The problem with cancelling Amazon

[Marigold]

I cancelled my WaPo subscription, and have mixed feelings about that. I do not think Jeff Bezos cares at all about the paper, and I do worry about the good reporters there. However, there is a use for Amazon that makes it impossible for me to quit. I get my meds there.

My husband and I have been on Medicare for two years now. Not wanting to go down the road of Medicare Advantage, we picked the best gap plan G, and a decent drug plan. Our premiums for Medicare, the supplemental plan G, and the drug plan cost us $844.00 a month. Way more than I ever paid for similar coverage on the ACA. The drug plan is going up $80.00 for the two of us next year. And guess what? It doesn't cover either of the drugs we are on.

My husband uses an COPD type inhaler. He uses the generic, yet NO drug plan covers it. Nothing else works for him. I use a specific HRT drug, and that is also not covered, not even the generic. I guess neither of them are required to live, so do without. We now buy them both through Amazon pharmacy without using insurance. His medication costs 50 dollars a month, and mine 47. Without Amazon, we would be paying 300 and 100 a month respectively.

As much as I would like to quit Amazon, I don't know what we would do without them. This also begs the question of why Amazon can offer these drugs at reasonable prices, yet the insurance company I pay premiums for cannot.

It just seems as if the game is rigged, and we are dependent on the pittance the corporations are willing to give us peons.

[Jim__]

1. I don't think a lot of people are cancelling Amazon. If only a few people do it, it wouldn't bother Bezos.

Do what's best for yourself.

[Tweedy]

2. Don't cancel

IMHO.

Don’t count on the low price at Amazon to remain though, either. Maybe the price will remain low. Most likely it will not.

Classic monopolistic behavior is to offer low prices to entice entry and drive others out of business. Is Amazon doing this with prescriptions? I don’t know. Is Amazon doing this with other items? It certainly appears so.

[soandso]

38. I'm not familiar with their prescription drug plan

but other items all come from individual sellers who just use the Amazon platform.

[Tweedy]

47. There are Amazon brand products now

Look closer.

[soandso]

48. I didn't know that

Sheesh. Soon Amazon will control all commerce. That horse left the barn a long time ago so there's no fighting it.

[Tweedy]

51. I disagree.

Once people believed that about Walmart. Remember Kmart?

[soandso]

72. Oh, yes

And I fully get your point. I don't however, see Walmart comparable to Amazon. I've never been a Wally World shopper because I hate the way they destroyed other businesses. Amazon's model wasn't the same and many businesses sell their products using Amazon's platform.

What I mainly meant in my previous comment was that the time to refuse using Amazon was a long time ago, before they had overnight delivery and fleets of vehicles. Now, they're so huge and have a done a good job at their own business model that I doubt that people will give them up and more than they'll give up using plastic and go back to cash.

[Tweedy]

73. I think you may have just identified a monopoly

with vertical integration galore
The whole building as it were.

Walmart destroyed businesses I knew and loved. Amazon destroyed businesses I knew and loved. Many of those were bookstores. Barnes and Noble destroyed businesses I knew and loved.

There used to be hardware stores with experts in them able to make the exact sized pipe you needed quickly, efficiently without error. This consolidation has lead to riskier banks with less local investment traded for speculation.

In my lived experience, monopolies don’t make anything better. Indeed, these days we have walking, talking, living examples of miserable monopolists.

We need competition, diversity and redundancy just like this Earth does to survive, much less thrive.

[soandso]

80. "redundancy"

100%

Completely agree with everything you said. I still think Wally World had a much worse effect when it came to driving companies out of business. As I stated, lots of business now sell ON Amazon, though it certainly hit the brick and mortar end of some of them. Because there was no platform that sold and delivered when Walmart spread like a cancer, small businesses simply went belly up. At least through Amazon, they can still stay in business. However, it's not like times past, as you're talking about. The final nail in the coffin for many was in states that did lockdowns but allowed chain restaurants and big box stores to remain open. My favorite little neighborhood greasy spoon went under because of it and they had been there since the 1960s.

I read a great article on redundancy a few months ago. I think it may have been about the supply chain but it made me think about consolidation in hospital systems being gobbled up. It's obviously more profitable to consolidate but it's not better for the end users and leads to longer wait times.

