Correct! I was addicted to Amazon for some time. However, I’ve adopted the practice of finding the product on Amazon & searching it with Google lens & find other sellers. I pick up items directly from the store (keeps me active), I spend less (paid off my Chase Amazon card - put it away) & discovered other affordable options for my purchases.
Protesting is accomplished in many ways. I remember when we ordered books from Amazon for our book club. Jeff has forgotten his roots. 😟😢😒😱
I gave up Amazon after that obscene wedding in Venice. How many meals, how many winter coats, better tents, wheelchairs, wells for clean water, simple operations to fix a cleft palette or a twisted limb? How much good could have been done with all that waste of extravagant display?
Since giving up the easy Amazon answer to buy stuff, i buy less stuff! No more impulse purchases of DVDs or books. I can find these things elsewhere, but the time it takes often gives me a few minutes to think - "Do i need this?" - and often the answer is 'No.' I get to the end of the month surprised at a positive balance. Drop Amazon! Send your money to Doctors without Borders, or Operation Smile, or CARE, or the Red Cross, or your local food bank.
Agree and thought the same thing about the obscene amount of money that could at least be spent on the employees for free health insurance and better wages for them.
We stopped just prior..... what a disgusting display of immaturity and disgusting wealth! I always wonder when I hear about obscene amounts spent by one vapid celebrity/ceo or another.... how many kids could.ypunhave fed or homed with that? How mant shelter animals could you help? How many communities rebuilt after devastation?
If each of the "billionaire" Epstein class would take just $2 B each, they could build housing for everyone homeless or living in terrible housing conditions. The Epstein class would still have more money making money than they would ever need for generations to come.
Jeff bOzOz is a disgrace the vulgarity the greed the entitlement....it's disgusting what he has done and now the Washington Post at the behest of mr Peeuw tin and dump. They ALL belong in "cages in The Hague..."
Tariffs significantly impact Amazon’s ecosystem by increasing operational costs for sellers, raising consumer prices, and forcing strategic shifts in supply chain management.
Direct Impacts on Sellers and Operations
Increased Cost of Goods Sold (COGS): Tariffs on imports, particularly those from China, have raised import costs for many sellers by 10% to 25%, directly reducing profit margins.
Massive Duty Spikes: Under current policies, some Chinese goods face tariffs as high as 145%. A shipping container worth $40,000 that previously faced $2,500 in duties could now cost between $75,000 and $80,000 in taxes alone.
End of "De Minimis" Advantage: Previously, shipments under $800 were exempt from duties. The elimination of this rule for Chinese goods means even small packages are now subject to full tariff rates and formal customs procedures.
Supply Chain Disruptions: In response to high costs, Amazon has reportedly canceled some direct import orders from Chinese vendors to mitigate its own financial exposure.
Effects on Consumers and Pricing
Widespread Price Hikes: Amazon CEO Andy Jassy has acknowledged that sellers are likely to pass these increased costs on to shoppers. Some reports indicate prices for household essentials like deodorant and pet supplies have risen on over 1,200 items.
Inventory Depletion: While some retailers initially kept prices steady by stockpiling inventory before tariffs took effect, those pre-tariff stockpiles are running low, making further price increases inevitable.
Changing Consumer Habits: Amazon has noted that shoppers are becoming more "price-conscious," actively hunting for bargains and hesitating on high-priced discretionary items.
Amazon’s Strategic Response
Supply Chain Diversification: Amazon Web Services (AWS) and other divisions have spent years diversifying their supply chains to reduce reliance on a single country.
Fee Freezes: To support its seller base, Amazon froze seller fees for 2025, a rare move designed to keep the marketplace attractive despite rising external costs.
Marketplace Positioning: Despite internal discussions and external pressure to list tariff costs separately at checkout, Amazon has publicly denied plans to display these surcharges next to product prices.
I do a similar thing. I will look on Amazon to find maker/vendor, then go directly to that store if possible. If they "sold out" to Amazon, I find someone else. Not always cheaper, but a much better use of my money.
That's not necessarily true. Look how Elon Musk was brought down by all of his stockholders at Tesla. When people's reputations cause every one in the company to lose money things change pretty fast.
Not that I'm crying for him but Tesla is worth half of what Amazon is worth and Musk owns 30% of the stock. So the hit was greater.
And buying a Tesla ( $40,000 to $100,000) is a much greater investment than buying let's a couple of tee shirts or a large box of Twinings tea bags. $7.
But I see your point. And Musk seems to be Trump's bitch and helped destroy many government agencies that helped the country. They also stole our social security info.
Since I live in the Napa Vallet CA, And find it very expensive,I still try to use cash. Only 1 credit card used for food. Living on Social Security. 😏, 401k depleted.
I’m in mid 80’ s and can no longer work for a living…
Mostly praying for small miracles, which do happen on occasion…But all and all, I’m still happy and pray for Peace in the Workd…🙏💙🇺🇸
For millions, shopping there is an ingrained habit, like eating donuts at church (not a good way to tempt those with eating disorders or diabetes - why no bagels!?), and ingrained HABITS are changed best by REPLACING them with better habits, not by
just stopping them (a very hard thing to do for many of us).
