I avoid Amazon as much as possible. My husband and I order books through a local independent bookshop (for f's sake, we can wait 10 days!). I had a sweet moment: I went to pick up a gift for my husband and the bookshop owner smiled and said, "That's a great book! When you ordered it, we decided to get more for our bookshelves."

Did you notice the actions taken against the unionizing? It isn't that simple.

I'm an artist in a place where Amazon has shut down all art supply stores, and if I spend $ to ship from Canadian online art stores, that's my profit margin gone. There is no place to get painting supplies without it being a 50% increase in my total production costs because of shipping, cost me 50% more to paint a painting. I still try and have alerts on for any sales from the Canadian art stores, I buy in bulk when they are on sale, I've spent hours trying to find the best alternatives and still be able to buy food, there truly isn't always one. Oil paintings last centuries and take 100s of hours to paint, I can't change products and keep the integrity in my work. That said, it rots my soul to use Amazon, if ever in the position I'd open an art store here, zero profit, closest to wholesale prices I can manage without creating debt, young artist here are getting priced out of art, because Amazon & Walmart.

My thoughts exactly. This will not change in the US until the US changes its laws. Stuff like this does not happen in countries where the workers have rights.

I'm (reasonably) sure there are at least tax cuts from the government for 'creating jobs'. Most large companies have those deals with states. Which means that we as citizens are paying their portion of taxes, so basically subsidizing them. In the long run it's actually cheaper to buy locally, even if the advertised price seems higher.

Don't agree with it. Later, they will try ruin workers rights in Australia too.

Good on you, Australia is proof that Amazon is just fine while protecting workers, there will no doubt be a media blitz after the Alabama union decision with Amazon using scare tactics the tell the US public that prices will increase because of the union, and Australia will be held up as the example that it's not a choice, you can have a viable business and take care of people. Shareholders shouldn't be the main concern. You guys also have consumer protection laws that put our Canadian ones to shame, and workers rights in general are far superior there. Truly admire what Australia has done.

You don't have access to an online pharmacy? I'm disabled and I get far better deals from online pharmacies than I do Amazon but I appreciate it might be different depending on where you live. I'm in the UK. Oh - I also don't think that avoiding Amazon solves the problem for the workers. If Amazon's profits started to shrink do people really think that Bezos will wake up and realise that people hate the company or care? He'll probably just tighten the screws on the staff even more - never think it can't get worse for them.

Check McKesson.com (we sell medical supplies- I’m an order picker at one in Washington state and we got everything - except medication) they’ve been in business since 1858.

Wow, that is mind blowing. Are you saying Amazon has a monopoly? Is there really nowhere else you can get your supplies online? The problem is Bezos can get away with a lot, as he has no real competition as people keep shopping on Amazon. There are only three ways to break this cycle. 1) Better labor laws and monitoring (which, in the US, is not likely as it would require a stronger and bigger government), 2) better unions (even more unlikely, as the power of the unions has been broken), 3) a full on boycot/ more competetors, offering better working conditions. The latter is up to the American people as consumers.

Sounds like those of us who have alternatives should try them, but go easy on those who don't have much of a choice. I'm able-bodied and live in an urban area with many small shops, but that's not the case for everyone. Plus emergencies happen that means one can't wait a week or so for deliveries.

When you're talking about bol.com, I'm assuming you're living in the Netherlands. There are loads of Dutch webshops available to you for anything you need. It's not even that hard to find them.

That's one of their practices, to eliminate the competition. I think it's perfectly understandable to shop on Amazon if you have no other (realistic) options. If only the people who do have options shopped elsewhere it would already make a difference. I'm trying, though my 8-year-old kindle is going to die soon and I've been researching alternatives for about a year now and still haven't found a worthy replacement...

Problem seems to be, that this IS the American system. He didn't cheat, he won. A free market where big corporations can put smaller ones out of business, using a scheme in which it uses big money suppliers to turn losses over the first years so that by the time they need to crank up the prices a bit because they need to start turning revenue, they've put any real competition out of business. The American people 100% created the system in which this works, with subpar labor laws (voting habits), no unions (union membership is shockingly low in the US), everyone using Amazon rather than shopping local (consumer choice) and a government that doesn't keep the power of a single market player in check (again: voting habits).

Cheating the system? The system is what is enabling the company to do this. Look at other locations. Amazon workers in Australia and Europe are treated much much much more fairly, because they have rights over there snd are protected from stuff like this. It's the system thats at fault.

For books use Better World Books. They donate millions of dollars and thousands of books to literacy programs, education, and prisons.

Given the rate at which I read books I can't afford the space or the money to buy physical books any more. My only real alternative at this point is Kindle. Kobo just doesn't have the reach yet. I cancelled Amazon Prime and can't remember the last time I bought something physical from Amazon.

Yes