Outline:
It happened when I pressed “buy” for a pink female urinal – an absolute bargain at £9.99 – which marked my fifth purchase from Prime that week, prompting me to question whether my Amazon habit had spiraled out of control.
When I initially began using
Amazon
About 15 years ago, when I was unmarried and living in London, I used it sometimes for purchasing CDs and books. Upon reviewing my records, I found out I had spent a sum of £53.02 that year. However, after having two kids and relocating from London to rural Scotland, my usage of Prime has significantly increased.
The challenges of balancing career responsibilities and familial duties, combined with the allure of immediate delivery options, have contributed to a shopping behavior where I spent £1,558.78 over the past year on everything from stationery like Pritt sticks and flea removers to kitchen tools and playthings for children.
Add
my husband
Including its use in the calculations, where expenditures included everything from an intriguing item such as an external hard drive to a lawnmower, the total spending for the whole household over 12 months escalated to £3,671.17.
We subconsciously rationalized this reliance partly due to our hectic schedules – overworked parents enticed by easy solutions. Additionally, our setting played a role; we reside and operate in a village with minimal amenities beyond a small Co-op, a podiatry clinic, and a gift store filled with charming yet non-essential home goods. The closest major shopping area requires a 40-minute drive both ways, making spontaneous visits during a lunch break impractical.
When faced with countless children’s birthday parties, I certainly won’t be giving a four-year-old a sports pedicure or a £50 scented candle as a present. The easiest choice would be to go for Amazon.
The children have used up all the sketching paper. Add more to the purchase list immediately. Heading off to a remote location with scarce toilet facilities. It might be wise to get a female urinal (those plastic cones enabling females to stand while using the restroom). Organizing a kid’s birthday bash whilst juggling lengthy working days. All the party supplies can be easily acquired online.
And this goes on endlessly; brown boxes adorned with the ever-present smiling arrow arrive daily to cater to our family’s requirements. A brief surge of dopamine when we check an item off our list.
I find my expenses on Amazon to be uncomfortably steep.
Of course, we’re not alone in this. As reported by the e-commerce platform Pattern, 93 percent of UK shoppers utilize Amazon, with the massive retailer handling an impressive delivery of 2 million products throughout the UK daily.
However, considering that the typical UK shopper spends anywhere from £600 to £1,200 at Amazon each year, my expenditure seems rather excessive. To ease my conscience, I tell myself that many Amazon customers live in urban areas where they have numerous options right outside their doorsteps. Nonetheless, as my purchases accumulated over time, so did my persistent feeling of guilt.
As the delivery volume surged during the peak period around Christmas, an exhausted Amazon driver informed me that he didn’t have time to purchase gifts for his own children. This amplified my sense of guilt.
I couldn’t keep ignoring the reality that my shopping behavior was supporting businesses that exploit their employees’ rights and fueling excessive consumption, which is detrimental to our environment.
This, along with Jeff Bezos’ deference to President Trump and the highly concerning step to exert greater control,
Washington Post
His views expressed in the opinion sections motivated me to take action.
It was time to move away from Amazon. Even though this act of protest seems tiny compared to such an enormous corporation, it would soothe my conscience and possibly teach me something new. However, could I actually pull it off? And what about convincing my just as dependent spouse to join me?
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Indeed, that turned out to be the case. To be honest, the aforementioned spouse wasn’t thrilled about the idea, but he grudgingly agreed to give it a try.
We have conserved funds – and ceased anticipating instant gratification.
What was unexpected is that it has turned out to be quite simple. Indeed, when the school recommended getting our child a water bottle marked with measurement lines (seriously, why?), I nodded in agreement but also felt a sense of panic. Where else could one buy this except from Amazon?
It went like a Challenge-Anneka situation where I raced down the street, browsed frantically through various stores, and ultimately triumphed after leaving a Tesco Superstore. While this didn’t quite support local businesses, it still felt rewarding. This satisfaction grew further as a quick peek at my competitors’ offerings showed I had managed to save £3 in total.
This was another insight I gained –
similar to 51 percent of Amazon users in the UK
I thought it might also be more economical. However, this proved to be incorrect. Recently, when I checked with World of Books, I found myself saving £7 during my purchase. By opting not to buy from Amazon when getting a new toaster, we managed to save over £30. Similarly, toiletry items could often be purchased at similar prices elsewhere. It’s worth noting that the large Allosaurus toy we got for our dino-loving youngest child would have cost us £10 less on Amazon; however, we concluded that the overall savings we achieved in other areas balanced things out.
Not everything has gone smoothly. Recently, my spouse—a dedicated volunteer Beaver leader—had to make a substantial purchase of paper bags for an upcoming Easter egg hunt. Considering their dedication to the role, they took a 28-mile round trip just to get these supplies. With at least two or three Amazon delivery trucks passing our house daily, this journey seemed somewhat counterproductive from an environmental standpoint.
However, quitting Amazon has made me more deliberate about how, where, and when I allocate my funds. I had unknowingly fallen into the trap of believing I needed items immediately. Now, I understand that’s not true.
I’ve compiled a checklist of essentials for both the house and garden. Urgent items will be included in trips that are already scheduled, or alternatively, purchased online when necessary. As for less pressing requirements, I’ll hold off since they aren’t immediate priorities. Although our lawn really requires a fungicide treatment, we’re putting this off due to being rather inept gardeners with minimal free time. Hence, waiting isn’t an issue for now.
I still need to do some planning, but I’ve picked up several ideas from a local friend who has exclusively purchased just one thing—a spontaneous Halloween baboon outfit—from Amazon over the past year. Whenever multiple birthdays come around, she heads to stores to stock up on gifts en masse. This was something I hadn’t thought about before.
It has now been 46 days and still going strong, and I remain committed to this journey. Not only am I proving a point to authority figures, but also feeling better as I’ve managed to cut back on expenses, accumulate savings, and pick up important life skills along the way.
I can’t speak for my husband, though…