Idk. I try to buy simple things from stores near me and simply can't always find what I want. I've been looking for a pair of jeans that actually fit and went to three different stores. Took all day. Plenty of jeans, but none fit. Ordered on Amazon after reading reviews, fully expecting to return them. They fit perfectly. And they were cheaper. It's easier to return items, too. And I live in a very populated area with stores everywhere.
Yes billionaires have made it impossible to live without them. BIll Gates with Microsoft and Amazon with all products and goods. Even when I purchase from different link it can be delivered by Amazon. It absolutely sucks and breaks every anti trust rules out there.
I get it but that's the way the world is now since computers, the internet, online banking. Everything that used to be inconvenient is now so easy. I haven't walked into a bank for years. I rarely mail a letter.
People love to get letters or postcards. Start with postcards and send them to old friends and folks who can't get out much. Real mail at the door is always appreciated.
Amazon-dot-com should be avoided, no matter the cost. Any idea of 'saving money' by shopping there must be set aside at this point. No longer can the low price' be a reason to do business with ANYONE who does not hold to true values.
I will never shop at Amazon again! Even though I never spent much there I won't contribute another penny to Bezos! I won't support any business that supports the MAGA REGIME! I take in sewing for extra income but if a person who supports this F-ing REGIME comes to me I refuse to work for them, maybe "cutting my nose off to spite my face", as they say but I don't give a damn! It is easy to recognize those who do!
In spite of your unfortunately unrealistic inquiry, I'd love to see it inspire some technically motivated readers to perhaps develop a simple search tool designed to specifically locate vendors who undercut the prices on the amazon/walmart /target nexus.
Ok. But for the 65+% of the country who live paycheck to paycheck, we'll be unable to pay the rent, or eat, or keep the heat/a-c on. In Europe people on general strike retain their housing, food, medical care, childcare, and etc. We do not have any of that, and by design. We're going to have to be very creative. Yesterday I contributed what I could to a fund in Milwaukee to help pay the rent for families torn apart and in hiding because they've been targeted.
Agreed. Scott Galloway is proposing that we cancel all streaming services for one month. It’s based on how to hit them hardest with least pain from us.
Striking can be done in whatever way will work for you. Many need to work so they don’t go out to eat, don’t order from Amazon, don’t shop at Walmart, find small businesses that carry what they want. Books…go to a local indie store. Before they are all gone.
FYI, bookstore dot com is one-stop shopping at national independent bookstores, and you can choose which shop to buy from. They also have given millions of dollars to independents, and you can specify which shop in their network you want your portion to go to. The service is wonderful and they are still giving a bit of a discount off list price. Many of us no longer have any real bookstores anywhere nearby. This is the convenience of shopping online but directly supporting independents.
Timothy Snyder (On Tyrrany) says we all need to so something, anything even if it’s just staying connected on social media but use the time for a purpose.
Yes creative. Get a bigger house and split the bills w friends. Save enough $ to last u atleast 6 myhs. We cld do this if we were all on the same page. Or we will nvr have anything like Europe.
“It’s the economy, stupid” as James Carville famously told Bill Clinton. It was then, and still is, in politics. The reelection of His Royal Heinous is largely attributed to the misperceived state of the economy. That’s what must be attacked, not individual corporations. The overall economy must suffer before the Greedy Bastards will pay attention.
HRH will not destroy the economy on his own (TACO). He will find a way to prop it up (like lower interest rates) because the economy and stock market are his report card and key to keeping power. The key to keeping power, as it is in Russia, China, Hungary, Turkey. They give the people a somewhat decent standard of living, and in exchange, the people have no political power. Only the autocrat has that. Unlimited.
Our best chance of success lies in obtaining high profile, national leadership and spokespersons. Fragmented, unknown groups leading the charge might work but would take much longer, and time is of the essence. Since the Disney boycott there have been more “bigger” names taking up the cause.
There will have to be a great amount of grassroot support before a national “leader” will take up the cause. Most of our supposed leaders are really followers of movements. They’ll get out front after it’s shown to have popular support. So, we recruit more foot soldiers, like ourselves, and spread the word on various Substacks and other social media platforms.
After mustering much grassroots support we can then approach some Substack writers who have many subscribers and appeal to them to take up the cause and spread the word. Writers like Jen Rubin, Steve Schmidt, Robert Reich, Heather Richardson, Paul Krugman. Again, a good amount of grassroots support will have to be demonstrated.
We will need an organized effort to encourage those writers to concentrate on this method of opposition. Possibly coordinated mass emails to them promoting the idea, or coordinated posts to their Substacks.
Then, hopefully, one or more national leaders will take up the cause. Possibly a steering committee composed of left, center and right individuals, but not current office holders. It should be seen as non partisan.
This will be a tough sell. Americans are addicted to buying. We are brainwashed from the cradle by advertising, popular culture, peer pressure, to consume. If you want to be happy and fulfilled, you must have this or that product. To overcome this, our fellow citizens must be convinced that this is the only viable peaceful solution to stop and reverse the fascist takeover. And it is.
If a single dollar doubles every day for 30 days, it reaches a total of over $536 million ($536,870,912) at the end of the 30th day.
So, would it follow, that a single voice that doubled everyday would become 536 million voices after 30 days? That seems doable.
