Each year I do my taxes and grumble that Amazon has all my money. It’s SO easy to subscribe and save. Vitamins? Batteries? Coconut flour? Subscribe and ‘save’.

As a small business owner, it’s sad when a local business closes. Especially the mom and pop shops and restaurants. How can they survive when we order everything online? A local restaurant we perform at for Lunar New Year told me that Uber Eats takes a large cut of their profits. They have to increase prices to help offset the loss, but they can’t increase enough to really make a difference. The more Uber Eats orders vs traditional take out, the less likely they can survive.

I’ve been part of the problem. I don’t really eat out, but subscribing on Amazon has been all too easy. The biggest reason it’s taken so long to ditch using Amazon is convenience and price point.

If I organize well enough, the convenience isn’t as stark as I thought. It’s more of an addiction. I need this now or by tomorrow… really? Probably not. If you read my last post on RESIST AND UNSUBSCRIBE, you will have seen that I cancelled my Amazon Prime account. This morning I unsubscribed to 22+ items. A big one is NOW brand vitamins and supplements. I went to their website and will buy from them direct. Many of the prices were the same or maybe $1 difference. Free shipping with $50 minimum. Not all in one place, but I’d rather support the companies that I am using and not Amazon.

What finally motivated me to STOP using Amazon?

My soul needed cleansing.

The one thing I can thank this ‘president’ / administration for: helping me see the need to stop giving more of my hard earned dollars to billionaires. These CEO’s that don’t pay taxes, support ICE, and align with the horrible legislation that takes away women’s rights, LGBTQ rights, civil rights, lay off workers…need I go on?

I often talk about advocacy and activism in bite size portions. Many of you donate to causes you believe in. Kudos! If I commit to donating to charities, organizations, etc. then the little extra that I pay direct to these companies balance out as well. I can frame it however I need in order to feel good about my decision. The amount I put towards saying NO to my Amazon addiction is worthwhile. 😉

In martial arts we often say the best offense is a good defense. In addition, I am trying to be preventative. If these companies didn’t get so huge, they wouldn’t have the power. WE have the power. And it’s time we use it.

Here’s some info from economist Robert Reich on Amazon.

I don’t have enough time today with the CNY prep happening, but the other company I urge you to do away with is Open AI (ChatGPT). QUITGPT gives some great talking points (in addition to my previous post featuring Scott Galloway ideas).

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