[Tweedy]

83. No doubt!

The more consolidation the less flexibility and resilience in the system. Once states recognized we needed enough hospital beds for a big contagion or disaster.

Then “efficiency” framing hit us and the business-ification of the medical profession. This throwing out past wisdom for a few more bucks today almost crashed our hospital system under Covid. Cosplaying President Trump made everything worse with nearly every utterance, too. I don’t know if rural areas hospitals have or can recover unless we intervene.

[CentralMass]

79. I have been a member for around two years but i have regrets.

I try to buy locally when I can. But with the recent news I am considering canceling my membership.

[soandso]

81. What you purchase locally

may not be the type of thing you'd buy through Amazon, and that's worth thinking about. Also, if you're buying something like a vacuum cleaner or a TV, you may as well buy through Amazon and have it delivered, quickly and with "free" (because you pay for membership) shipping because the places you'd buy something like a vacuum cleaner or a TV might be local stores but are still owned by mega corporations.

[sl8]

50. I don't think that's correct.

Statista says that 61% of sales are from independent sellers.

https://www.statista.com/topics/8024/third-party-3p-selling-on-amazon/

Amazon just says "more than 60% of sales in the Amazon store come from independent sellers".

https://sell.amazon.com/blog/amazon-stats

[Tweedy]

52. I simply said there are Amazon brand products

And there are.

Here is a list from Wikipedia

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Amazon_products_and_services

It is quite lengthy.

[sl8]

53. Sure. I wasn't replying to you.

I was replying to the poster that said all products were sold by individuals.

I've bought Amazon branded products for years.

[Tweedy]

61. My apologies.

[sl8]

63. No worries.

It's easy to do, I do it about once a week.

[newdeal2]

3. The reason it won't work (most likely) is simple

Most of Amazon's profit comes from AWS, not the Amazon.com marketplace or anything else they sell. And as an individual, you cannot stop consuming AWS unless you choose to avoid using the internet entirely.

[orthoclad]

7. What is AWS?

[Fullduplexxx]

8. amazon web services

[newdeal2]

9. Amazon Web Services

Many corporations and even non-profits and the government use AWS for cloud computing and storage. It's super profitable and Amazon is still the market leader in this space although Microsoft is gaining on them a bit.

[birdographer]

16. Don't you love the mysterious acronyms that are so popular here???

Last edited Tue Oct 29, 2024, 09:22 AM - Edit history (1)

[Abolishinist]

27. IITYWTMWYBMAD?

And yes, I agree.

[Gaytano70]

32. Acronyms?

IDK

[birdographer]

64. Ooops thanks fixed it

TY 🤣

[LearnedHand]

58. AWS is actually how they brand their cloud services

People aren't using the three letters just to be annoying.

[LeftInTX]

70. AWS is everywhere. If you do any code

[orthoclad]

67. General reply: I don't need no steenkeeng cloud

Thanks all, for discussing and explaining AWS.

I'm not running a business. I don't store my stuff off-site in clouds (aka "other people's computers" ). With the complexity of the commoditized net (see Microsloth's "Halloween memo" from the 90s ), I still probably traipse through the cloud here and there (likely here).

Even if Bozos makes his money mainly from AWS, we can still hurt him more by reducing his flagship company than by cancelling WaPo.

[LeftInTX]

71. All websites have clouds. AWS provides

many images that you see on websites

[notroot]

22. Software engineer at a global enterprise company and can confirm.

We've been trying to migrate off AWS to a smaller cloud provider, but it's a long process and we'll never escape them entirely, I think.

[slightlv]

54. They were the only ones to get through the complicated, complex

security process for DoD when I was still working... once you get thru that mess, you tend to stay on it because to do anything else is just to mind-blowingly intense.

[LeftInTX]

42. Amazon doesn't sell the products anyway. It hosts

the sale. It's like ebay. I don't quite understand how everyone was complaining about Amazon. It's like blaming eBay. When I purchase from Amazon I purchase through a store. A few weeks ago, I puchased 30,000 labels from the Batrical store. I purchase stuff from the Gilmour, Orbit and Melnor stores. (Their products are getting harder to find in stores) Before I went on vacation, I purchased a tree gator. (Not in stores here)

I don't have prime because I don't purchase all that much and stick to things I can't find in stores or like the labels, at a huge bargain.