Defeating the fascists in WWII did not happen without sacrifice from the citizens of the Allied countries. We will have to sacrifice to stop and reverse the fascist takeover of our country. We can sacrifice a little now or a much greater amount later. What kind of world will our children and grandchildren live in if we allow this to continue?
Spending Strike, Spending Freeze, Spending Suspension, Spending Pause, Economic Disengagement, Economic Warfare, Stop Spending!, even Boycott. Choose your favorite but Do It, and Spread the Word!, far, wide, and quickly, before the fascists takedown our means of communication.
For the life of me I cannot understand why people aren’t liking this by the hundreds and putting the proposal into action straight away, like I did. Are Americans really so irreversibly addicted to shopping? We know Americans have little concern about climate change which is why the trash vortex continues to grow and pollute the Pacific Ocean; isn’t it the case that shopping addiction = increased waste = trash everywhere = environmental degradation? Well, now we can add: shopping = fascism.
It's already happening. Target may never recover. Disney. But as the OP is saying, word needs to get out. People in our country are brainwashed to believe how they spend doesn't matter, by design. Those of us who grew up in families supporting the farmworkers' lettuce and grape strikes have always known. Educating that under capitalism, how a person spends (or doesnt spend). their money is their real power.
Wise words, Victoria, thank you. I’ve read about Target & Disney and have every respect for Jessica Craven’s activism.
I like this additional idea though because it isn’t company specific. I’m not in the USA (I’m English) so cannot affect (say) Target. However I can still unilaterally stop non-essential spending and spread the word in my country and thereby feel I’m being of some use to American people. Many of us here feel powerless and want to help, and this idea is within reach.
I agree about Target. I went into Target to finish moving my prescriptions out of CVS. The store was empty and the usual 6-8 person line at the pharmacy was 1 person.
Yes yes yes! Shop less , want less. It is easier than you think. If you really want to see the absolute power of boycotts look to Canada. All you need to do is ask how tourism is doing in Florida, Disney, Arizona and other sunbelt areas. How is Kentucky bourbon doing now that its largest sales market walked away? When Gavin Newson begs Canadians to come back we know it’s working.
Canada has been at the “elbows up” game for a year now and it’s impacting in a thousand ways. Yes there are still Canadians who aren’t boycotting, but the vast majority is and anyone along the border can tell you how devastating it has been to their economy.
Really folks -serious players need to step up the boycott process until the appeasers step down.
(Strategic shopping or just plain refusing- Better for your budget too!)
Yes, but what has happened is the purchasing segment of the 1-10% equals 50% of that stat. It used to be that ordinary people spent 70% of that stat. What we spend on healthcare probably makes up for the loss of purchasing power of many ordinary people and I don'tknow if that stat is figured in.
Not sure what stat you mean. It's not the 1% who stopped spending at Target, nor Disney. If it didn't matter to the 1% how we spent our money, they wouldn't spend billions on advertising to brainwash people against the knowledge of the power of their dollar.
I posted Part 1 as a comment on a Paul Krugman post two days ago and it’s received 350 likes, so there is interest in this concept. It seems to be gaining traction.
Great stuff! It’s the best idea I’ve read. All a person needs is an open mind to recognise its validity. Then, it can be put into place immediately. And guess what, we all save money! Change begins with a single person, right? Well that’s you ❤️
We need to get the message out to other organizations that want Trump and his cronies to fail. I agree if we limit our spending even by a couple dollars a week we could impact the economy!
At last, more people are realizing that the 1-10% who are insulated by wealth, connections, power have to feel real pain in their profits. And you are right it has to happen now before We lose the ability to communicate, organize, have money to boycott with. I have advocated this method since 2017! I think the Kimmel boycott showed the power of the consumers' purse. Let's GO! It's easier than you think!
How much do you want to stop His Royal Heinous and the fascist takeover of the country?
Enough that you’re willing to make a small sacrifice? Like altering your spending habits for a month or two or three? That could be all it would take to get the attention of the oligarchs (formerly known as The Robber Barons in the first Gilded Age, also The Fat Cats, The Greedy Bastards).
A brief demonstration of We, the People’s, power of the purse could persuade them to quit supporting HRH and the politicians who enable him.
We quit spending, except on essentials, businesses lose money, stock market goes down, Greedy Bastards pay attention to our demands.
Greedy Bastards own most of the politicians of both major parties. GBs start losing money, tell politicians to change course and do what We, the People want.
We are running out of peaceful options. The legislature and Supreme Court are controlled by HRH. He controls the executive branch, including the Military, Justice Department, FBI, ICE, the IRS. He controls all levers of power.
We, the people, still have the power of the purse. No one can control our spending, or lack of spending. When all else fails we can go on a spending strike until the business community stops supporting HRH and the politicians who enable him.
Economic warfare is the only thing the oligarchs, the business community will understand and act on. Call it a Surreptitious General Strike (Quiet Quitting). Go to work, do as little as possible. Stop spending money except on essentials. Quit feeding the corporate beast that supports the HRH.
Stop participating. Nearly 70% of the U.S. economy is driven by consumer spending. All of us. Hobble the economy and the stock market. Mahatma Gandhi drove the British from India by peaceful civil disobedience and economic disruption. We can stop the fascist takeover in the same way.
