Why tho. Their shipping is amazing. And they have pretty much anything you could want.
zloubida@lemmy.world 2 years ago
I find it mildly infuriating that people still buy on Amazon 😅
fidelacchius@lemmy.world 2 years ago
Schmuppes@lemmy.world 2 years ago
Yeah, and warehouse workers piss into bottles and cannot unionize.
Brokensilence410@lemmy.world 2 years ago
As an ex-warehouse employee, I will go out of my way of I have to get something just to not buy something online. The conditions of most warehouses I’ve seen, especially in this heat, should be illegal.
InternetTubes@lemmy.world 2 years ago
They can’t do this in Europe, plus they actually have decent refund policies where normal stores shit on you after purchase. Getting groceries from them is also a great convenience for the same reasons. Part of the order got missing? Free refund or same day delivery. Plus, some local stores charge even more for products without delivering them to your door.
So at least in Europe, where they can unionize and can and do protest for their rights, I don’t see them as any worse than many other multinational chains that do the same. And if they had to stop operations in my country, there aren’t going to be a proportional number of stores that are going to start opening up. If the number of their employees does increase, it’s going to be for worse paying jobs.
zzz@feddit.de 2 years ago
So at least in Europe, where they can unionize and can and do protest for their rights, I don’t see them as any worse than many other multinational chains that do the same.
Do you happen to know whether they actually are unionized in EU countries though, or just could? Genuine question, as I couldn’t tell you (as a German citizen)
Aside from that though, even if warehouse and delivery workers’ conditions were absolutely fine, their monopolistic tendencies are still somewhat of an issue. I’ll try not to turn this into a full essay, because this topic can get real philosophical REAL fast (we’re about 3 winded sentences away, I’d guesstimate).
But: AWS aka Amazon’s cloud business prints SO incredibly much money that they can perhaps unfairly undercut a grocery competitor like Kroger’s, Aldi, and whatnot are their names, that they can start to have a really, really good advantage quite quickly (as hinted to by OP’s order above: not plastics, not electronics, not household goods – food). In case any reader isn’t aware, grocery chains’ margins are absurdly, comically low.
The firm policies/microeconomics philosophy comes in here: how much cross-subsidizing should an undertaking actually be allowed to do? Europeans will perhaps see this a bit more strictly, whereas Americans might be inclined to answer close to unlimited here, but keep in mind, this can lead to Mega-everything-corp faster than you realize or like.
I didn’t make all of this up on the spot just now, BTW (some first further “readings”). This has been a somewhat well known issue for some years now, and people knew there could be a day coming where we as a (global) society have to ask ourselves: How many areas can a company dominate in before it becomes too dangerous?
Blackmist@feddit.uk 2 years ago
As long as you weren’t buying empty bottles, that’s probably OK.
And I thought it was the drivers that have to piss in bottles.
fidelacchius@lemmy.world 2 years ago
No one’s forcing them to work there 🤷♂️. Start your own amazon.
owsei@lemmy.world 2 years ago
yeah, minimum wage worker, just beat one the biggest companies of human history
Sarsaparilla@kbin.social 2 years ago
SDA is the union that represents Amazon workers in Australia.
hup@lemmy.world 2 years ago
And they have virtually no consumer safeguards to ensure the knockoff product you buy is not going to break in a month or two. Or set your house on fire if you leave it plugged in.
fidelacchius@lemmy.world 2 years ago
Really cuz I have returned tons of stuff without even being questioned. Amazon doesn’t make most the products they sell?
My house isn’t on fire.
hup@lemmy.world 2 years ago
Oh thabks for clarifying I guess since the problem hasn’t happened to you in particular its not actually a problem. /s
Flaky@iusearchlinux.fyi 2 years ago
If you know exactly what you’re looking for and you know the seller, Amazon can be alright. I just bought an album CD there from MusicMagpie who’s set up shop on Amazon.
But if what you want is vague, be prepared to be bombarded with a bunch of Chinese sellers with weird brand names going through shittier couriers than Amazon themselves. It’s getting worse than AliExpress at this point.
Blackmist@feddit.uk 2 years ago
You mean you don’t want the Zhrmgdtech USB C Charger Cable 2M 2Pack Type C Charger Fast Charging 3A Lead Nylon Braided for Samsung Galaxy S21 S20 S10 S9 S8 A12 A20e A21s A40 A51 A70,Huawei P30 P20 P40,Google Pixel,Xiaomi,Sony Xperia,Switch?
Weirdo.
hup@lemmy.world 2 years ago
It’s a catch 22 because if you already know the seller but are opting for their Amazon vendor e-commerce channel you’re undercutting their business by taking Amazon’s promo discount today and focing the seller to make up the difference in vendor fees. Then when they get squeezed out of business by cheap knockoffs competing on the same platform in 1-5 years you’ll wonder why you can’t quality products of that type anymore except from niche boutique merchants who have to charge even more for quality than they used to.