[TwilightZone]

4. Do what is best for you personally.

If that's staying with Amazon, so be it. Try not to let others influence your decision when you clearly know what's best for you and your family.

A symbolic gesture that will ultimately be just one of countless many is not worth it if it causes you hardship. I know that many won't agree with me, but your health and financial situation are what's important, not a token gesture of dissatisfaction.

[spooky3]

45. Well said. nt

[lame54]

69. Ayn Rand said it better

[leftstreet]

49. +1

[LauraInLA]

5. Hey there! If you can share, which COPD inhaler is your husband using? I am now and have taken several, and I might

have some ideas about how you can get it less expensively.

[The Unmitigated Gall]

6. I don't have any illusions

That my quitting Amazon is going to hurt Bezos. I'm feeling better, no longer contributing anything to his wealth.
But I'm not depending on that service. If it is critical for you, I wouldn't feel bad continuing.

[Captain Zero]

19. Bezos only owns 10% of Amazon now

I googled it a few days ago.
Unless I don't understand what Google told me or Google is lying again. Haha.

[Gore1FL]

35. Yep. Pretty much any retirement fund offered for 401Ks has AMZN stock in it. nt

[LisaM]

43. Exactly. I don't use Amazon, never have. I hated them from the beginning.

I remember "60 Minutes" doing a piece on them and while online book shopping was a concept that bothered me from the beginning (I worked in a bookstore for many years), what turned me off them in particular, besides Bezos' reptilian personality and boast that the company used doors for desks, was the suggestive selling, the "if you read this, you might also like .." It's a very insidious way to direct consumer choice, or rather, inhibit it.

But I am not homebound and I don't use them for medicine. I think it's absolutely valid to use them that way, and people who need Amazon don't bother me in the least. It's the people who don't, or who return half their stuff, or who hurt local merchants that do. And now we've ceded them uncontainable power over everything.

[cally]

10. You are not the problem

Do what’s best for you. It’s the cowardly billionaires who are the problem!

[BlueCheeseAgain]

11. Perhaps surprisingly, the large majority of Amazon's worth comes from its cloud service, AWS.

AWS accounts for only 17% of Amazon's revenue, but 62% of its operating income. Their profit margin on retail is pretty small. In other words, Amazon is really a cloud company with a retail division attached, not the other way around.

So you can take heart knowing that Amazon the company doesn't get much out of your retail purchases, and Bezos himself gets an even smaller share of that. If you want to feel better, maybe kick a few dollars to your favorite Democratic politician or org when you buy on Amazon-- if you can afford it, that is.

[orthoclad]

12. Not everyone needs to cancel Amazon

to have an effect. By all means, your health care comes first. But you don't need to use amazon as a sole shopping source.

There are alternatives to most things that Amazon provides. I haven't used them in ~20 years. For groceries, pet care, and household goods, Rolling Stone published a list of alternative sources.

https://www.rollingstone.com/product-recommendations/lifestyle/best-amazon-alternatives-1136987/

Thrive Market
Hive
Grove Collaborative
Public Goods
World Market
Chewy
Uncommon Goods
Etsy
Temu
Instacart
Target

someone here also suggested Vitacost.com. Non-perishable food and household goods.

[birdographer]

18. Free shipping?

[orthoclad]

65. Not to promote a particular vendor, but

vitacost gives free shipping with a purchase around 50 bucks.

f we look around, there are competitors with the mighty Bezozon.

[MLAA]

44. I love vitacost.

[TommyT139]

13. Healthy Dems "trumps" one less Amazon fee

Also, I can't wait until we get that perfectly good verb back!

[dweller]

14. You can also check at Mark Cuban's

https://costplusdrugs.com/

You’d just need your dr to call in script if they have your meds
Mailed to you at low postage rates etc

✌🏻

[Skittles]

24. I honestly think that Mr. Cuban cares

it's not just a money thing

[orthoclad]

66. Possiby another "class traitor" like FDR?

[Brainstormy]

15. lots of independent vendors and retailers

also make a living through Amazon sales

[LeftInTX]

46. Exactly. I buy Gilmour, Nelson, Orbit and Melnor from Amazon

You can't order direct from them. They're all hose end products. Their good products have disappeared from store shelves and the Orbit tiners at Lowes are very poor quality.
I've bought indie address labels, bulk lit bags. They're purchased throught the seller on Amazon. It's a lot like ebay.

