Relationship Status? It's Complicated

on my ongoing and very messy breakup with Amazon

Hello readers! Today’s newsletter is about a topic I am very passionate about, but also have been hesitant to talk about ~ my ongoing attempt to break up with Amazon, as well as the books that helped push me over the edge. Today’s essay is longer than usual, so grab your favorite beverage and settle in! Remember that all weekday newsletters are available in their entirety to only paid subscribers ~ if you are receiving this in your inbox, THANK YOU ♡

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I can not EVEN with this. Photo by Andrew Stickelman on Unsplash

Breaking Up is Hard to Do

I think that the only other thing I have felt more reluctant to talk about publicly was my decision to quit drinking alcohol back in December 2019. I distinctly remember at the time telling almost no one because I was so nervous about people feeling like I was judging their decision TO drink, and of course, my choice had absolutely nothing to do with them, but of course, people definitely thought it *said things* about their choice. So complicated.

This is different, though. My family’s recent decision to resist Amazon and shop elsewhere really is kind of about everyone because every person who joins in the resistance can help their local economy and small online businesses, put business back with unionized delivery companies, keep our roads safer, and protect their own privacy. That’s why I finally decided to hit publish on this piece. Because maybe some of you are also contemplating this move, but weren’t sure yet. I’m here to show that it can be (messily) done.

Our Prime membership ended on June 28, 2024 - yes, just last month

The Privilege of Quitting

Before I go on, I must acknowledge the privilege of my position.

Unlike my breakup with alcohol, attempting to quit Amazon is a privilege not everyone has. Despite Amazon’s corporate overlord evil nature, they do also bring a very real service to millions of people who don’t have access to stores selling what they need, can’t afford to pay the real price of what things cost and depend on Amazon’s below-cost pricing, and who depend on home delivery due to physical or mental health needs. I fully recognize all of these things. If this is you, you’re doing all you can and that is totally fine.

However, many of us CAN afford to shop elsewhere. We DO have access to stores selling what we need, or have the privilege of time to look elsewhere online. We DO have enough discretionary income to express our convictions through our spending. If this is you, maybe there is one small action you could take today? Read on for how and why.

How We Met

A little backstory first for anyone new here. My family lives in rural Wisconsin about 30 minutes from the nearest grocery or big box store. We are the only house on our mile-long dead end road. My husband drives for a unionized international delivery company and is a union steward. I am also a proud union member in my local education association. All that to say, we don’t live minutes from stores or even near a big city, so access to everything we need is not simply a quick trip away. We are solidly middle class. And unions matter deeply to us.

I remember so distinctly writing a paper in 2000 for my taxation class during my accountancy undergrad about Amazon and their unique taxation situation regarding interstate shipping and the regulations around brick and mortar facilities. Amazon was so innovative and revolutionizing e-commerce, and I so very much wish all of my college papers weren’t stored on floppy disks ~ I would give anything to be able to pull this one up again!

We were Amazon Prime members as long as Amazon Prime was a thing. I remember being proud of how much work Amazon brought my husband’s company, and how every time one of their trucks delivered an Amazon package to our house I smiled a bit because we were helping their volume. When the postal service was said to be going out of business, I remember doing my part to keep them afloat by, you guessed it, ordering from Amazon. I figured, I can’t buy (some of) this stuff locally, so at least I’m helping the delivery services! And the $79 annual membership at that time surely was worth all of that shipping we otherwise would have been paying, and of course they must be fairly compensating the delivery companies. Sigh.

With Amazon Marketplace, I remember feeling happy that I could help support small businesses and what a great thing it was that Amazon was providing them with logistics services.

When Kindles first hit the market, I got one as soon as we could afford it. I was ecstatic, although couldn’t afford to actually buy many books for it, so relied heavily on the free or sale content. The public library integration in 2011 was a revelation and savior. Starting in 2014, the allure of Kindle Unlimited was too much for me and I have paid for the service on and off over the past ten years.

I joined Audible in 2008, as soon as I had a device that could fit full audiobooks ~ my trusty SansaClip. Being able to walk and run with audiobooks was life-changing, although the downloading books to my computer and then transferring them to the mp3 player was a bit cumbersome. Still better than books on CD though!

For years and years we ordered at least weekly from Amazon. I had Subscribe and Save subscriptions. I bought stuff I could have found at the grocery store down the street from my school. My husband ordered all of our car parts from Amazon. We were fully in the Amazon sphere and really not all that unhappy about it.

The Beginning of the End