this post was submitted on 08 Sep 2023
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I don't buy on Amazon anymore. Not only to they treat their employees like crap, but also it's harder and harder to find quality stuff on their platform. Fake reviews are a huge problem.
Amazon is the new AliExpress with higher prices.
enshitification
I feel like 2023 will be remembered as the year of enshitification.
I feel like the 2020s will be remembered as the Decade of Enshitification.
Sad that you’re right. I even questioned saying, decade, but hesitated thinking I shouldn’t be to negative. 🥴
Probably only because it became so glaringly obvious despite having started far earlier.
Probably more likely to be remembered as the year of enshittification.
Completely agree. Don’t use them for numerous reasons now, one (of many) being the amount of cheap junk cluttering up the search results with fake reviews.
Is there an actual alternative general online store that treats its employees well and has good prices on decent products? I'm all for supporting a different online retailer over Amazon.
Similarly, I've been trying to purchase less on Amazon, but the brick and mortar stores around me are also giants (namely Walmart). I haven't been doing a good job of it, but I feel like part of the process of getting away from Amazon is also accepting some inconvenience and seeking things out from local shops.
Things though like detergent, toilet paper, etc, I really don't know who sells them other than big box stores.
I buy some of that stuff locally from a well-known & supposedly-"eco-friendly" brand. Just now I checked their website to see if they sell direct-to-consumer. Some do but this brand doesn't. So I took a look at their "Where to buy" list. Most of the listed online sellers were the obvious big-box or affiliated. But there was one apparently independent and environmentally-focused alternative retailer listed, with reasonable retail and shipping prices. I'm reading up now (Wikipedia and reviews) to decide whether that retailer will interest me or not.
So, my suggestion is to visit the websites of some brands that you like. Perhaps some may sell direct; and if not, check their "Where to buy" listings to see if any interesting options might be found there.
Depends where you're from but I don't know any who's global like Amazon is.
Why do you need a general online store? I'll just buy from specialized retailers most of the time. It's not really any extra effort.
Specialized stores sometimes cost more money (sometimes they don't). Also, the return policy and customer service is different from store-to-store. There's a lot of convenience in having an "everything" store.
Tried that a few times, and just felt like I was getting ripped off paying MORE for the product AND paying $20-30 shipping on top of that. Amazon is often cheaper and you get free shipping.
I've love to know of a better company that can compete, because I really can't afford to spend more just to spend more.
While there's definitely a lot of crap on there I've gotten pretty good at picking out stuff that's good for the price. I got this magnetic phone case and wallet combo and was actually baffled it was comparable to something I'd buy at say Macy's or something. Nothing fancy but well made and cheap. And it didn't explode. But I see most people have trouble with it including my SO. He will buy stuff sometimes and it's just trash. The Amazon brand stuff though is surprisingly good and we had swarn not to buy anything that said Amazon on it lol. Oh well.