals often elsewhere, so you might as well remove the default-to-Amazon behavior Prime gives you. You can still order on Amazon with free shipping for orders over $25 anyways. And Walmart will do free two-day shipping for orders over $25, making Prime mostly useless. Add some ship to store options for Target and Best Buy... There's nice non-Prime options out there.
- arentiright 8y ago
  Be honest.. although not always the cheapest.. Does anybody keep your credit card safer than Amazon online? And who wants to sign up for a new account with some random company. If the shit hits the fan, Amazon will cover me as a customer.
  - ocdtrekkie 8y ago
    1. Amazon has a HUGE scamming problem right now. Fraudulent listed items are a big deal, combined with legitimate listings, so it's hard not to get suddenly overcharged or sold a cheap knockoff. Your credit card number might be safer, but your actual money probably isn't. 2. You're not responsible for fraudulent charges, so worrying about major retailers having your credit card number isn't really reasonable. I don't recommend saving your credit card in any store website. Enter it each time so they can't store it.
- djsumdog 8y ago
  You can do a search for "Is Prime Worth It" and there are a couple of journalist that break down average purchases vs using the free three day shipping. Unless you purchase a lot of things and use a lot of services (video/music streaming) it doesn't seem worth the price for the average consumer. Most people lose money on it, but they stay subscribed because they've had it for years.
maoistinquisitr 8y ago
A tariff or tax regime indexed on real wages and also environmental protection is necessary. Selling things in the USA profitably on the basis of cheap labor in countries with weak environmental and labor protection should not be so simple. A tariff program is probably not even necessary because overwhelmingly American corporations can simply be taxed for their import activities in a VAT manner and the problem goes away.
- jeffbax 8y ago
  That is the lefts way of saying "only immigrants from Norway" It would devastate the poor worldwide. Nations that are rich are the only ones that can spend to care about the environment. If you want clean air in India and China you want a middle class that demands it because they're not starving.
whatsstolat 8y ago
Yes, then listen to Jameroqui
- mwcampbell 8y ago
  Can you please provide a link? A web search doesn't turn up anything that seems relevant.
  - booleandilemma 8y ago
    I think they’re referring to Jamiroquai, maybe the album “Automaton” in particular. Jay Kay described the inspiration for Automaton: "in recognition of the rise of artificial intelligence and technology in our world today and how we as humans are beginning to forget the more pleasant, simple and eloquent things in life and in our environment including our relationship with one another as human beings" https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Automaton_(album) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Automaton_(album)
    - whatsstolat 8y ago
      Interesting thanks I was actually thinking of the lyrics of https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virtual_Insanity https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virtual_Insanity
JackCh 8y ago
Pirate all your books from Library Genesis. Nobody getting paid is true equality.

So what do we do about this? Should I cancel my Prime membership and never order from Amazon again?

donkey-hotei 8y ago

Yes.

arentiright 8y ago

https://www.facebook.com/Maher/videos/10155744641847297/ https://www.facebook.com/Maher/videos/10155744641847297/

mwcampbell 8y ago
Can you explain why you brought up that video? Are you saying that boycotting Amazon is merely a symbolic move?
- arentiright 8y ago
  It's a hollow symbolic move that doesn't produce real change.

djsumdog 8y ago

I stopped shopping at Wal-Mart in 2009 and I stopped shopping at Amazon when I returned to the US a few years ago. But I realize these are symbolic. You can't affect a company by purchasing decisions. I still shop at Whole Foods even after the buyout. The idea you can vote with your dollars is bullshit and ignores the power these companies have with their advertising.

macspoofing 8y ago
>The idea you can vote with your dollars is bullshit It's not. You're just annoyed noone is 'voting' with you.
- sincerely 8y ago
  I think the idea is that a company with enough money (who hasn't done something that people would viscerally consider horrible) can influence enough people through advertising that the well-informed consumers "voting with their dollars" don't make a meaningful difference.
  - macspoofing 8y ago
    Is it really advertising that's at fault here? OP has a big issue with WalMart. I don't have a problem with WalMart at all. WalMart is an inevitability in a world where selection pressure rewards increased efficiency and lower costs. The most natural way to achieve that is through scale and centralization. But OP is clearly ideology driven and has a warped view of WalMart as some sort of super villian, that most normal people don't. He is confused why nobody follows him in his boycott and scapegoats advertising.

ocdtrekkie 8y ago

I would, in general, recommend cancelling Prime. You can get better deals often elsewhere, so you might as well remove the default-to-Amazon behavior Prime gives you. You can still order on Amazon with free shipping for orders over $25 anyways. And Walmart will do free two-day shipping for orders over $25, making Prime mostly useless. Add some ship to store options for Target and Best Buy... There's nice non-Prime options out there.

arentiright 8y ago
Be honest.. although not always the cheapest.. Does anybody keep your credit card safer than Amazon online? And who wants to sign up for a new account with some random company. If the shit hits the fan, Amazon will cover me as a customer.
- ocdtrekkie 8y ago
  1. Amazon has a HUGE scamming problem right now. Fraudulent listed items are a big deal, combined with legitimate listings, so it's hard not to get suddenly overcharged or sold a cheap knockoff. Your credit card number might be safer, but your actual money probably isn't. 2. You're not responsible for fraudulent charges, so worrying about major retailers having your credit card number isn't really reasonable. I don't recommend saving your credit card in any store website. Enter it each time so they can't store it.
djsumdog 8y ago
You can do a search for "Is Prime Worth It" and there are a couple of journalist that break down average purchases vs using the free three day shipping. Unless you purchase a lot of things and use a lot of services (video/music streaming) it doesn't seem worth the price for the average consumer. Most people lose money on it, but they stay subscribed because they've had it for years.

maoistinquisitr 8y ago

A tariff or tax regime indexed on real wages and also environmental protection is necessary. Selling things in the USA profitably on the basis of cheap labor in countries with weak environmental and labor protection should not be so simple. A tariff program is probably not even necessary because overwhelmingly American corporations can simply be taxed for their import activities in a VAT manner and the problem goes away.

jeffbax 8y ago
That is the lefts way of saying "only immigrants from Norway" It would devastate the poor worldwide. Nations that are rich are the only ones that can spend to care about the environment. If you want clean air in India and China you want a middle class that demands it because they're not starving.

whatsstolat 8y ago

Yes, then listen to Jameroqui

mwcampbell 8y ago
Can you please provide a link? A web search doesn't turn up anything that seems relevant.
- booleandilemma 8y ago
  I think they’re referring to Jamiroquai, maybe the album “Automaton” in particular. Jay Kay described the inspiration for Automaton: "in recognition of the rise of artificial intelligence and technology in our world today and how we as humans are beginning to forget the more pleasant, simple and eloquent things in life and in our environment including our relationship with one another as human beings" https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Automaton_(album) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Automaton_(album)
  - whatsstolat 8y ago
    Interesting thanks I was actually thinking of the lyrics of https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virtual_Insanity https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virtual_Insanity

JackCh 8y ago

Pirate all your books from Library Genesis. Nobody getting paid is true equality.