I don't have prime because it's cheaper for me without it.

[mdbl]

17. I am boycotting Amazon, but I am able to

If I were in your position I might be doing the same thing. I don't hold it against anyone that needs to use it. As far as drugs go, you might want to check out costplusdrugs.com just in case they are cheaper for you.

[BadgerMom]

20. On Threads someone stated that Bezos is the sole owner of the Post

but owns a percentage of Amazon. So one would think the cancellations will be likelier to be noticed.

And, of course, I take it with a grain of salt because Threads isn’t authoritative.

[Jack Valentino]

21. Nobody wants you to quit your necessary meds...

You need not feel guilty for buying what you must have, wherever you must buy it.


I trust you are not buying anything else from them that you can get elsewhere.

[Demsrule86]

23. And this is why I have an advantage plan...you should switch. That is

an awful price...many here who love traditional Medicare have the older plans...which are unavailable now.

[moonscape]

30. I love Original Medicare because I

have health issues and would be f’ed if I didn’t.

I wouldn’t recommend anyone drop anything before consulting with a Medicare specialist. Once you go to
Advantage it’s tough to get a MediGap plan again due to underwriting.

[Demsrule86]

60. I have had 1 open heart surgery, spent 56 days in the hospital

I have had four cardioversion procedures and 3 ablations (counting the one with the original open heart surgery) I take expensive meds like Eliquis. My latest ablation would cost $30,000 without coverage. I paid a $40.00 deductible. I was perfectly healthy until 2022, AlI this care was in less than 2 years I can afford my Advantage plan...oh I get $100.00 back from part B and have no premium. I have coverage if I go out of state too.

[Ms. Toad]

40. That is not true.

The plans which have been discontinued are identical to plans currently offered, with one exception: they covered the annual deductible.

I'm other words they pay a grand total, for 2024, of $240 more than the corresponding existing plans.

My mother has one, and my spouse was eligible for the same one. The plan for my spouse which covered the deductible cost $25-$50/month more than the corresponding discontinued plan. So she could have spent $300-$600 to save $240. Obviously, she choose not to, since the plan you are calling unavailable cost more than she would receive in added benefits from the plan.

If you want to advocate for Medicare advantage, that's to to you, but please don't do it by spreading misinformation about traditional Medicare.

ETA: the two discontinued plans are Plan F (discontinued) and Plan C. Plan F is identical to the current plan G, except that Plan F paid the annual deductible; plan G does not. Plan C (discontinued) is identical to the current plan D, except that Plan C paid the deductible. That's it. That's all that is no longer available - payment of (for 2024) a $240 annual deductible.

[Demsrule86]

57. When did you sign up for these plans? I checked and they were out of my league

expense wise...I get just over $100.00 on Part B giveback, no premium, get a pharm plan, gym, eye glasses. And I get a break on med via UH which takes my insurance...low deductible...free visit from primary doctors...I gain $100.00 every month and my out of pocket is OK...I spent 46 days in the hospital and was left with a bill less than $700.00. and it would be $240.00 (your numbers) per person so hubs and I would get no $100.00 's back and pay $500 per month. that would be 600.00 total and would need a pharmacy plan too...no dental, no vision and no gym...too much money.

[flying_wahini]

25. I'm assuming you have checked into CostPlus Pharma? A friend of a friend said she saved thousands a month

On chemo drugs. Maybe worth checking it out? She said it was a LOT better than others.

[Marigold]

28. Many have suggested CostPlus but it is more expensive

Damned Amazon. My husband's drug is 20 dollars more on CostPlus and mine is double.

[soldierant]

26. My Part D is with Humana, I'm not pushing it -

it works for me because as long as I keep the plan there I can keep my HRA - and the HRA pays the premiums - so i really don't have a choice.