AustralianSimon@lemmy.world 2 years ago
Not exactly true for Australian consumer laws. The retailer has to resolve a and b. C manufacturers and sellers need to adhere to standards but Amazon would be liable for selling dangerous products. Also get insurance.
realcaseyrollins 2 years ago
What's a better alternative? All I know of is eBay, but I used Amazon to buy DVDs and Blu-Rays to support films, and eBay sales don't count as disc sales the same way that Amazon sales do.
zloubida@lemmy.world 2 years ago
An actual shop?
Marruk@lemmy.world 2 years ago
So do you just assume everyone lives within convenient travel distance of a wide variety of shops that would supply everything that they could possibly want, or are you claiming moral superiority because you shop at Walmart instead of online at Amazon?
Skellybones@lemmy.world 2 years ago
Bruh I live in a place like the one you mentioned but even then I can’t find everything I want so online it is.
zloubida@lemmy.world 2 years ago
And why do you think you have no other choice than Amazon and Walmart in America? It’s not a natural state of things.
yata@sh.itjust.works 2 years ago
You are aware that there are other online vendours than amazon, right?
realcaseyrollins 2 years ago
LOL the state of buying discs in brick and mortar store is abysmal now. I used to like buying discs from Walmart but the one near me has relegated everything to a bargain bin of kids' movies, basically. Practically the only way to buy discs now is to do so online, or at a Best Buy or Barnes & Noble if you have one near you
B_noire@lemm.ee 2 years ago
Dang, I feel lucky to have a chain that is basically the modern equivalent of Blockbuster with several stores near me. It’s so much fun being able to physically browse through movies.
bdiddy@lemmy.one 2 years ago
lol at actual shop… Those were put out of business a LONGGGGGGGGGGGG time ago…
Shops these days are home depot, walmart, best buy, academy, etc…
dingus@lemmy.world 2 years ago
This is completely unrelated but I love your instance name lol!!
realcaseyrollins 2 years ago
Thanks! This actually is a Lotide instance! We're kinda like Lemmy and Kbin but we have more of a Hacker News type feel
Arseniste@sh.itjust.works 2 years ago
Tyranny of convenience 😬
ZombieTheZombieCat@lemm.ee 2 years ago
It’s also so much more expensive to buy from small, local businesses. Not everyone can afford to do that, no matter how much they hate buying from Amazon or Walmart.
priapus@sh.itjust.works 2 years ago
Genuine question, what better alternative is there? I put a lot of effort into buying from small businesses with good morals, but I have no idea how to do this for the things I would buy online. If I don’t buy from amazon, i’m buying from target, Walmart, or some other supermarket. I don’t see how those are better.
TheFriendlyDickhead@lemm.ee 2 years ago
The difference that there is at least some choice. The choices may all be bad, but still better than Amazon. They have no realy big competition. The fact that it is so hard not to order on Amazon is very concerning.
Kethal@lemmy.world 2 years ago
eBay is ok for a good portion of what Amazon sells, but it’s not a perfect replacement. It’s not all auctions now. There are lots of things you purchase outright and they ship very quickly. Watch out for people who resell Amazon items at a mark up though. It too is not all that much better than Walmart, Amazon, etc, but at least you keep anyone from dominating.
Otherwise, sometimesnthere are small sellers you can find for niche products.
dan@upvote.au 2 years ago
eBay is ok for a good portion of what Amazon sells
How is eBay better than Amazon though?
intensely_human@lemm.ee 2 years ago
colorful logo
Kethal@lemmy.world 2 years ago
“It too is not all that much better than Walmart, Amazon, etc, but at least you keep anyone from dominating.”
SmokesForBreakfast@lemmy.world 2 years ago
Dumb question incoming; do these companies not offer delivery via postal services or the like? Where are you located?
priapus@sh.itjust.works 2 years ago
Many companies do, I always try to purchase from the source if possible. Unfortunately some only deliver via other retailers like amazon and Walmart.
Turkey_Titty_city@kbin.social 2 years ago
I can order from amazon, or spend an hour in the car to go to a store and pay a higher price.
I'm buying from amazon.
lingh0e@lemmy.film 2 years ago
It is faster to have 20 slaves in 20 different parts of the warehouse stuff 20 different envelopes than it is to have 1 single slave go to 20 different locations in a warehouse and stuff a box.
Their obligation is just to get the product from their facilities to your door. They don’t give a shit HOW it gets there.
Sarsaparilla@kbin.social 2 years ago
I mean, if it were 20 different items I could probably put it down to that but there were six packets of each of the flavours and types. You'd think all the Alfredo's could go in one package, for example, not each in their own padded envelope. Does pasta even need padding? It was just ridiculous, but I wouldn't be surprised if it were a disgruntled worker engaged in a bit of malicious compliance!
Knusper@feddit.de 2 years ago
I used to work in a shipping depot that delivered to Amazon, among others.
And whenever a shipment went out to Amazon, we had to take packages of 20 items, like they’d be delivered to retailers, and rip them open to put each item into packaging carton individually, before it was even delivered into an Amazon warehouse.
