Boycott Amazon for one day?

[NormanH]

Please note the ?...

I sometimes use Amazon but I also  have sympathy with the points made here:

https://diem25.org/yanis-varoufakis-calls-for-the-boycott-amazon-black-friday/?fbclid=IwAR0O0nxF61Q_6RNE1p_mNCLQmO3PFLuXGgJ4YROTB8Rz3P_ooNtB0XDZX8w

[woolybanana]

As a service, what have Amazon actually done wrong? That they may not be paying as much tax as some think they should is entirely down to different administrations not getting their acts together.

[alittlebitfrench]

What about...

Boycot 'mulliez family' for 24 hrs.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Association_Familiale_Mulliez

All the shops you shop in.

Where do they live ?

[nomoss]

Amazon has succeeded because they offer a better way of doing things.

Those who are losing out only complain because they didn't think of it first.

Maybe those who boycott them will also return to writing letters instead of emails or twits or whatever.

And travel to work on a horse and cart.

Also, many small businesses sell via Amazon.

[Théière]

It is easier to do better when money other shops have to pay in tax can be reinvested into the business.

The best part is the up to the minute delivery schedule unlike Royal mail/ parcel farce who can only tell when it was booked in! At least other couries are upping their game.

[AnOther]

Yanis Varoufakis

"Remember: no despot, oligarch, or entrepreneur has the power to rule

over the millions, the billions of us without our consent. The truth

about despotic power does not lie in the despot’s weapons, bank

accounts, or data servers. It lies in the minds of those the despot

controls. It lies in our inaction."

Shades of Niemoller!

https://encyclopedia.ushmm.org/content/en/article/martin-niemoeller-first-they-came-for-the-socialists

Warranted or not starting a campaign to boycott Amazon on the day before their biggest potential sales event of the year seems a tad 'en retard' wouldn't you say?

Worth a watch:

DOCUMENTARY: The Truth About Amazon

On: Channel 4 (104)   

Date: Tuesday 1st December 2020 (starting in 2 days)

Time: 01:10 to 02:05 (55 minutes long)

How to Shop Smart. Series 1, episode 1.

Helen Skelton and Sabrina Grant investigate the online retailer, offering consumer advice and exposing questionable practices with insight from executives, tech analysts and experts. The first episode takes a look at how to get the best deals possible, reports on review hijacking, and reveals how the company pushes customers towards products offering poor value for money.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

DOCUMENTARY: The Truth About Amazon

On: Channel 4 (104)   

Date: Tuesday 1st December 2020 (starting in 3 days)

Time: 22:00 to 23:00 (1 hour long)

How It Took Over the World. Series 1, episode 2.

Sabrina Grant and Helen Skelton investigate how the online retailer's dominant position in the marketplace and wealth of consumer information forces other companies to adapt their retail strategy to keep up. The programme also reveals how Amazon is rapidly replacing Google as the biggest gateway to the Internet and examines the company's plans to enter the grocery trade.

[Lehaut]

Our initial draw to Amazon Prime was the returns policy. The idea of buying something in a French shop and then finding it was not suitable/defective and being able to return it straight away, without hassle and get your money back was an impossibility. With Amazon, its just a case of packing it up and walking down to the post office.

Things are improving rapidly though. My wife and son have bought numerous items from French on line retailers and they come with the return stickers in the box, essential for clothes.

Boulanger repair/guarantee system is also good in my experience.

[NormanH]

If you buy from  many of them you can just take the item into the local branch to return it.

I buy most of my clothes from Armand Thierry

I go into the shop because of the excellent personal service, but could order online and return to the shop if needed.

Similarly for more basic items at Decathlon or Kiabi...

But for shoes I prefer a proper fitting in the shop, and for electrical items I go to the local chap who will come round and install them, and later repair if necessary.

He is a little more expensive on the initial purchase, but the service provided outweighs the cost

[Le martin-pêcheur]

"Also, many small businesses sell via Amazon"........ and Amazon charge them a greed tax of up to 15%, the same as Ebay and the like!! Not a level playing field anymore for smaller websites/businesses - I have had a sales website in France since 2009 and could not afford to have 15% ripped from our turnover!!

Just an opinion however, based on fact.

[mint]

I am not ashamed to admit it, I use Amazon regularly.

Where we live, it's difficult to find a variety of goods.  A good pair of trainers, maybe; but a good pair of leather boots?  You'd look long and hard and the 1 or 2 shoe or sports shops wouldn't have your size or the style you want.  Ditto for sports bras, sports leggings plus I wouldn't be seen dead in the ones in the shops.

Even some épicerie items, take roobois tea bags, occasionally in LeClerc or Intermarché if you're lucky.  A case also of when they're gone, they're gone and don't even bother asking customer services if they have any idea when they might be in stock.  You know before you ask, either a straightforward no or they don't know the answer to that.

To be sure of getting Cheddar cheese, we would need to go to Périgueux (about 40 km and OH is nervous of the heavy traffic) or there's a Super U just over 20 kms.

Worse in the Charente Maritime where our previous house was:  in the winter, the one and only supermarket closed between 12.30 and 4.00 in the afternoon.

What I say is, thank heavens for Amazon.  Serves us well who do not live anywhere near half decent shops. 

[Judith-aka-Judith]

Have to say, Mint, that I concur with this, so far my experience, unlike with Norman, where a journey to so called decent shops is a minimum of 30 minutes if you are lucky (and we are nearer than you I know), and then if it doesn't fit etc etc, there is the trouble to go back again .. I like the fact that Amazon delivers direct to post box, or via La Poste, they know us, so it gets delivered OK, even if signed for, and is often speedier than anyone else. I accept hat some of their practices are not so good, but this is the world we live in now .. and their customer service is excellent, which is more than can be said for almost all businesses other than very, very small ones, here in France. 

For example, we asked for a glazier to come measure for a piece of broken glass, obtain a replacement and fit it, he's measured it, gone off to order it, and that was long before lock down started. We are still waiting for his return, he said he would contact us ...