We can keep rehashing past and present atrocities until our access to the internet is taken away by the regime, or we can DO something!
As an Afghan veteran who was abandoned by the U.S. government, I stand against all forms of racial discrimination and racism. No law in the United States should ever justify hatred, exclusion, or injustice
I unsubscribed from the Post (second time) yesterday.
The real, tough job remains: How do we get these self-entitled billionaires off our backs? They only care about themselves and adding more zeroes to their already astronomical wealth. What it does to ordinary people, society, and the nation is of no concern to them. We need to rein them in. I don't mind that they are rich, I mind that income inequality has never been higher, that they put profits before people, and that their money gives them excessive power that they do not use for good. Capitalism is fine, but America's version needs a major overhaul.
Don't subscribe to a single thing unless you align with their mission, eg independent stuff or user edited/friendly stuff (aka wiki). Cancel your yt, tt, ig, x, deactivate fb, never use the googs unless your stuck with it as like your only maps option cause you want to keep downloads to a minimum/not invite more spyware onto your device, change browsers/search engines, etc. AI is only making money due to fb marketing. Without it AI investing would fall into an abyss. They count on your time spent on their app to make them money. Stop giving them money. Make them waste it like they did on Mel's film. 😅 They will be mad abiut throwing money away.
I no longer watch any network corporate television. I searched out the best and brightest, independent journalist as far as Jeff Bezos is concerned he can kiss my pearly white ass. I don’t buy a goddamn thing off of Amazon anymore unless I’m dying. If it’s not on Netflix BritBox PBS or AMC I don’t watch it. Thank you might as touch keep up the good work. We love you. Everybody be careful how you spend every penny you have because it’s every penny they’ll take.
I've been boycotting since Bezos gave Trump money for his inauguration. I don't miss it much. I'm disabled and almost never leave home so I miss it a little, but I'm not compromising on my values for that fascist oligarch
P.S. - If this type of content resonates with you, please consider subscribing to our “Never Trump Poetry Substack” free of charge. Subscribers receive email notifications of my twice-daily pro-democracy poems, together with audio narrations and insightful commentary from my editor, Michael Broder. Thank you.
Love this !!!! Thank you. I worked so hard to build my followers on TikTok and it’s over now.I need to move my followers over to Substack getting used to the application. I love it here. Great post!👏👏
Thank you! Please consider subscribing to my Never Trump Poetry Substack. My editor and I are trying hard to build a base of like-minded folks who see poetry as an effective means of participating in the growing pro-democracy movement.
Afraid it would be hard to find a billionairewho doesn't fit that description. They climb by the exploitation of fellow humans and our planets precious resources. Our system allows them to control our government and financial services. We see this presently enabling the exponential growth of their wealth and power.
"Bozos" is more concerned with getting $$$ to fund his space venture. This is what happens when oligarchs are in charge. I would help pay for a space journey for all these out-sized egomaniacs, with the requirement that they never set foot on planet Earth again.
amazon isn't the only place to shop. 🖕u, Jeff!
Correct! I was addicted to Amazon for some time. However, I’ve adopted the practice of finding the product on Amazon & searching it with Google lens & find other sellers. I pick up items directly from the store (keeps me active), I spend less (paid off my Chase Amazon card - put it away) & discovered other affordable options for my purchases.
Protesting is accomplished in many ways. I remember when we ordered books from Amazon for our book club. Jeff has forgotten his roots. 😟😢😒😱
I gave up Amazon after that obscene wedding in Venice. How many meals, how many winter coats, better tents, wheelchairs, wells for clean water, simple operations to fix a cleft palette or a twisted limb? How much good could have been done with all that waste of extravagant display?
Since giving up the easy Amazon answer to buy stuff, i buy less stuff! No more impulse purchases of DVDs or books. I can find these things elsewhere, but the time it takes often gives me a few minutes to think - "Do i need this?" - and often the answer is 'No.' I get to the end of the month surprised at a positive balance. Drop Amazon! Send your money to Doctors without Borders, or Operation Smile, or CARE, or the Red Cross, or your local food bank.
So very true🙏🙏🙏🙏
Agree and thought the same thing about the obscene amount of money that could at least be spent on the employees for free health insurance and better wages for them.
We stopped just prior..... what a disgusting display of immaturity and disgusting wealth! I always wonder when I hear about obscene amounts spent by one vapid celebrity/ceo or another.... how many kids could.ypunhave fed or homed with that? How mant shelter animals could you help? How many communities rebuilt after devastation?
If each of the "billionaire" Epstein class would take just $2 B each, they could build housing for everyone homeless or living in terrible housing conditions. The Epstein class would still have more money making money than they would ever need for generations to come.
100%
Jeff bOzOz is a disgrace the vulgarity the greed the entitlement....it's disgusting what he has done and now the Washington Post at the behest of mr Peeuw tin and dump. They ALL belong in "cages in The Hague..."
So... I ask AI:
How do tariffs affect Amazon?
Tariffs significantly impact Amazon’s ecosystem by increasing operational costs for sellers, raising consumer prices, and forcing strategic shifts in supply chain management.
