Economic blackout
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Even if you don't have a Costco nearby, a membership allows you to purchase online - often more items than are available at a local Costco... $65/year?
@Rontuner thanks, I'll look into that.
My Amazon prime expires in April I think, so we'll keep it until then (unless I get a prorated refund?)
I already pay for prime, so taking that expenditure elsewhere makes sense. As much as I hate Walmart, I was thinking that I would prefer joining Walmart's program over staying with Amazon.
But Costco, yes, that would be much better.
But are a lot of things I can’t get anywhere else.
Maybe I don’t need them.
Yes, this is how my thinking is going....
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I wondered about Amazon's profit sources... subscriptions, or online sales???
https://fourweekmba.com/amazon-revenue-breakdown/@Rontuner thanks Ron!
AWS is Amazon Web Services, which I'm pretty sure is the tech backbone for many, many university systems. I was surprised it's only <16%. Interesting.
But of course it's the online stores and third-party sellers at 65% that make up the biggest chunk.
What this chart doesn't show is that, probably the biggest reason for those sales numbers is because of those subscriptions, along with the purchase bundles non-subscribers do to get free shipping.
So without the subscriptions, people will shop elsewhere.
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@Rontuner thanks Ron!
AWS is Amazon Web Services, which I'm pretty sure is the tech backbone for many, many university systems. I was surprised it's only <16%. Interesting.
But of course it's the online stores and third-party sellers at 65% that make up the biggest chunk.
What this chart doesn't show is that, probably the biggest reason for those sales numbers is because of those subscriptions, along with the purchase bundles non-subscribers do to get free shipping.
So without the subscriptions, people will shop elsewhere.
@ShiroKuro said in Economic blackout:
AWS is Amazon Web Services, which I'm pretty sure is the tech backbone for many, many university systems. I was surprised it's only <16%. Interesting.
That was my first reaction until I looked at profit.
AWS is their profit maker.
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@ShiroKuro said in Economic blackout:
AWS is Amazon Web Services, which I'm pretty sure is the tech backbone for many, many university systems. I was surprised it's only <16%. Interesting.
That was my first reaction until I looked at profit.
AWS is their profit maker.
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I would imagine that AWS has fewer associated costs, the main costs are the tech infrastructure and the people managing the tech. Which is surely a much smaller number of people involved than sales, since product sales, require distribution logistics and people etc...
I have the impression that AWS was fully embedded as a major internet service provider before anyone even noticed.
I wonder if AWS does medical, like those "mychart" systems that hospitals and clinics use....
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Piqué, on the subject of Buy Nothing groups, I found that (at least around here) they are HYPER local. So local, that on this island of about 490,000 people the groups are only about a few blocks in size...even smaller than what I would call a neighborhood. It might be hard to find what you want, or find a taker for what you have. Often you have to extend your reach farther than that. So examine the geographical breadth of your various local groups. You may also find that some groups are not called Buy Nothing, but have some different name, and different rules.
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A 40-day Target boycott starts today. It couldn’t come at a worse time for the company
https://www.cnn.com/2025/03/05/business/target-boycott-jamal-bryant/index.html
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A 40-day Target boycott starts today. It couldn’t come at a worse time for the company
https://www.cnn.com/2025/03/05/business/target-boycott-jamal-bryant/index.html
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When spring break gets here (two weeks away!) we're gonna make a pilgrimage to the "big city" and go to Costco (and the bigger Japanese grocery store).
Target and Amazon can suck it.
@ShiroKuro said in Economic blackout:
go to Costco
Ha! Glad you said something. Saw this literally 5 minutes ago:
Costco membership deal: Costco is now offering a bonus $20 digital Costco Shop card on top of a Gold Star Membership price of $65 for your first year. On top of that, this offer will give you a free additional household card.
Some of Costco’s most loved services are Costco Optical prescription glasses center, Costco’s gas program (where you can gas up your vehicle for discounted member prices) and the hot food options, including the beloved $1.50 hot dog and soda combo.
