Breaking-up with a retail company can feel like ending a personal relationship.

The mirage of easiness can disguise problems; just because it's easy doesn't make it beneficial.

If you had to pay cash for a purchase, would you be as willing to pay or would you think twice?

Would your self-respect improve if you shopped less or made better retail purchases?

What should I do about Amazon?

I'm thinking about breaking up with Amazon the way I once thought about breaking up with a bad boyfriend. I am filled with shame because the toughest parts of ending the relationship are, in fact, the most trivial.

It comes down to convenience: A guy I dated in high school would pick me up and take me home because I didn’t drive. Amazon delivery is pretty much the same thing. They'd both do something for me and I for them; it was transactional, and nobody pretended otherwise. Available 24/7, they’d apologize if they made mistakes.

Is my self-loathing worth it when you know it’s just wrong?

I know using Amazon undermines my commitment to doing what's right by my local community. I know this the way I know I should get my fiber from eating leafy vegetables and not swallowing Metamucil, that I should remove the cellophane from a tissue box to recycle it, and that I should schedule time for weight-bearing exercises daily. I do none of those things despite knowing they are the right things to do.

The Impact on Consumer Loyalty

Amazon has worked hard to make me loyal, and I have bought into their tactics, literally and figuratively. I'm not alone. By 2024, "more than 50 percent (180 million) (of US consumers) were Amazon Prime........

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