Direct Impacts on Sellers and Operations
Increased Cost of Goods Sold (COGS): Tariffs on imports, particularly those from China, have raised import costs for many sellers by 10% to 25%, directly reducing profit margins.
Massive Duty Spikes: Under current policies, some Chinese goods face tariffs as high as 145%. A shipping container worth $40,000 that previously faced $2,500 in duties could now cost between $75,000 and $80,000 in taxes alone.
End of "De Minimis" Advantage: Previously, shipments under $800 were exempt from duties. The elimination of this rule for Chinese goods means even small packages are now subject to full tariff rates and formal customs procedures.
Supply Chain Disruptions: In response to high costs, Amazon has reportedly canceled some direct import orders from Chinese vendors to mitigate its own financial exposure.
Effects on Consumers and Pricing
Widespread Price Hikes: Amazon CEO Andy Jassy has acknowledged that sellers are likely to pass these increased costs on to shoppers. Some reports indicate prices for household essentials like deodorant and pet supplies have risen on over 1,200 items.
Inventory Depletion: While some retailers initially kept prices steady by stockpiling inventory before tariffs took effect, those pre-tariff stockpiles are running low, making further price increases inevitable.
Changing Consumer Habits: Amazon has noted that shoppers are becoming more "price-conscious," actively hunting for bargains and hesitating on high-priced discretionary items.
Amazon’s Strategic Response
Supply Chain Diversification: Amazon Web Services (AWS) and other divisions have spent years diversifying their supply chains to reduce reliance on a single country.
Fee Freezes: To support its seller base, Amazon froze seller fees for 2025, a rare move designed to keep the marketplace attractive despite rising external costs.
Marketplace Positioning: Despite internal discussions and external pressure to list tariff costs separately at checkout, Amazon has publicly denied plans to display these surcharges next to product prices.
Boycott AMAZON as much as you can in your situations.
How about shareholder derivitive suits?
But they do not cost Americans anything…quotes the racist racist in 1600.🤮🤪😂🤣
He refuses to learn tariffs aren’t paid by countries or producers, they are paid for by consumers.
Thank you for doing this research!
Delete Amazon ap from your devices, let’s start with that. They get the numbers. Just delete the app!
Amen!
Bingo! I did the same.
I'll try that too.
Please do. Thanks.
I do a similar thing. I will look on Amazon to find maker/vendor, then go directly to that store if possible. If they "sold out" to Amazon, I find someone else. Not always cheaper, but a much better use of my money.
I get it.
Bezos only owns like around 8% of Amazon stock. Of course thats considerable. He also donates a lot of money, not as much as his ex wife.
Mckenzie Scott owns about 4% and gives millions of dollars away all the time.
The vast. majority is owned by institutions and small stock investors.
Point being not buying on Amazon may not hurt Bezos at all. But if it makes feel better, I get it.
That's not necessarily true. Look how Elon Musk was brought down by all of his stockholders at Tesla. When people's reputations cause every one in the company to lose money things change pretty fast.
Not that I'm crying for him but Tesla is worth half of what Amazon is worth and Musk owns 30% of the stock. So the hit was greater.
And buying a Tesla ( $40,000 to $100,000) is a much greater investment than buying let's a couple of tee shirts or a large box of Twinings tea bags. $7.
But I see your point. And Musk seems to be Trump's bitch and helped destroy many government agencies that helped the country. They also stole our social security info.
So definitely, DON'T BUY A TESLA!
Tesla would be the last electric vehicle I’d buy. It’s overpriced and has known safety risks.
Since I live in the Napa Vallet CA, And find it very expensive,I still try to use cash. Only 1 credit card used for food. Living on Social Security. 😏, 401k depleted.
I’m in mid 80’ s and can no longer work for a living…
Mostly praying for small miracles, which do happen on occasion…But all and all, I’m still happy and pray for Peace in the Workd…🙏💙🇺🇸
For millions, shopping there is an ingrained habit, like eating donuts at church (not a good way to tempt those with eating disorders or diabetes - why no bagels!?), and ingrained HABITS are changed best by REPLACING them with better habits, not by
just stopping them (a very hard thing to do for many of us).
Looks like I'm ignorant as I never thought of searching elsewhere--except for the use of eBay! (Duh on my part!) Thanks for the idea. it's great!
Absolutely!!!!!
I gave up and unsubscribed from Amazon last year. You can ALWAYS find what you're looking for SOMEWHERE ELSE!
Idk. I try to buy simple things from stores near me and simply can't always find what I want. I've been looking for a pair of jeans that actually fit and went to three different stores. Took all day. Plenty of jeans, but none fit. Ordered on Amazon after reading reviews, fully expecting to return them. They fit perfectly. And they were cheaper. It's easier to return items, too. And I live in a very populated area with stores everywhere.
Try Old Navy for jeans. They can be got onlline. Best fit i ever had.
Good idea!
Get off Amazon!
Yes billionaires have made it impossible to live without them. BIll Gates with Microsoft and Amazon with all products and goods. Even when I purchase from different link it can be delivered by Amazon. It absolutely sucks and breaks every anti trust rules out there.
I get it but that's the way the world is now since computers, the internet, online banking. Everything that used to be inconvenient is now so easy. I haven't walked into a bank for years. I rarely mail a letter.
