It Has Been 448 Days Since I Last Shopped
The lessons I learned when I quit buying from Amazon
At the beginning of 2020, before the pandemic hit, I woke up one morning and decided to remove Amazon from my life. Yes, it dominated online shopping with a market share of 38%. Hands down, after tasting the Kool-aid, it was going to be hard but not impossible to cut ties with them.
I. Did.
Ever since Amazon Prime became a popular online shopping tactic, I’ve noticed the increased amount of Amazon boxes at the doorstep of many houses, my neighbors, mine included. They are not hard to spot with their minimalist look — brown box, black tape, and a simple logo indicating it sells everything from a to z, or is that a smile?
It’s borderline addiction — like having a trusty dealer always by your side, a phone call away, a habit born from fringing on convenience and dependence. My then 7-year-old would get a thrill at the prospect of an Amazon box at the front door or in the post, with fingers itching, waiting to see what’s inside.
Amazon.com Inc. has added 14 million U.S. Prime members since December 2019 and a total of 126 million members in its Prime loyalty program in the United States as of September 2020, with COVID-19 being the primary driver to this increase.
There are many reasons why I previously bought from Amazon, mainly price, selection, and delivery. I, however, now choose to look at it from a different angle.
I’ve embraced a minimalist philosophy when society is becoming more materialistic. Last year, I sold and donated more items than I bought. I also vowed to forgo buying from Amazon — a vow I fulfilled. And I learned some crucial things about them and myself in the process.
To recycle less; I have to make smarter decisions when I buy
I get Amazon’s quest to use less cardboard, but they refuse to disclose the amount of cardboard they use and ship every year. What they did say is over the last five years, they managed to reduce the amount of packaging by roughly a third, eliminating 915,000 tons of packaging material, or the equivalent of 1.6 billion boxes.
That is a move in the right direction, but last October, my son received gifts from family members from Amazon. They occupied only 60% of the boxes they came in. Just saying.
Do your research — know what you can and can’t recycle, reduce the amount you buy, repurpose and reuse.
The shocking discovery of what happens to Amazon returns
I had tried the Amazon selling venture a few years back. In some respects, it was profitable, but returns were a big issue. I had decided to eliminate shopping from Amazon at the beginning of 2020, but I knew I made the right decision after watching a CBC Marketplace investigation in October 2020.
It revealed three ways in which Amazon handles returns: they get liquidated by the truckloads, loads get destroyed and shredded, or end up in the landfill.
The majority of these returns don’t end up on the website for resale. A stark statistic where 30 to 40% of all online purchases returned.
And while this problem might persist with other big e-commerce sites, Amazon needs to take more responsibility for the repercussions their policies have on the environment, especially when they refuse to be transparent about what percentage of returns end up in the landfill, recycled, or destroyed.
Companies are dragging their heels to change policies and do right by the environment. Research by Optoro found that returned items in the U.S. create over 15 million metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions annually, which is equivalent to what 3 million cars might put out in one year.
We, as consumers, can foresee how our purchases are contributing to the climate crisis. Look for companies that are shifting to more ethical and sustainable practices.
Small businesses and charities matter
It’s easy to click and let the process take over, instant gratification and less hassle, but so much more worth it to consciously look for small local businesses having similar items and support them. While I am buying less, I try to support small local businesses. According to Yelp data, 60% of business closures due to the pandemic are permanent.
And when it comes to Amazon Smile, the foundation donates 0.5% of all eligible purchases to charitable organizations designated by its customers. A measly half of 1%. According to AmazonSmile Foundation’s 2018 Form 990-PF, many non-profits earned between $5 and $99 for the year in total contributions.
So if I wanted to donate $40 to a charity of choice on Amazon Smile, I would need to spend $8000.
Their tagline: You Shop. Amazon Gives, who’s benefiting? I prefer to support charities directly and small businesses too.
Shop wisely, shop local. You get to choose where you spend your hard-earned dollars. Supporting local businesses in your community is looking out for your neighbors, friends, and family.
Save, save, save
Who doesn’t want to, and who isn’t saving money during this pandemic. Less travel. Fewer outings. Less dining out. In 2019, I spent roughly $900 shopping at Amazon. In 2020, I saved my money because I didn’t bother surfing their website.
My husband argues whether I saved money — he claims I might have spent more buying elsewhere because Amazon has the lowest prices. A valid point, but I beg to differ with him. On a simple premise, I curbed overall spending.
The key to saving money is to cut spending. If you can’t go cold turkey, you can budget the amount you want to save and stick to it. Maybe canceling your Amazon Prime membership will deter you.
I can take back control
Many sites use dark patterns to get consumers to buy from them, and Amazon is no different.
- Amazon employs scarcity bias, displaying to shoppers how many of certain items it has in stock.
- Amazon is full of fake reviews and has increased during the pandemic, about 42% of 720 million, according to monitoring service Fakespot Inc.
The better aware you are of these tactics, the more control you have of your actions and influences. When it comes to reviews, 78% of consumers trust reviews on Amazon, and fewer people trust reviews on Tripadvisor, Google, Yelp, or Facebook.
With fake reviews on the rise, I wouldn’t bank on them when making purchases.
Distinguishing between wants and needs
We know the difference between wants and needs, but our shopping habits don’t always reflect the difference, tipping the scales to wants over needs. It’s so easy to buy unnecessary items when shopping for necessary items.
Not buying from Amazon for one year has helped me distinguish between wants and needs. It has taught me that I can live with much less. When I was younger, I wanted more. Now, not so much. Maybe it’s an age thing. Maybe not.
Asking, do I need this or do I want this can make all the difference.
More stuff doesn’t equal more happiness
I’m on the track of enlightenment, knowing things cannot derive happiness — now, I needed to prove it. To determine if I was just as happy and content after or more happy and content. I was more, much more because I value experiences and not stuff.
In previous generations, parents of millennials placed more value on materialism, equating it with happiness. Which passed down to their children, but today, you will find more people who prefer to live a life of purpose rather than concentrate on wanting more products.
A study out of Princeton University found a correlation between happiness and wealth. A point of about $75,000 per year. When people make more than $75,000 a year, happiness stays the same — it plateaus. We can apply this same principle to consumption.
The World Happiness Report from the Earth Institute at Columbia University shows that factors contributing to human happiness are more important than wealth, including strong social support, the absence of corruption, personal freedom, good family life, and community engagement.
Final thoughts
My motivation, coinciding with the pandemic, helped curb shopping and remove Amazon as my go-to. I pledged not to buy for a year, but I must be honest and admit that once January 2021 rolled around, I planned on buying something to satisfy my dry spell.
January 1st came and went, and I didn’t feel the compulsion anymore. I might be in it for the long haul. I passed the point of no return (pun intended).
Have I formed a habit? No, this is a behavior change — my shopping habits now align with my values. It’s one of my best accomplishments lasting 365 days and counting…
Thanks, Amazon. Your tagline is now my tagline: Spending Less. Smiling More.
Thank you for reading.
If you want to read more of my writings, you may read the following articles published in The Masterpiece.
- Quit Any Bad Habit or Addiction the Way My Father Did
- How I Discover New Stories by People-Watching
- Being the Author of My Own Dictionary
- The Sunrise That Gave Me a New Life
- Time Is Free Yet It Comes With a Price Tag
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