Last week, I decided to cancel my Amazon Prime account.

Over time, I have come to realize that I don’t really need things in two days or fewer. I either need something right now - in which case I’ll run to the store - or soon - in which case I’ll shop around for a quality product.

I did not feel like I should contribute to Bezos getting any richer1.

Amazon evades avoids taxes, mistreats its workers (including busting unions), is extremely monopolistic, and horrible for the environment2. Through years of scandals, it’s clear that buying products from Amazon is like consuming news from Facebook - you just can’t trust it. The “platform” means they don’t have a stake in making sure the products they sell are authentic (let alone safe).

I know I’m in a very small minority here, and I also realize for many people Amazon Prime is an excellent deal. I am fortunate enough to be able to shop at local businesses, or through other websites. For example, I recently bought some toys as a gift and opted to buy at a local store (that had to layoff their staff due to COVID), and a book at bookshop.org.

If you can, you should cancel your Prime subscription too.

1: How smart a person is, or how successful a person is, is orthogonal to how that person uses their power. In Bezos’s case, he’s wielded his power and his wealth to fight a billionaire dick-measure contest. Yes he pledged to give $10B for climate change causes, but the hypocrisy of his goodwill is apparent.

2: The cohort of terrible corporations is very large. Amazon, however, is one of the biggest.