In our case, it was parasols, so it could be different for smaller items or just items that are more likely to be ordered in bulk, but yeah, I imagine, Amazon just does not want to deal with the packaging in their warehouse, if possible.
Saneless@lemmy.world 2 years ago
It’s been a last resort shop for me for the last year or so
If a place can’t get me something in time, isn’t available, or ultra expensive, I’ll get it at Amazon
RicketyHalo@lemmy.world 2 years ago
What other option is there, Aliexpress?
bossito@lemmy.world 2 years ago
Assuming the person lives in a normal town or village, you always have plenty of options. Groceries by post is totally absurd.
smigao@lemm.ee 2 years ago
Dude I like in a village - this is redic
Misconduct@lemmy.world 2 years ago
They’re not shipping groceries from an Amazon warehouse lol. It’s usually just whole foods. Basically the same as doing a doordash or Instacart etc. It actually used to be pretty sweet because if you had prime they didn’t add the delivery fee so it would save me a trip. Sadly, they got rid of the free delivery. I believe there’s is or was a class action about them charging the delivery fee now
intensely_human@lemm.ee 2 years ago
Not if you’re being green by not owning a car.
CrypticFawn@lemmy.dbzer0.com 2 years ago
I’m in the process of manually transferring my wishlists for ebooks and physical books to Kobo and B&N atm. Then I’ll be transferring my other wishlists to Notebook.
After all that I’ll just use Amazon like a search engine.
EtnaAtsume@lemmy.world 2 years ago
Woke i will exhaust all local alternatives first, Amazon is my pinch hitter when I can’t find The Thing anyplace else.
Skellybones@lemmy.world 2 years ago
Easy to find stuff
FarmerSanchez@lemmy.world 2 years ago
This does not affect you at all. Let others be.
redditcuntsz@lemmy.world 2 years ago
It’s easy 🤷♂️
Zuberi@lemmy.world 2 years ago
Preach lol
tallwookie@lemmy.world 2 years ago
why? it’s super convenient. I do all of my grocery shopping via Amazon Fresh. cheaper than a brick & mortar store
refurbishedrefurbisher@lemmy.sdf.org 2 years ago
It shouldn’t be on the individual consumers to avoid monopolies; we need antitrust enforcement; we need to break up Amazon.
zloubida@lemmy.world 2 years ago
It shouldn’t be indeed, but unfortunately it is. We can’t just hide our personal responsibility behind the State when the State is deficient.
refurbishedrefurbisher@lemmy.sdf.org 2 years ago
Unfortunately, organizing on the scale necessary to defeat Amazon is damn near impossible. I think doing so politically is our best bet.
zalgotext@sh.itjust.works 2 years ago
Our personal responsibility is to make the State not deficient though, not a boycott of amazon.com or whatever you’re suggesting. A boycott of even their digital and physical storefronts probably wouldn’t even change much, since Amazon makes most of their profit via AWS. Something like 33% of all internet traffic goes through AWS in some fashion, so boycotting that is even harder. The only real option I can see is to make the State regulate them in some manner because all the people in the world can’t fight a trillion dollar company themselves.
GreaterDane@reddthat.com 2 years ago
Why not both? I’m happy to avoid buying Amazon (do I really need to avoid walking to the store?) while advocating for crackdowns on Amazon.
Tavarin@lemmy.world 2 years ago
There are certain things I can’t get anywhere near me from anyone other than Amazon, and I live in a city of 6 million people. Sadly I need to use Amazon about once a month. Getting groceries from them is ridiculous though.
yata@sh.itjust.works 2 years ago
Aren’t there any online shopping alternatives to amazon? Are they really the only online vendor who is allowed to mail stuff to your 6 million people city?
hup@lemmy.world 2 years ago
Nah you’re just bad at online shopping.
lagomorphlecture@lemm.ee 2 years ago
It’s not just about the monopoly though. Their site is rife with counterfeits and is basically Wish now. Want a GE lightbulb? There’s a 50/50 chance you’re getting a counterfeit that isn’t UL tested so you don’t know it’s safe, and that’s if you can even find the product at all hidden between the random name generator company listings for random garbage that’s slightly similar to the search term you entered.
Misconduct@lemmy.world 2 years ago
Don’t even get me started on phone chargers. Good fucking luck. The cheap knockoffs are such a fire hazard too I stg
ruckblack@sh.itjust.works 2 years ago
Anker…?
dan@upvote.au 2 years ago
As with all electronics, just look for products with UL or ETL certification and you should be OK.
refurbishedrefurbisher@lemmy.sdf.org 2 years ago
And if there was a competitor that sold only legit products without having to compete with AmazonBasics (who just steals designs and sells them for a cheaper price) or from JSOIY (who also steals designs), people would use them instead of Amazon.
A monopoly enables this behavior, since there are no other options.
lagomorphlecture@lemm.ee 2 years ago
Ok fair point.