But Humana is also affiiated with an online mail order pharmacy called Centerwell, and I do suggest you look at that. You may not need a Humana policy in order to use it I switched to it for convenience, but the prices seem slightly lower than Walgreens, which surprised me. I thought it was your Part D which set the prices regardless of teh pharmacy. (aslong as it accepts Part D.)

The only time I but at Amazon now is if someone gives me a gift certificate. They already have the money, so I may as well get the merchans=dise so they don't get to keep all of it.

[Tree Lady]

29. My mom use to tell me I can't afford

your morals. That was when a bunch of us stopped shopping at Walmart 15 yrs ago to buy local.

I quit WA post but not Amazon and find walmarts by mail isnt as good.

[Marigold]

31. That is the point I was trying to make

I did the same thing with Walmart back in the day. Now I cannot afford to support my beliefs.

[EllieBC]

33. "Shop local" is a privilege.

No one ever wants to talk about the classism that’s baked into the whole shop local and minimalist movements.

[erronis]

34. Check to see if there are any 340B programs in your area.

In Vermont I get my meds at around 5-20% of the pharmacy rates.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/340B_Drug_Pricing_Program

[Joinfortmill]

36. Getting your meds is a priority. Best of luck

[Gore1FL]

37. AMZN is a Bezos corporation like X is for Musk.

Bezos owns more than anyone else, but he owns way less than half. Pretty much anyone in this country with a 401K, 403B, 457B, etc. has at least one mutual fund with AMZN in it.

Keep your account.

[Red Oak]

39. Look into using Mark Cuban Cost Plug Drugs

The price of drugs at Mark Cuban Cost Plus Drugs are often very low compared to other providers.

It is mail order and generally cash only, although they do accept some limited insurance plans.

My family can get drugs there for less than the co-pay we would have with our insurance, so we pay cash and skip getting the drugs via insurance.

Mr. Cuban is really doing quite a service with the creation of this company.

[Bibliovore]

68. Agreed. Costco might be worth trying, too

Definitely agreed. And yes, Mark Cuban is another billionaire, but he's anti-Trump and pro-Harris and has set up a business that can really help people.

Costco might also be worth pricing out. They automatically provide some additional prescription insurance for members getting meds through them, and meds there can be surprisingly cheap. They do have a delivery service, but I don't know whether one needs a local Costco to be able to use their pharmacy in the first place. Membership is $60/year, but we probably save that on medications alone, let alone gas discounts and etc.

[Groundhawg]

41. do what's best for your family.

[slightlv]

55. If you haven't already done so,

you might want to check out what your meds would cost with GoodRX or SingleCare. Both of those apps beat my insurance all to hell. I now have meds that are only paid thru SingleCare, because it's $80-100 cheaper that way... and no hassle, like there can be getting them thru my insurance.

[Ferrets are Cool]

56. Take care of yourself.

I will repeat, TAKE CARE OF YOURSELF.

[Takket]

59. Honestly, you don't owe anyone an explanation. It is a free country.

I'm keeping my Amazon too, despite being furious at Bezos.

[Hekate]

62. You'll get no argument from me whatsoever

Best of luck to you both.

[nini]

74. You should checkout mark Cubans online pharmacy too

https://costplusdrugs.com/

Great prices but not all drugs are in the system yet.

[ribrepin]

75. I wanted to thank you for the information about Amazon prescriptions

I wasn't aware of that service. My daughter's husband is on strike and they have lost their insurance. She needs her blood pressure medicine and it's really expensive at the pharmacy. She checked at Amazon and it's only $8.90. Thanks again for the information at Amazon.

[Marigold]

82. I am really glad that was helpful

I found it by accident myself as a heavy user of Amazon. I have been buying my meds through them for about 4 years now, and hope they keep the service. I am going to cut down to just the pharmacy and absolute essentials I cannot find elsewhere.I guess there is something good Jeff Bezos does :/ Good luck to you and your family.

[usedtobedemgurl]

76. Can you get it through Mark Cuban?

[JohnSJ]

77. I cancelled the WP. I won't quit Amazon, but am considering stopping Amazon Prime, and limiting any shopping through

Amazon.

[viva la]

78. 200,000 canceled WaPo!

I bet even Richie Rich noticed.