i'm legit 1 feud with a college professor away from being ted kazynski i swear!! covid moved so much of daily life onto the internet and companies have used it as an excuse to discontinue real-life options. they're 100% banking on our dependence on their services as a way to continuously make our experiences worse. late stage capitalism and business monopolies YAYYYY!!! I have beef with a lot of companies (and the DMV) but especially Amazon. THE TECH BROS MUST BE STOPPED!!!
i deleted my amazon account during the covid-19 lockdowns and honestly it's made my life so much better. it's been a little more inconvenient--i had to spend like a week scouring all the general stores near me to find a grapefruit spoon--but it's been 100% worth it. I feel like the "i need this IMMEDIATELY" panic has gone away when looking to buy or replace something, and my general problem solving when it comes to finding things in stores in real life has gone wayy up. i have to think more about if something i want is actually worth the time and effort, and in the end the purchase is more satisfying because of it.
so i wanted to create a place i could compile resources for people that are interested in doing so, but have limited time and resources to dedicate to replacing the various services amazon offers!
to get the full effect of disconnecting your brain from the immediate gratification of online shopping i recommend just buying things in person--and it saves on shipping costs and emissions!
however, this one can be a bit tricky since even big box stores like target and walmart tend to just be dropshippers when ordering online. luckily most websites searches have filters that allow you to filter out things that aren't available in store! I've had to drive a few miles to get things sometimes but checking what products are "in stock" in store and driving to that location to buy it or pick it up hasn't failed me yet!
this is an ongoing list i'll keep updated as i find new tips and tricks. if you see any of your favorite services without a replacement, or know of any alternatives please let me know at amphibiousfloridian@gmail.com !