Who Pays the Price for Amazon's Free Shipping? 

My local business group in AZ only asks that people add 10% of local stuff to what you already buy. Not asking for 100%. Just do what you can. Thanks for caring.

Besides that, WalMart is the largest, world-wide provider of poverty for everyone on the supply line-ending with the consumer!

There are no Walmarts in Germany. Why? Germany has a law that requires employers to pay employees according to their profits. Based on its profits, Germany determined that Walmart should be paying its employees 27 EURO an hour, so Walmart left. Lucky Germans! Their vibrant main streets full of small shops (instead of the incredibly boring chain stores) are wonderful places to shop as well as window shop.

Grow/make what you can, sell what you make, buy what you don't. There are local organizations that hook consumers up with local businesses in your area. Or form a co-op with other people in your neighborhood so you have buying power as a group. Sure, it depends on where you live but there are options. Just takes a little homework. also, VOTE!

This somehow is a model for government institutions to take as an example. They say people come and go all the time, it's a matter of people "finding their place". *_scoffs_* We place people at the end of things,just watch what's to unfold in the long run.

Ace C. You can use etsy as well!

Not ebay. Local businesses. Did you listen to the whole video?

Great if you have the local businesses to use, or the ability to get there.

Ebay is great for rural folks who don't have many options locally. Just watch where you buy from, don't support Chinese sellers, try to do mom and pop ebay stores. But buy local first if you can!

Ali-Baba

I think part of the message is to consider if you need all that stuff anyway. How manipulated by the system are we to buy stuff for presents for family and friends just because it is Christmas, birthday etc. What about donating to Treesisters, Wildlife, the Amazon Rainforest etc instead.

what about putting up with a little inconvenience in order to save the planet and support workers rights? Unless you are poor yourself (cos you work for a company like Amazon), why not pay a little more and buy from your nearest family owned store - that keeps them in a decent, satisfying, jobs as well. (and helps to keep their prices down). Amazon and big supermarkets are putting small business' out of work. Buy local.

but who can compete with amazon? only another giant company with deep pockets. to behave ethically costs money which raises prices. yes, it is less convenient to shop local, but it i the right thing to do. at least try this: look locally for what you need--freecycle and craigslist first, then local shops (even if that search is online or via phone). whatever you can't find, if you still think you need it after your search, then look at ebay and then amazon. they fill a need (and a want) but they shouldn't be the first go-to.

I'm thinking we could support local businesses AND have the convenience of online shopping. How about an Amazon-like site where, once you're ready to check out, it finds the stuff you want locally? Now you still have to go out and pick it up (or have it delivered from the local biz), but you didn't have to go from one store to the next to see what they have. Obviously, this won't help if an item just isn't available locally, but we could at least be using local businesses when we can, and then once they have you in their store, you might pick up a few other things ...

But where is the great uncovering of a deeper story? Don't listen to the sad outsiders who don't really know what they are talking about. Ask him to verify the "Amazon makes their employees pee in a bottle" story, if that's all he' got then the big uncover would be, is what is he really upset at Amazon about, My guess is that he is not a part of one of America's great success stories. There are mom & pops, cousins, uncles who now have a platform for being in business in the Amazon arena without the cost of a brick and mortar store. A big part of the model depends on a large group who now can live the american dream due to their access to amazons market place.

The Story of Stuff is an organization that is dedicated to reducing waste and impacts on the planet. Check out their website.

When you order in EBay and it's shipped from Amazon that is because the eBay seller also sells on Amazon and they have stock kept in the warehouse there. So they will ship it from there so they dont have to pay the shipping.

Yes, of course, I understand that is what is happening. I know why they do it; I just feel it should be disclosed. I want to make an informed choice. I will send it back if it drop-ships from amazon when it's an ebay seller.

All supplements are not created equal. Poorly manufactured, extracted, processed or stored products will not work, that is true. In personal experience over the course of my own life, my own body has proven to me that good supplements certainly do work. Heat-sensitive supplements may be rendered useless by being in high temperatures for any length of time.

In America is a Republic, not a democracy or socialist country. The President doesn't determine break and lunch break times. That is left to the company. You think being a member of a union is a human right? Absurd! Thank goodness in my state, deadwood can be fired and replaced instead of being paid for not doing their jobs.

@@TheTexred People do actually do their Jobs here too. But they won't do it for slave salary. Freedom is something one has to fight for. But we do that together, not individually. Unions is a way doing that.

I'm not a big fan of unions. I'm more in favor of individual companies stepping up and doing what's right; respecting and valuing their employees and, with those that offer products or services, their consumers.

i thot you had millions of arab and africans coming in. how is that going?

Yes, I'm guilty of ordering for convenience too. Less and less as time goes by, though.

In fact, another good campaign might be to ask Amazon to “green” up their delivery packaging.

About your points on emissions reduction... hmmm. Buying local kinda means right where you live and shopping can be consolidated so that there aren't all those trips back and forth. If every person consolidated their shopping, I wonder how the emissions would compare to that many less trucks on the road? The electric power that it takes to have all these computers running 24/7 might be factored in. For me, nuclear waste is as dangerous as carbon emissions. Electric power is provided by nuclear power. I guess, I'm just saying it's a pretty complex issue with a lot of things to consider. I agree with some of your points but as for warehouses, if they are temp-controlled to keep nutritional items and heat-sensitive products viable, that's all well and good. amazon allows temps up to 90 degrees. Also, employees have to work 10-12 hours in that heat.