Note that when you purchase this deal, you will be sent redemption instructions via email; you must redeem your membership online before you shop at Costco. The $20 Costco card will be emailed to you within two weeks after you redeem it.
If you don't find a Costco membership works for you, they will refund your membership fee, no questions asked.
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@ShiroKuro said in Economic blackout:
go to Costco
Ha! Glad you said something. Saw this literally 5 minutes ago:
Costco membership deal: Costco is now offering a bonus $20 digital Costco Shop card on top of a Gold Star Membership price of $65 for your first year. On top of that, this offer will give you a free additional household card.
Some of Costco’s most loved services are Costco Optical prescription glasses center, Costco’s gas program (where you can gas up your vehicle for discounted member prices) and the hot food options, including the beloved $1.50 hot dog and soda combo.
Note that when you purchase this deal, you will be sent redemption instructions via email; you must redeem your membership online before you shop at Costco. The $20 Costco card will be emailed to you within two weeks after you redeem it.
If you don't find a Costco membership works for you, they will refund your membership fee, no questions asked.
Thanks @wtg !!
@wtg said in Economic blackout:
If you don't find a Costco membership works for you, they will refund your membership fee, no questions asked.
This is good, because we live far away enough from it that we would have to find we can use the online shopping option enough. Like, the gas card isn't going to do anything for us, nor the hot food options.
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I love Costco and their prices are usually very good, though it always pays to compare.
costco.com is not as sophisticated as Amazon, so don't expect the same speedy delivery times you get with Amazon. Costco doesn't warehouse the stuff, so your goods are coming from the vendor and delivery times are not super fast.
And when I do a return, I take it to the warehouse. You can return online purchases without going to the warehouse, but I've never done it so don't know how it works.
Anyway, you have a year to give it a try and see how it works out. Others who are farther away from Costco will perhaps chime in and talk about how they use their Costco memberships. Don't forget Costco optical if you need a pair of glasses! At least take a look around while you're there.
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I'm sorry Target made this stupid choice, and now I have to boycott them. I love their bedding. We don't have many stores in our community that offer the household goods Target has. This means we'll have to do even more shopping online.
These boycotts are hard for people who live in remote areas.
I don't get the sense in boycotting for a day or a week or a month. Why not just never buy anything from any of these companies ever again?
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I'm sorry Target made this stupid choice, and now I have to boycott them. I love their bedding. We don't have many stores in our community that offer the household goods Target has. This means we'll have to do even more shopping online.
These boycotts are hard for people who live in remote areas.
I don't get the sense in boycotting for a day or a week or a month. Why not just never buy anything from any of these companies ever again?
@pique said in Economic blackout:
These boycotts are hard for people who live in remote areas.
Yep. We’re not even remote, but it’s a hassle because we don’t have a lot of in-person shopping options if we don’t want to do a two-hour round trip drive. We don’t have a JCPenny or Macys in town, no Costco as I’ve mentioned… So although we have grocery options beyond Walmart, we don’t have a lot of options for household goods…
I don't get the sense in boycotting for a day or a week or a month. Why not just never buy anything from any of these companies ever again?
Yea, this is what I’ve been thinking. One thing I am wondering is how much I’ll spend on shipping if I completely stop buying anything from Amazon and end up buying things from other online sites….
Guess I’m about to find out….
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A short term boycott sends a signal to a company that some part of the population wants it to change. If they get the message, doesn't it make sense to send dollars their way? And if they don't adjust their policies, well then the boycott does become permanent. I've had several companies on my "do not buy" list for years, even decades, because we're on different sides of the fence when it comes to issues that are important to me.
And...I'm sure I take for granted how easy it is to get things because of where I live and I don't want to minimize the challenge for people who live in remote areas who don't have ready access, but as an aging boomer I've been going through a lifetime of stuff that I thought I really had to have and now I'm having to get rid of. I'm a shopper and deal finder at heart, but I wished I had asked myself the question of whether my life would really be much different if I didn't buy X. I would have saved myself money then and effort now to get rid of stuff I no longer use. For every purchase I consider making now, I ask myself where I think it will be in a year. In use? Or on its way to the charity shop? I think I end up nixing purchases more than 90 percent of the time. My 15 year old sheets are faded, but hey, I don't see them when I'm asleep anyway.
