Tag: AMAZON

Posted on

I Am Guilty Too

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.

Subscribe to Curmudgeon Alley

Posted on

Review Accepted!

I write a fair number of online reviews…I did so even before I retired! While I will write reviews on many websites, they are concentrated on a few.  I am fairly active on Tripadvisor. I am a Top 100 reviewer on Wondrium (Great Courses), which sells and streams educational videos. And, of course, Amazon, although I am hit and miss on there as to whether I review a purchase or not.

I have never had a review rejected on Tripadvisor, but on Wondrium and Amazon I have had two on each site rejected.  At least on Wondrium there is a method in place for discussing with them why the review was rejected.  Amazon has an email address for this, but it strikes me as not being monitored.

Wondrium Rejected Reviews

I know Wondrium does, and I suspect that Amazon does too, that is that they use 3rd parties to monitor the reviews.  I had one review rejected then later accepted on Wondrium as I used the “foreign” phrase, “C’est la vie.” The reviewer, most likely with English as a second language, rejected it as they did not understand the phrase.

Wondrium also initially rejected my Continue reading “Review Accepted!”

Posted on

Ring Cameras – Redux

About a year ago I posted a blog article: 1984 – Ring Camera

In this article I revisited a novel that has had a reoccurring presence in my life, George Orwell’s 1984.  In the novel cameras and microphones are everywhere, neighbors spy on neighbors, family spy on family, spouses spy on spouses.  In my post I tied these ubiquitous cameras of 1984 to the explosion of cameras in our society, specific door bell cameras such as Amazon’s Ring camera.  My general thesis was that we were bringing 1984 on to ourselves by installing these cameras, ourselves, everywhere.

I recently came across a review of these type of cameras from Wired:  Why We Don’t Recommend Ring Cameras.

I will leave it you dear reader to read the article and evaluate their arguments. But their bottom line can be summarized with their closing paragraph:

“If you’re looking for a home security camera, whether it’s a video doorbell or an outdoor camera, we would like to remind you that there are many, many alternatives. Ring cameras are cheap and ubiquitous, but contributing to a just society is also a factor in keeping your family safe.”

Perhaps I should not worry about such things, but recent events make me frequently think we are not far from sliding down the proverbial slippery slope into a totalitarian society. Little things do add up.

And so it should not go.

Posted on

Shopping Amazon…Bad for the Environment?

I generally agree with Bill Maher, but I find him so self-righteous that at times I find him hard to take.

I find myself between a rock and hard place shopping these days for all things except groceries.  In full disclosure (smiley face) Señora takes care of that.  I really do not like buying from Amazon because 1) I find Jeff Bezos obnoxious beyond words 2) I do not see Amazon’s business model good for anyone except Jeff Bezos and maybe Amazon shareholders 3) they like many of these big tech companies went over to the dark side long ago.

Where is Luke Skywalker when you need him?

Yet I keep buying from Amazon.  When I try to buy locally I generally cannot find what I want. I say locally, most the stores anymore are really part of huge corporations.  And these huge corporations continue to eat into many businesses that have traditionally been local mom and pop operations. Have you tried to find an independent barber shop lately?

So then I try to buy online, but not from Amazon.  But somehow Amazon always beats everyone else to death price wise. I thought I found a good source for used books that was not Amazon, Abebooks. Guess what. Amazon owns them.

Where is Teddy Roosevelt when you need him?

If you are sensitive to “colorful” language… you might want to avoid Mr. Maher and this video.

After Bezos rode into space on Blue Origin’s maiden voyage, he famously said this in a news conference.

“I want to thank every Amazon employee and every Amazon customer because you guys paid for all this.”

To me ears that was one rankest statements of hubris I have ever heard, given Amazon’s reputation for overworking and underpaying employees, given how their business model has changed the American landscape – and not for the better.

And so it should not go.

Posted on

Rev. Joe’s Random Thought #6,629

yeah I know you did not ask!

I want to add a new phrase to the lexicon, that being the “Amazon peek“.

We have not had problems, that I have heard of, with porch pirates in this neighborhood.  And I know that from some delivery entities I receive emails when a package is out for delivery and another when it has been delivered.  And I have a built in loud and insistent announcer of strange happenings in our yard in the form of a fierce 15 pound heap of fur named Lily. Brave is the delivery/postal personnel  that comes to our front porch .

But I still find myself peeking out the front door to see if Amazon/Walmart/USPS/FedEx/UPS has delivered whatever urgent item I have recently decided I could not do without… and 2 dang days is too freaking long to wait for any package anyway.