Are you talking about locally made? That’s most likely lower emissions, although it depends on where the original materials come from. It’s not necessarily practical for most people for some of the necessary items of life (toilet paper for example). Solar and wind are cheaper than oil and coal right now (as well as nuclear), so there’s NO reason we shouldn’t be switching over rapidly. Like I said, I do agree that Amazon is not great, that workers are not treated fairly. It’s just the idea that driving to the local stores to get most of the things people buy on Amazon is better as far as emissions - the research I’ve read says it’s not. You have to remember, too, that the delivery trucks are usually out when there’s less traffic, so there’s less wasted gas as well. I get cleaning products from a company called Grove Collaberative (not sure if I can post the website). I can get several months worth of items in one delivery. I just don’t want people to think that driving to even an ethical store is automatically better for the planet than shopping online. We should be treating driving much differently than we do now.

The creator has very little control over what ads play after their video. Ads are picked via keywords and mentions in the video, this is just an unfortunate coincidence.

If there was a way so that people with local businesses knew what you needed or wanted, maybe local businesses would improve their stocks and there would be more shops to go to instead of cities becoming just places to sleep and work

I've asked for years for these things and, sadly, all I get is "it's not worth ordering that." We finally got a local comic book store that looks promising, but usually, the closest stores that have what I want are 2 hours away. The joy of living in Small Town, Nowhere. XD

Well, what I need is food and warmth. I can get groceries a block away and I can sew my own clothes from fabrics from the thrift store a block away in the other direction. If I "need" movies, music cds, or books I have to order online or settle for Netflix or audiobooks, if I don't order from an online store. This includes books I need for school.

Video stores have closed everywhere. Most people download video through iTunes and the like. As for toys, 3D printers have come down in price, drastically. You can print your own at home, and even design your own with 3D modeling software.

Yes. There is a learning curve, as there is with anything creative. I do think 3D printers will replace Toys R Us and the like. Nice thing about 3D printers is, most of them use PLA filament for printing, which is not only biodegradable, but actually compostable!

I would rather they give us better public transportation.

Yes, better public transportation would definitely help. I live in Ottawa where public transit is pretty dismal. I can usually get from A to B by bike in half the time it takes to go by bus. Walking is often faster too. For example, I can walk to the VIA station in 35-40 minutes but it takes one hour and 10 minutes by THREE buses! One missed transfer can add another half hour to the journey. I sometimes buy online (for bulky items that are a nuisance to take on crowded buses) from a local store such as Canadian Tire. The postage is a dollar or two more than the bus fare, and it saves me at least two hours of bus travel time.

A tiny bibliography in the description won't hurt anybody.

Great suggestion! We just added our sources in the description. 👍🏽

Yeah, that children cheering bit made my cat jump out of the chair. Volume compression needed.

kidqwick57 i agree

OK you're a hero for working 3 jobs - but its not true that everyone doesn't care about working conditions, like you. Also you don't seem to have connected the dots regarding environmental issues. Yes Amazon saves you from driving, but it encourages unnecessary consumption, cardboard packaging overload and more wear & tear on the roads (heavy trucks). And it doesn't even pay all its tax load!

Janet Marks i recycle my boxes. So wouldnt amazon be worse if they shipped items that wasn't recyclable??

@@janetmarks28 Thank you, not all Hero's wear capes. Since when did the word "Majority" mean "everyone". You don't seem to connect my words with my meaning. I'm all for saving the environment personally. But "MOST" people..not "ALL"..when it comes down to it, will put their own benefits/interest first. That's just the "real world"we live. It's also becoming more cynical I notice. I'm probably just gettin old and grumpier....

Sorry - misread your post - your belief that the majority of people don't care about workers conditions sounds like you've swallowed the Ayn Rand brand of economic theory - the one where the individual fights for him or herself and regulations are seen as against human nature and the right to freedom. Look at what happened to Sears & Co. when the CEO reorganised it according to this credo.

Efficiency does NOT look like a few monopolies controlling all the world's resources, our minds, and our choices.

elan, Amazon is hardly a monopoly. They provide a platform for tons of smaller businesses to distribute their goods to a much wider consumer base. If you don't see the irony in your mind-control comment, I just don't know what to tell you...perhaps it's too late, and you're right; they are controlling your mind.

Elizabeth Whitehouse please explain how that meets the definition of 'efficiency'. Old technology makes way for innovation. Early adopters of new innovation are usually at the forefront of capitalizing on emerging technologies. No one is forcing anyone to patronize or work at Amazon, but yet, here they are doing scads of business, opening tons of distribution centers of every kind and offering people jobs left and right. Which, I might add, come at $15/hr to start, even without a day of previous experience, and benefits starting on the first day.

@Elizabeth Whitehouse you said brick and mortar stores are efficient...lol

I stopped buying from Amazon years ago, mainly books. Now, here in England, I get my books from a great UK supplier, ABE, which has a host of local bookshops on its books. Bezos frightens me. Puts his billions in a plan for Mars, having stuffed up this earth and many peoples' lives. No soul.