People love to get letters or postcards. Start with postcards and send them to old friends and folks who can't get out much. Real mail at the door is always appreciated.
Amazon-dot-com should be avoided, no matter the cost. Any idea of 'saving money' by shopping there must be set aside at this point. No longer can the low price' be a reason to do business with ANYONE who does not hold to true values.
I will never shop at Amazon again! Even though I never spent much there I won't contribute another penny to Bezos! I won't support any business that supports the MAGA REGIME! I take in sewing for extra income but if a person who supports this F-ing REGIME comes to me I refuse to work for them, maybe "cutting my nose off to spite my face", as they say but I don't give a damn! It is easy to recognize those who do!
I have boycotted Amazon since 2015.
Jeff B is A complicit fascist billionaire!! Exactly! Corporate media is now state media!!
What would it take to do a hostile takeover of WAPO? Amazon?
In spite of your unfortunately unrealistic inquiry, I'd love to see it inspire some technically motivated readers to perhaps develop a simple search tool designed to specifically locate vendors who undercut the prices on the amazon/walmart /target nexus.
Wishful thinking? Or thishful winking?
Never back down, never surrender! We need a month long general strike!
Ok. But for the 65+% of the country who live paycheck to paycheck, we'll be unable to pay the rent, or eat, or keep the heat/a-c on. In Europe people on general strike retain their housing, food, medical care, childcare, and etc. We do not have any of that, and by design. We're going to have to be very creative. Yesterday I contributed what I could to a fund in Milwaukee to help pay the rent for families torn apart and in hiding because they've been targeted.
Agreed. Scott Galloway is proposing that we cancel all streaming services for one month. It’s based on how to hit them hardest with least pain from us.
Striking can be done in whatever way will work for you. Many need to work so they don’t go out to eat, don’t order from Amazon, don’t shop at Walmart, find small businesses that carry what they want. Books…go to a local indie store. Before they are all gone.
FYI, bookstore dot com is one-stop shopping at national independent bookstores, and you can choose which shop to buy from. They also have given millions of dollars to independents, and you can specify which shop in their network you want your portion to go to. The service is wonderful and they are still giving a bit of a discount off list price. Many of us no longer have any real bookstores anywhere nearby. This is the convenience of shopping online but directly supporting independents.
Timothy Snyder (On Tyrrany) says we all need to so something, anything even if it’s just staying connected on social media but use the time for a purpose.
Yes creative. Get a bigger house and split the bills w friends. Save enough $ to last u atleast 6 myhs. We cld do this if we were all on the same page. Or we will nvr have anything like Europe.
Mths
What fund in Milwaukee? I’m in the area
Excellent idea. I am with you
Fascists do not care about truth or accuracy. Bezos is just a weak wealthy Fascist
The Peaceful Solution-Part 3
How to accomplish a Spending Strike
“It’s the economy, stupid” as James Carville famously told Bill Clinton. It was then, and still is, in politics. The reelection of His Royal Heinous is largely attributed to the misperceived state of the economy. That’s what must be attacked, not individual corporations. The overall economy must suffer before the Greedy Bastards will pay attention.
HRH will not destroy the economy on his own (TACO). He will find a way to prop it up (like lower interest rates) because the economy and stock market are his report card and key to keeping power. The key to keeping power, as it is in Russia, China, Hungary, Turkey. They give the people a somewhat decent standard of living, and in exchange, the people have no political power. Only the autocrat has that. Unlimited.
Our best chance of success lies in obtaining high profile, national leadership and spokespersons. Fragmented, unknown groups leading the charge might work but would take much longer, and time is of the essence. Since the Disney boycott there have been more “bigger” names taking up the cause.
There will have to be a great amount of grassroot support before a national “leader” will take up the cause. Most of our supposed leaders are really followers of movements. They’ll get out front after it’s shown to have popular support. So, we recruit more foot soldiers, like ourselves, and spread the word on various Substacks and other social media platforms.
After mustering much grassroots support we can then approach some Substack writers who have many subscribers and appeal to them to take up the cause and spread the word. Writers like Jen Rubin, Steve Schmidt, Robert Reich, Heather Richardson, Paul Krugman. Again, a good amount of grassroots support will have to be demonstrated.
We will need an organized effort to encourage those writers to concentrate on this method of opposition. Possibly coordinated mass emails to them promoting the idea, or coordinated posts to their Substacks.
Then, hopefully, one or more national leaders will take up the cause. Possibly a steering committee composed of left, center and right individuals, but not current office holders. It should be seen as non partisan.
This will be a tough sell. Americans are addicted to buying. We are brainwashed from the cradle by advertising, popular culture, peer pressure, to consume. If you want to be happy and fulfilled, you must have this or that product. To overcome this, our fellow citizens must be convinced that this is the only viable peaceful solution to stop and reverse the fascist takeover. And it is.
If a single dollar doubles every day for 30 days, it reaches a total of over $536 million ($536,870,912) at the end of the 30th day.
So, would it follow, that a single voice that doubled everyday would become 536 million voices after 30 days? That seems doable.
