Is it time to boycott Amazon?



I've got a bit of a confession to make today. In my drive to promote local businesses, there is one huge fly in the ointment. I'm a massive fan of shopping website Amazon.



 I buy all sorts on Amazon. I'm a massive reader and tend to get a lot of my books from the site because they have so many different titles in stock so I don't have to wait for a shop to order in what I want. And they're often cheaper than in the book shops. It's not that I don't love book shops, because I really really do. If I've got a spare hour (which is once in a blue moon) then there's nothing I like more than pottering around a book shop. There's something so special about the smell and feel of new books, and the promise of all those stories waiting to be discovered. But for my day-to-day book buying needs, I'm afraid it's Amazon that does the job.



Parcels like this are regular



I've also got about 150 titles saved onto my Amazon 'wish list', which I update every time a friend or colleague recommends a good read, so friends and family always know where to go for birthday present ideas for me. And it means I don't lose or forget recommendations.

I also tend to go to Amazon a lot for presents for other people. There's such a massive range of gift ideas and if you're searching for a paticular thing, chances are you'll find it. For example, my grandma is quackers about ducks so I often tailor her presents accordingly. All I have to do is type "duck" into the Amazon search bar to be presented with a whole range of duck-related gifts - including models, diaries, calendars, toys, games, ducks on oven gloves, ducks cushions.... a seemingly endless parade of duck giftware! It would take me hours of dashing round town, in and out of various gift shops, to rustle up something comparably duck-related.

But I've just done a google search on shopping with Amazon and found rather a lot of less-than-positive articles, mainly on how Amazon undercuts others on price and has been accused of dodging tax and being poor on social and enviornmental issues.

Earlier this week I posted about how chain stores like HMV and Waterstones tend to be really good for local high streets and how when they close, it can have a knock-on effect on surrounding businesses. And yet when I'm buying my books and CDs from Amazon I'm doing nothing to support these high street businesses.

The thing is though, Amazon is just so convenient, especially for those of us who work long hours and can't necessarily count on getting a break. I can shop on Amazon for what I need in literally a couple of minutes and get the parcels delivered straight to work so I don't need to worry about missing the postman.

I reckon the Amazon habit might be even harder to break than the supermarket one....