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You may see it differently having profited but I think good riddance. Shoppers shouldn't get the false sense they're doing something good by buying at Amazon. W

You may see it differently having profited but I think good riddance. Shoppers shouldn't get the false sense they're doing something good by buying at Amazon. We spend $100 and they donate 50 cents but the remaining 99.5% of the money is spent in ways that do not benefit us common folk, often to the contrary. Better to be mindful what and where you buy, shopping at Amazon and then letting them do a small donation seems a bit like they're handing out indulgence certificates. People can make donations in their own name and get tax deductions for it, unlike with Smile where Amazon claims the deductions for itself. And why should a giant multinational corporation decide for us a list of eligible donation receivers? Some of those "charities" are very questionable and I doubt the average customer looks much into if what they do with the money even aligns with their own vision of a better world.

themitigating 4y ago
People could donate before Amazon Smile existed why would that increase now it's gone? I'm sure many people like the ease of donating through this program. Finally the last part of your comment is so disturbing. "I doubt the average customer looks much into if what they do with the money even aligns with their own vision of a better world."
- andirk 4y ago
  Why is that disturbing? There are a lot of "non-profit" "charities" that are corrupt.
  - themitigating 4y ago
    "I doubt the average customer looks much into if what they do with the money even aligns with their own vision of a better world" Where does this say anything about corrupt charities.
    - andirk 4y ago
      Says "looks much into if what they do with the money". Corruption means doing bad things with the money, which is what most people don't look much into. Sentences.
- nulbyte 4y ago
  > I'm sure many people like the ease of donating through this program. This is exactly the controversy. Customers are not making donations in these types of programs. Whether a portion of the proceeds are donated or not, the customer pays the same price. Hence, all of it is the retailer's income. The customer only influences to whom the retailer donates and how much. And because the customer is not the donor in the transaction, organizations do not get contact information. Despite this arrangement, customers often consider themselves a donor anyway, and some have argued this can lead to a reduction in overall donations as a result. > Finally the last part of your comment is so disturbing. It is disturbing. Myths abound, and organizations sometimes struggle to educate donors about the basics of philanthropy, especially the larger numbers of donors with smaller pockets. https://www.huffpost.com/entry/why-amazon-is-smiling-and_b_4360405 https://www.huffpost.com/entry/why-amazon-is-smiling-and_b_4... In the case of AmazonSmile, I think it's hit or miss. Plenty of organizations get paltry payouts. We've averaged less than $20 a quarter since we've been participating over the last four years, and almost of third of those quarters had no payout at all.
- UberFly 4y ago
  How is that even disturbing? Can you elaborate?
  - themitigating 4y ago
    That they use their view of the world in order to determine who to donate to
    - thatguy0900 4y ago
      This doesn't make sense to me. Charities arnt just magically forces for good. I'm sure there are a great deal of charities who do things you would consider to be bad things, as their entire mission statement. And I'm sure some of those charities have names that sound very good on a Amazon smile list.
sincarne 4y ago
Tax deductions for charitable donations are not a thing everywhere in the world. Here in the UK it kind of is, but the charity has to claim it, ands back 25p on each £1. But more to your point: I have six committed monthly donors for the PTFA for which I’m treasurer. I have at least a couple dozen individuals signed up for AmazonSmile and Easy Fundraising.

themitigating 4y ago

People could donate before Amazon Smile existed why would that increase now it's gone? I'm sure many people like the ease of donating through this program. Finally the last part of your comment is so disturbing. "I doubt the average customer looks much into if what they do with the money even aligns with their own vision of a better world."

andirk 4y ago
Why is that disturbing? There are a lot of "non-profit" "charities" that are corrupt.
- themitigating 4y ago
  "I doubt the average customer looks much into if what they do with the money even aligns with their own vision of a better world" Where does this say anything about corrupt charities.
  - andirk 4y ago
    Says "looks much into if what they do with the money". Corruption means doing bad things with the money, which is what most people don't look much into. Sentences.
nulbyte 4y ago
> I'm sure many people like the ease of donating through this program. This is exactly the controversy. Customers are not making donations in these types of programs. Whether a portion of the proceeds are donated or not, the customer pays the same price. Hence, all of it is the retailer's income. The customer only influences to whom the retailer donates and how much. And because the customer is not the donor in the transaction, organizations do not get contact information. Despite this arrangement, customers often consider themselves a donor anyway, and some have argued this can lead to a reduction in overall donations as a result. > Finally the last part of your comment is so disturbing. It is disturbing. Myths abound, and organizations sometimes struggle to educate donors about the basics of philanthropy, especially the larger numbers of donors with smaller pockets. https://www.huffpost.com/entry/why-amazon-is-smiling-and_b_4360405 https://www.huffpost.com/entry/why-amazon-is-smiling-and_b_4... In the case of AmazonSmile, I think it's hit or miss. Plenty of organizations get paltry payouts. We've averaged less than $20 a quarter since we've been participating over the last four years, and almost of third of those quarters had no payout at all.
UberFly 4y ago
How is that even disturbing? Can you elaborate?
- themitigating 4y ago
  That they use their view of the world in order to determine who to donate to
  - thatguy0900 4y ago
    This doesn't make sense to me. Charities arnt just magically forces for good. I'm sure there are a great deal of charities who do things you would consider to be bad things, as their entire mission statement. And I'm sure some of those charities have names that sound very good on a Amazon smile list.

sincarne 4y ago

Tax deductions for charitable donations are not a thing everywhere in the world. Here in the UK it kind of is, but the charity has to claim it, ands back 25p on each £1. But more to your point: I have six committed monthly donors for the PTFA for which I’m treasurer. I have at least a couple dozen individuals signed up for AmazonSmile and Easy Fundraising.