Just something to think about next time you buy something from Amazon. I am as guilty as the next person. I looked and I bought 52 items from Amazon last year. That averages out to a purchase about every week. In my defense about half of that number were books or CDs. At one point I was buying used books from a company as a way to avoid Amazon only to find out the company was owned by Amazon. I did not look up the stats on Señora.
I have no problem with someone getting rich from a new idea or a better way of doing something, but IMHO there reaches a point where the wealth is unacceptably obscene. If for no other reason, it seems to twist the mind and attitude of these people. In a sane society we would have government policies in effect to prevent this mass accumulation of resources. As I have said ad nauseam, I have no problem with someone taking a second helping, if everyone has at least gotten a first. That simply does not happen in our society.
Amazon has become so big for many different reasons. I do not believe any of those reasons were illegal, but a few have pushed ethical boundaries. I initially started buying from Amazon as they avoided collecting sales taxes for many years, thus making their products cheaper than locally. As much as we all hate taxes, they are a necessary evil. And now Amazon has seemed to have become a conduit for cheap Chinese junk. Then there are the labor practices of Amazon…
Thanks for all those folks who refrained from pointing out my math error!!!! Now corrected.
I have a love-hate relationship with Amazon. TLDR. The other side of that yacht.
While some authors market “wide” (meaning not exclusively on Amazon), it’s far more complex and difficult. Most of my books are currently exclusive because I haven’t had the “oompf” to go wide. Any brainpower I have must go into writing the books and not figuring out all the hoops, bells, and whistles of trying to keep them updated on all the non-Amazon venues. Amazon was the first place independent authors could take control of their own publishing life. Is it a perfect solution? Not by a long-shot. Does Amazon take advantage of authors? Totally. Do they provide an entry point for thousands of authors? Again, totally. Hence the love-hate.
As a consumer, Amazon makes it possible for me to shop. I hate going into stores. I’ve never liked it, much preferring to buy online when I could, but tolerated it until the lock-down. After the lock-down, I didn’t love it any more than I ever had, but in the past 2 or 3 years, it’s gotten worse. First, I’ve long been fragrance-sensitive, but it’s gotten far worse. It’s so bad now that when Greg comes home from whatever store he’s been in, we often have to put his coat in the garage to out-gas. Second, many stores have begun to either pump in fragranced air-fresheners or have added scents to their HVAC. Some stores have a scent-spraying device over the door of their restroom, raining toxins down as unsuspecting customers step inside. My sinuses clog, I’ll get a headache, my heart races, I start coughing, and often my mood will change and not in the “oh what a lovely scent” sort of way. I’ve even had to find a portable soap solution because many places only provide hand soap that is scented. I’m not reacting to the smell itself…I’m reacting to the myriad of chemicals used to create those scents. They are toxic.
So, while yes, Bezos needs to be taken down a peg, and he needs to share more of his wealth with his employees, he’s also providing a needed service to folks like me. He’s also providing gig workers with an income. The guy who mows our yard makes most of his income driving for Amazon Flex. Those delivery folks you see using their own vehicles are all in that program. They pick their hours and routes and get paid. It’s ideal for our mower guy…he’s not cut out for a regular job and he’s perfectly happy with this gig work. He gets what he needs; the customer gets what they need; and Bezos gets rich.