In general I think huge multinational corporations function without souls in ways that are bad for the environment and bad for labor and bad for the human community. So in general I try to encourage f/Friends to as much as possible steer way from chains and spend money at mom/pop locally owned stores which much more keeps money in your own local economy.
In the case of this particular corporation however we must look at both the carbon foot print of it and how it is effecting economies throughout the US (and world). In the old model products were produced and were then shipped to distribution hubs and then to stores around the country with a concentration in department stores or malls that had the additional money for bigger stock selection than smaller stores. Then consumers took them home. This path of miles traveled from producer to distribution hub to store to home might look like: 300 miles + 100 miles + 10 miles = 410 miles. Now it looks like 500 + anywhere from 10 to another 500. (They have 20 disruption centers around the country. If an item is not in the one nearest you it will ship from where they do have it.) So transport is a bigger carbon foot print but so is packaging since now huge numbers of items are being packaged independently rather than all in their original package and going in one bag at the store with you. Quite often items you ordered at the same time will go in separate boxes and be delivered on separate days by the same UPS or Fed Ex driver. This is a terrible carbon footprint.
Then there is the effect on the economy. Because small stores and even department stores cannot compete with the allure of people having every choice manufactured they are consistently losing business to Amazon. As a result more and more small business are losing business and going out of business. Even large chains like Toys R us, Sears, etc are going under. The loss of brick and morter stores is the loss of employment in lots of moderately sized communities around the country. And with it the loss of more money in the local economy. It drives even more urban growth to the 20 cities that have Amazon hubs.
CBS revealed the following:
The rush toward ever-faster shipping is creating the need for more truck trips, undoing the ecological benefits of shopping online.Amazon's package deliveries in 2017 alone emitted about 19 million metric tons of carbon, according to one estimate. "That's just under five coal power plants," one expert said.
Not long ago online shopping was better for the climate than the in-person kind because it benefited from economies of scale. A shopper who's driving from store to store in a car can create a lot of emissions, Anne Goodchild, "Delivery services can be better -- they can put lots of stuff in one vehicle, do one delivery route and hit lots of homes," she said.
But while that model prevailed in the early days of online shopping, today it's reversed, with very small and quick deliveries -- what she calls "paid butler services" -- growing the fastest. Data show that package deliveries are indeed speeding up. In the last two years, the average time for an item to get from "click" to a customer's door dropped from 5.2 days to 4.3.
Amazon's decision to make one-day shipping the default for its Prime members is likely to increase its emissions ever further. In 2017, Amazon's deliveries alone emitted about 19 million metric tons of carbon, according to an estimate from 350 Seattle, a group that works to combat climate heating. "That's just under five coal power plants," said Rebecca Deutsch of 350 Seattle.That same year, FedEx was responsible for 14 million tons, and UPS for 13 million, according to CDP, a nonprofit that helps companies track emissions data.
The collapse of these other levels of scale builds a monopoly. We know from history the more an organization holds a monopoly the more we are at their mercy with prices. Don't count on this government to pursue monopoly busting. It is up to you to not give them monopoly power.
Some of us, in a world where clothes are made for "standard bodies" which few of us have, still need to go into a store and try on clothes to see if they fit. Not everyone has the economic means to order all the many many things they want to try on and time to repackage and take back to be mailed back and get the credit. Everyday people still need stores. Also in the long run of fixing climate change we need not only stores in our community with their smaller carbon footprint but we need much more regional self sufficiency over all were we make and use things locally. The trend of Amazon takes us in the wrong direction.
However, living at "ground zero" as it were for Amazon (Seattle) I have an even more up close and critical view of this particular corporation. Some cities that were bidding for Amazon's next distribution center could not understand why Seattle was not trying to keep all Amazon's business in Seattle. Well if you lived here you would understand. "The death of Seattle" as reported recently in a documentary is largely attributable to Amazon. The huge growth has resulted in escalating cost of office and warehouse space, increased population and with it huge traffic snarls and skyrocketing housing prices and increased overall cost of living. The pressure on housing resulted in a huge development bout where any small or old property was likely to be torn down and much bigger and taller housing replaced it (also resulting in huge tree loss), hugely driving up the prices. Small businesses were torn down to build 7 story condo or office buildings with one strip mall type antiseptic storefront at the bottom. Seattle was re-gentrified loosing all of its character and soul. Locals mourn the loss of the city they once new. I moved because I could not stand the constant daily loss.
After the city council tried to impose a tax that would have been heavily applied to Amazon, they ran a misinformation initiative campaign which they used paid signature gathers for and won so that the tax did not go into effect. Then they spent 2.5 million on the local Seattle election to try to buy the Seattle City Government. Fortunately they failed. But this is why I find them extremely objectionable.
So I would again ask you - is this the world you want to support? You are voting with your dollars.
What are your alternatives? Fun fact - anything you buy locally and take to the post office will likely cost less than the "standard" shipping for any online ordering (except where free) since it is having to base it on an average size package rather than the actual size and weight of your package. For those of you so pleased with your "free shipping from Amazon" please note there is no such thing as a free lunch. Shipping costs are folded back into overall prices and the environment is certainly paying the price of all this shipping everywhere.
For Books - First choice - why not support your local book store?
If there is not one, support Barnes and Noble while it still stands (on shakey ground because of Amazon). Can get any book and ship to your relative across the country.
Or better yet use better world books - an online alternative to Amazon which means it also has a big inventory which has donated 8.6 million dollars worth of unused books to global literacy groups.
https://www.betterworldbooks.com/
Clothing: First choice - go to local clothing stores
If sending to a family member across the country again use a chain that is still in existence and does shipping and is not Amazon.
Electronic items: First choice buy at a local store and ship yourself.
Chains like Best buy, or Penny's or Macy's do ship.
Cool artsey stuff: support real artists and crafters across the country to have a further reach. Use etsy.com where you can find any kind of custom made item.
Some of you may find this a confusing message: Isn't she just really suggesting one shipper verse another? Well my first choice really is that we all support the local businesses in our communities - that is still by far the better carbon foot print and better for the economy. Along with that we move away from giving stuff (which also uses resources and has transport foot print behind it, and is part of a lifestyle that will need to become our former lifestyle) and give experiences and services instead. So for example you give a friend tickets to a massage, or pay the local kid to shovel their drive, or give a ticket to a play (perhaps with you- best of all!) When you start to think this way there are lots of possibilities.
But I realize that everyone we wish to give a gift to does not live right where we do. Which is why I remind you that there are at least other chains than Amazon to buy from. But if you get creative there are ways to give experiences even across the country. A few years ago I gave my adoptive mom a dinner out by calling her favorite local mom and pop restaurant and they do have gift certificates which I paid for over the phone with my card. They mailed it. My in-laws live in the town of my daughter and partner and bought them a couple's message. But I could have called and paid over the phone for that as well. The same can be done for local theater, etc. So think outside of the box! Support the world you want.
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