Defeating the fascists in WWII did not happen without sacrifice from the citizens of the Allied countries. We will have to sacrifice to stop and reverse the fascist takeover of our country. We can sacrifice a little now or a much greater amount later. What kind of world will our children and grandchildren live in if we allow this to continue?
Spending Strike, Spending Freeze, Spending Suspension, Spending Pause, Economic Disengagement, Economic Warfare, Stop Spending!, even Boycott. Choose your favorite but Do It, and Spread the Word!, far, wide, and quickly, before the fascists takedown our means of communication.
For the life of me I cannot understand why people aren’t liking this by the hundreds and putting the proposal into action straight away, like I did. Are Americans really so irreversibly addicted to shopping? We know Americans have little concern about climate change which is why the trash vortex continues to grow and pollute the Pacific Ocean; isn’t it the case that shopping addiction = increased waste = trash everywhere = environmental degradation? Well, now we can add: shopping = fascism.
It's already happening. Target may never recover. Disney. But as the OP is saying, word needs to get out. People in our country are brainwashed to believe how they spend doesn't matter, by design. Those of us who grew up in families supporting the farmworkers' lettuce and grape strikes have always known. Educating that under capitalism, how a person spends (or doesnt spend). their money is their real power.
Wise words, Victoria, thank you. I’ve read about Target & Disney and have every respect for Jessica Craven’s activism.
I like this additional idea though because it isn’t company specific. I’m not in the USA (I’m English) so cannot affect (say) Target. However I can still unilaterally stop non-essential spending and spread the word in my country and thereby feel I’m being of some use to American people. Many of us here feel powerless and want to help, and this idea is within reach.
Folks should boycott American goods and corporations, like the Canadians are.
Exactly
I agree about Target. I went into Target to finish moving my prescriptions out of CVS. The store was empty and the usual 6-8 person line at the pharmacy was 1 person.
Yes yes yes! Shop less , want less. It is easier than you think. If you really want to see the absolute power of boycotts look to Canada. All you need to do is ask how tourism is doing in Florida, Disney, Arizona and other sunbelt areas. How is Kentucky bourbon doing now that its largest sales market walked away? When Gavin Newson begs Canadians to come back we know it’s working.
Canada has been at the “elbows up” game for a year now and it’s impacting in a thousand ways. Yes there are still Canadians who aren’t boycotting, but the vast majority is and anyone along the border can tell you how devastating it has been to their economy.
Really folks -serious players need to step up the boycott process until the appeasers step down.
(Strategic shopping or just plain refusing- Better for your budget too!)
Yes, but what has happened is the purchasing segment of the 1-10% equals 50% of that stat. It used to be that ordinary people spent 70% of that stat. What we spend on healthcare probably makes up for the loss of purchasing power of many ordinary people and I don'tknow if that stat is figured in.
Not sure what stat you mean. It's not the 1% who stopped spending at Target, nor Disney. If it didn't matter to the 1% how we spent our money, they wouldn't spend billions on advertising to brainwash people against the knowledge of the power of their dollar.
I posted Part 1 as a comment on a Paul Krugman post two days ago and it’s received 350 likes, so there is interest in this concept. It seems to be gaining traction.
Great stuff! It’s the best idea I’ve read. All a person needs is an open mind to recognise its validity. Then, it can be put into place immediately. And guess what, we all save money! Change begins with a single person, right? Well that’s you ❤️
Thanks for the kind words. Makes it easier to tolerate the rare harsh criticism.
If a single dollar doubles every day for 30 days, it reaches a total of over $536 million ($536,870,912) at the end of the 30th day.
So, would it follow, that a single voice that doubled everyday would become 536 million voices after 30 days? That seems doable.
Yes and yes.
We need to get the message out to other organizations that want Trump and his cronies to fail. I agree if we limit our spending even by a couple dollars a week we could impact the economy!
It has already made a difference. Ask Target and Walmart.
Spread the Word! Key to accomplishing a grass roots movement.
At last, more people are realizing that the 1-10% who are insulated by wealth, connections, power have to feel real pain in their profits. And you are right it has to happen now before We lose the ability to communicate, organize, have money to boycott with. I have advocated this method since 2017! I think the Kimmel boycott showed the power of the consumers' purse. Let's GO! It's easier than you think!
Canadians are boycotting in vast numbers and it killing tourism, whisky, produce, cross border tourism, wine sales.
Boycotts work. As much as we hate hurting the blue states, when Newsom tells Canadians we are missed, we know its working.
If a single dollar doubles every day for 30 days, it reaches a total of over $536 million ($536,870,912) at the end of the 30th day.
So, would it follow, that a single voice that doubled everyday would become 536 million voices after 30 days? That seems doable.
That’s 537 not 536 😉
Sorry. I copied it from a classmate’s paper.😁
Well said.
Bravo, Meidas Touch Mighty! Keep on raging against the machine.
While they make millions from the machine.
We need Meidas touch to continue to inform the truth
And get paid handsomely for their efforts.
The Peaceful Solution-Part 1
How much do you want to stop His Royal Heinous and the fascist takeover of the country?
Enough that you’re willing to make a small sacrifice? Like altering your spending habits for a month or two or three? That could be all it would take to get the attention of the oligarchs (formerly known as The Robber Barons in the first Gilded Age, also The Fat Cats, The Greedy Bastards).
