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Re:The human cost of the Kindle by mwcampbell on Saturday June 09, 2018 @10:54PM (#17276156)
So what do we do about this? Should I cancel my Prime membership and never order from Amazon again?
Re:The human cost of the Kindle by ocdtrekkie on Saturday June 09, 2018 @11:04PM (#17276200)
I would, in general, recommend cancelling Prime. You can get better deals often elsewhere, so you might as well remove the default-to-Amazon behavior Prime gives you. You can still order on Amazon with free shipping for orders over $25 anyways. And Walmart will do free two-day shipping for orders over $25, making Prime mostly useless. Add some ship to store options for Target and Best Buy... There's nice non-Prime options out there.
Re:The human cost of the Kindle by djsumdog on Saturday June 09, 2018 @11:11PM (#17276233)
You can do a search for "Is Prime Worth It" and there are a couple of journalist that break down average purchases vs using the free three day shipping. Unless you purchase a lot of things and use a lot of services (video/music streaming) it doesn't seem worth the price for the average consumer. Most people lose money on it, but they stay subscribed because they've had it for years.
Re:The human cost of the Kindle by arentiright on Saturday June 09, 2018 @11:09PM (#17276219)
Be honest.. although not always the cheapest.. Does anybody keep your credit card safer than Amazon online? And who wants to sign up for a new account with some random company. If the shit hits the fan, Amazon will cover me as a customer.
Re:The human cost of the Kindle by ocdtrekkie on Saturday June 09, 2018 @11:15PM (#17276245)
1. Amazon has a HUGE scamming problem right now. Fraudulent listed items are a big deal, combined with legitimate listings, so it's hard not to get suddenly overcharged or sold a cheap knockoff. Your credit card number might be safer, but your actual money probably isn't.

2. You're not responsible for fraudulent charges, so worrying about major retailers having your credit card number isn't really reasonable. I don't recommend saving your credit card in any store website. Enter it each time so they can't store it.

Re:The human cost of the Kindle by djsumdog on Saturday June 09, 2018 @11:03PM (#17276196)
I stopped shopping at Wal-Mart in 2009 and I stopped shopping at Amazon when I returned to the US a few years ago.

But I realize these are symbolic. You can't affect a company by purchasing decisions. I still shop at Whole Foods even after the buyout.

The idea you can vote with your dollars is bullshit and ignores the power these companies have with their advertising.

Re:The human cost of the Kindle by macspoofing on Saturday June 09, 2018 @11:10PM (#17276223)
>The idea you can vote with your dollars is bullshit

It's not. You're just annoyed noone is 'voting' with you.

Re:The human cost of the Kindle by sincerely on Saturday June 09, 2018 @11:53PM (#17276389)
I think the idea is that a company with enough money (who hasn't done something that people would viscerally consider horrible) can influence enough people through advertising that the well-informed consumers "voting with their dollars" don't make a meaningful difference.
Re:The human cost of the Kindle by macspoofing on Sunday June 10, 2018 @01:41PM (#17279183)
Is it really advertising that's at fault here? OP has a big issue with WalMart. I don't have a problem with WalMart at all. WalMart is an inevitability in a world where selection pressure rewards increased efficiency and lower costs. The most natural way to achieve that is through scale and centralization. But OP is clearly ideology driven and has a warped view of WalMart as some sort of super villian, that most normal people don't. He is confused why nobody follows him in his boycott and scapegoats advertising.
Re:The human cost of the Kindle by JackCh on Saturday June 09, 2018 @11:37PM (#17276328)
Pirate all your books from Library Genesis. Nobody getting paid is true equality.
Re:The human cost of the Kindle by maoistinquisitr on Saturday June 09, 2018 @11:10PM (#17276224)
A tariff or tax regime indexed on real wages and also environmental protection is necessary.

Selling things in the USA profitably on the basis of cheap labor in countries with weak environmental and labor protection should not be so simple.

A tariff program is probably not even necessary because overwhelmingly American corporations can simply be taxed for their import activities in a VAT manner and the problem goes away.

Re:The human cost of the Kindle by jeffbax on Sunday June 10, 2018 @09:45AM (#17278081)
That is the lefts way of saying "only immigrants from Norway"

It would devastate the poor worldwide. Nations that are rich are the only ones that can spend to care about the environment.

If you want clean air in India and China you want a middle class that demands it because they're not starving.

Re:The human cost of the Kindle by arentiright on Saturday June 09, 2018 @10:59PM (#17276174)
Re:The human cost of the Kindle by mwcampbell on Saturday June 09, 2018 @11:23PM (#17276272)
Can you explain why you brought up that video? Are you saying that boycotting Amazon is merely a symbolic move?
Re:The human cost of the Kindle by arentiright on Sunday June 10, 2018 @07:37AM (#17277645)
It's a hollow symbolic move that doesn't produce real change.
Re:The human cost of the Kindle by whatsstolat on Saturday June 09, 2018 @11:15PM (#17276244)
Yes, then listen to Jameroqui
Re:The human cost of the Kindle by mwcampbell on Saturday June 09, 2018 @11:21PM (#17276263)
Can you please provide a link? A web search doesn't turn up anything that seems relevant.
Re:The human cost of the Kindle by booleandilemma on Saturday June 09, 2018 @11:57PM (#17276410)
I think they’re referring to Jamiroquai, maybe the album “Automaton” in particular.

Jay Kay described the inspiration for Automaton: "in recognition of the rise of artificial intelligence and technology in our world today and how we as humans are beginning to forget the more pleasant, simple and eloquent things in life and in our environment including our relationship with one another as human beings"

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Automaton_(album)

Re:The human cost of the Kindle by donkey-hotei on Saturday June 09, 2018 @10:57PM (#17276166)
Yes.