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A short term boycott sends a signal to a company that some part of the population wants it to change. If they get the message, doesn't it make sense to send dollars their way? And if they don't adjust their policies, well then the boycott does become permanent. I've had several companies on my "do not buy" list for years, even decades, because we're on different sides of the fence when it comes to issues that are important to me.
And...I'm sure I take for granted how easy it is to get things because of where I live and I don't want to minimize the challenge for people who live in remote areas who don't have ready access, but as an aging boomer I've been going through a lifetime of stuff that I thought I really had to have and now I'm having to get rid of. I'm a shopper and deal finder at heart, but I wished I had asked myself the question of whether my life would really be much different if I didn't buy X. I would have saved myself money then and effort now to get rid of stuff I no longer use. For every purchase I consider making now, I ask myself where I think it will be in a year. In use? Or on its way to the charity shop? I think I end up nixing purchases more than 90 percent of the time. My 15 year old sheets are faded, but hey, I don't see them when I'm asleep anyway.
@wtg said in Economic blackout:
A short term boycott sends a signal to a company that some part of the population wants it to change. If they get the message, doesn't it make sense to send dollars their way? And if they don't adjust their policies, well then the boycott does become permanent. I've had several companies on my "do not buy" list for years, even decades, because we're on different sides of the fence when it comes to issues that are important to me.
And...I'm sure I take for granted how easy it is to get things because of where I live and I don't want to minimize the challenge for people who live in remote areas who don't have ready access, but as an aging boomer I've been going through a lifetime of stuff that I thought I really had to have and now I'm having to get rid of. I'm a shopper and deal finder at heart, but I wished I had asked myself the question of whether my life would really be much different if I didn't buy X. I would have saved myself money then and effort now to get rid of stuff I no longer use. For every purchase I consider making now, I ask myself where I think it will be in a year. In use? Or on its way to the charity shop? I think I end up nixing purchases more than 90 percent of the time. My 15 year old sheets are faded, but hey, I don't see them when I'm asleep anyway.
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There is nothing they can do now to win back my business. Nothing. They took a suicide pill when they backed Trump, after Jan 6, after his felony convictions. They dont get another dime from me, ever.
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I am not a shopper unless it is for things I actually need. I would rather spend my money on experiences, gifts, better health and safety for me and my loved ones, or a luxurious item that will bring me joy every single day. I don't need kitchen counter appliances, a bigger tv, more books (I use the library), etc. As someone who lived through her own personal Great Depression in my 20s, then lived in a Forest Service cabin without running water or electricity and accessible only on foot, I consider most of what people buy to be a waste of money. My clutter is old letters, sentimental souvenirs and ticket stubs, financial records, 40 years worth of reporting notes for stories.... Tons of stuff going into the fireplace.
We are purging and decluttering on an ongoing basis, in hopes of creating more agility in moving, and it is Mr. Pique who has bought two and three and four of everything (flashlights, headlamps, socket wrenches, tow straps, and don't get me started on how many tape measures we have). It drives me crazy. Usually his excuse is that he couldn't find the item in our very extensive tool collection. (Because he is disorganized.) Anyone interested in tools, come to our moving sale!
If I buy sheets it's because the old ones are only good for cleaning rags. If I buy a new comforter it's because the old one was so battered it didn't keep anyone warm any more. My clothes barely fill half a small closet. Thats not to say I don't buy luxurious things--I think it's a false economy to buy things that are cheaply made, or that you don't deeply enjoy, or that won't last. So I try to buy only the best, and save my money for purchases that provide maximum pleasure--like a grand piano.
But I may sell that, too, depending on how nimble we need to be.
Most of my money now goes to hay, stall bedding, horse supplements, hoof trimming tools, riding lessons, veterinarians, gas and repairs for the truck... My own version of budget dementia, as we would be so much better off financially without animals. But they are what fill my life with joy. Priorities!
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