A brief demonstration of We, the People’s, power of the purse could persuade them to quit supporting HRH and the politicians who enable him.
We quit spending, except on essentials, businesses lose money, stock market goes down, Greedy Bastards pay attention to our demands.
Greedy Bastards own most of the politicians of both major parties. GBs start losing money, tell politicians to change course and do what We, the People want.
We are running out of peaceful options. The legislature and Supreme Court are controlled by HRH. He controls the executive branch, including the Military, Justice Department, FBI, ICE, the IRS. He controls all levers of power.
We, the people, still have the power of the purse. No one can control our spending, or lack of spending. When all else fails we can go on a spending strike until the business community stops supporting HRH and the politicians who enable him.
Economic warfare is the only thing the oligarchs, the business community will understand and act on. Call it a Surreptitious General Strike (Quiet Quitting). Go to work, do as little as possible. Stop spending money except on essentials. Quit feeding the corporate beast that supports the HRH.
Stop participating. Nearly 70% of the U.S. economy is driven by consumer spending. All of us. Hobble the economy and the stock market. Mahatma Gandhi drove the British from India by peaceful civil disobedience and economic disruption. We can stop the fascist takeover in the same way.
We can keep rehashing past and present atrocities until our access to the internet is taken away by the regime, or we can DO something!
Now is the time for this Peaceful Solution.
As an Afghan veteran who was abandoned by the U.S. government, I stand against all forms of racial discrimination and racism. No law in the United States should ever justify hatred, exclusion, or injustice
I unsubscribed from the Post (second time) yesterday.
The real, tough job remains: How do we get these self-entitled billionaires off our backs? They only care about themselves and adding more zeroes to their already astronomical wealth. What it does to ordinary people, society, and the nation is of no concern to them. We need to rein them in. I don't mind that they are rich, I mind that income inequality has never been higher, that they put profits before people, and that their money gives them excessive power that they do not use for good. Capitalism is fine, but America's version needs a major overhaul.
Don't subscribe to a single thing unless you align with their mission, eg independent stuff or user edited/friendly stuff (aka wiki). Cancel your yt, tt, ig, x, deactivate fb, never use the googs unless your stuck with it as like your only maps option cause you want to keep downloads to a minimum/not invite more spyware onto your device, change browsers/search engines, etc. AI is only making money due to fb marketing. Without it AI investing would fall into an abyss. They count on your time spent on their app to make them money. Stop giving them money. Make them waste it like they did on Mel's film. 😅 They will be mad abiut throwing money away.
I no longer watch any network corporate television. I searched out the best and brightest, independent journalist as far as Jeff Bezos is concerned he can kiss my pearly white ass. I don’t buy a goddamn thing off of Amazon anymore unless I’m dying. If it’s not on Netflix BritBox PBS or AMC I don’t watch it. Thank you might as touch keep up the good work. We love you. Everybody be careful how you spend every penny you have because it’s every penny they’ll take.
When does the general strike begin. When do all of us lay off Bezos, without so much as an email?
I've been boycotting since Bezos gave Trump money for his inauguration. I don't miss it much. I'm disabled and almost never leave home so I miss it a little, but I'm not compromising on my values for that fascist oligarch
Already started. Shop local or order directly from manufacturer. Cash is our talking point now. Hold on to it, spend it wisely. 💙
Democracy Dies In Darkness
Democracy dies in darkness
As Jeffrey Bezos knows
Pulling a crucial endorsement was
The first of several blows
Many subscribers were livid
They left the paper in droves
With nowhere Left but the New York Times
And the internet to go
Now massive layoffs are coming
As the darkness continues to grow
Soon all that was of the Washington Post
Will be dead and it will close
P.S. - If this type of content resonates with you, please consider subscribing to our “Never Trump Poetry Substack” free of charge. Subscribers receive email notifications of my twice-daily pro-democracy poems, together with audio narrations and insightful commentary from my editor, Michael Broder. Thank you.
Love this !!!! Thank you. I worked so hard to build my followers on TikTok and it’s over now.I need to move my followers over to Substack getting used to the application. I love it here. Great post!👏👏
Thank you! Please consider subscribing to my Never Trump Poetry Substack. My editor and I are trying hard to build a base of like-minded folks who see poetry as an effective means of participating in the growing pro-democracy movement.
I did subscribe🫶
Thank you so much!
Congratulations Gen, nothing but the truth here. Welcome to the Meidas Mighty!
Bezos and Company represent the disingenuous, dishonest, malicious sycophants that have populated our country. How very distressing.
Afraid it would be hard to find a billionairewho doesn't fit that description. They climb by the exploitation of fellow humans and our planets precious resources. Our system allows them to control our government and financial services. We see this presently enabling the exponential growth of their wealth and power.
Sad indeed
Your letter to Bezos impressed me. I became a paid subscriber.
Me too!
If he wanted to, Bezos could operate the Washington Post as a philanthropic venture. But, NO! He prefers to capitulate to Trump.
"Bozos" is more concerned with getting $$$ to fund his space venture. This is what happens when oligarchs are in charge. I would help pay for a space journey for all these out-sized egomaniacs, with the requirement that they never set foot on planet Earth again.