Wednesday, September 5, 2018

Amazon

I just read today that Amazon has become the 2nd trillion dollar business. WOW. It's hard to get my head around that number: $1,000,000,000,000.00. I think I have that right. (Number One is Apple). Is it a coincidence that they both start with the letter A? As in A+++? (That's probably just the "teacher" in me...)

Many negative things have been said about how Amazon treats it employees but so far that hasn't stopped me from using the service. As a customer I have mostly good things to say. I have placed 12 orders in the last 6 months. I'm waiting for two items to be delivered - one is a travel diary specifically for travelling in Scotland and the other is a UK adaptor for my electronics.

There have been a couple of blips over the past few years of ordering (and I have to say convenience is a big factor for me in using Amazon in addition to being able to find just about anything I could possibly want no matter how rare or tiny)...I have twice ordered a silver sim card tray for my fairly new iPhone. The one that came with the phone was silver and broke the first time I tried to take it out of the side of the phone. I found a seller and ordered a new silver tray for just a couple of dollars. Sadly they sent me a blue one. I emailed the seller and explained I wanted silver to match my phone and I received another in the mail the following week...again it was blue. I was never charged for the second WRONG item and have given up for now. (Ironically the tray I am using is from my old iPhone which was...you guessed...BLUE!

Another thing I like about Amazon is my Amazon Prime Membership: for about $7.00/month I can stream a ton of movies and TV series in addition to getting 2 day free delivery for almost everything I order. For someone who also pays $11/monthly just to stream Netflix this is a great deal!

Do you use Amazon? How do you feel about the complaints of poor pay and benefits plus harsh working conditions from their employees?




8 comments:

  1. I am a fan of Amazon and use it regularly. We are Netflix users also.

    ReplyDelete
  2. We use amazon a ton, primarily because of our limited shopping in our towns. I try and support local but many items are simply not available here, even on the island! I also order most of my expensive (think $2000 a year) toner cartridges thru them for the company but then again, we do all of our own printing and I've priced other companies and they don't compare. Plus, we get really good service for living on an island.

    ReplyDelete
  3. We use Amazon a lot. Daughter often needs specific books for AP English and we can get them cheap and quick. Plus all the convenience. In our area, the Amazon is paying sort of decent for unskilled labor, but still, I wish all companies did right by their employees.

    ReplyDelete
  4. I wish I could say I don't shop Amazon and only patronize locally owned businesses but I would be lying through my teeth. I will say I hate their employment practices, but I don't support my words with my wallet. I guess that makes me hypocrite because I order from them regularly and watch their prime movies and shows.
    You know the best thing about Amazon? Reading a book in a series, finishing it at 2 a.m. and buying the Kindle version so you can start the next book by 2:02.

    ReplyDelete
  5. I am an Amazon junkie. Particularly for Kindle books, but I have bought all kinds of stuff on there over the years. Like Anne says above, I'm not a fan of their employment practices, but it doesn't stop me using them. To the detriment, I suppose, of the local high street shops, which seem to be tumbling this year.

    ReplyDelete
  6. I'm a Prime member and have been for a very long time. I'm not a shopaholic by any means, but I do buy things like work clothes, my pet's flea meds (cheapest on AMZ), car parts, and things like that. I hate going shopping, so it works for me, saves gas and time. I know about how they treat their employees after hearing a firsthand account from someone I know who worked there over the holidays last year. Yes, it's harsh. I'm not happy about that at all, but they did pay $15 an hour, which is more than WM pays, (and where I don't shop). They also make a donation to my chosen charity with every purchase I make. I watch movies and listen to music with Prime. I really wish they would treat their employees better and I'm hoping that public pressure will eventually force them to.

    ReplyDelete
  7. I do make the effort to shop locally first. But my Amazon numbers are high. I live on one side of the US in California and the relatives to whom I send gifts are in Texas, NY, South Carolina, and Florida. It is so easy to just shop at Amazon and have them package and ship.

    ReplyDelete
  8. I shop Amazon for many items. I do have to watch it though, as I can get carried away. It is so darn convenient.

    ReplyDelete

Thank you for your comment - it means a lot to me that you read my post and are leaving a comment - you just made my day!