‘I don’t buy on Amazon’: Why people are turning their backs on online shopping

Few actions are more common these days than buying something with a click or two and going on about our lives until the doorbell rings to announce the arrival of whatever it is we ordered, be it a toothbrush or a new phone. Indeed, a considerable percentage of the population makes electronic purchases at least once a year. But what about all the people who never take advantage of this kind of business?

For many, this type of commerce is simply out of the question. For them, that click translates into an increase in the environmental footprint, unfair labor rights for the workers and a situation of oligopoly in the market. And when people talk about their rejection of online shopping, a name is heard above all others: Amazon, which already accounts for 41% of all online sales in the United States.

According to the company’s own data, Amazon emitted 71.27 million metric tons of carbon dioxide around the world in 2022, an increase of 37.7% compared to 2018, of what is considered harmful to the environment. “The current consumption model is unsustainable; it leads to economic and climatic collapse,” states Ángel Zurdo, a professor at the Complutense University of Madrid (Spain) and researcher of consumer societies.

“I haven’t shopped online in more than two years. I particularly avoid platforms like Amazon or Uber Eats. If necessary, I go pick up an order myself,” states José Luis Zafra, a 28-year-old communications worker who refuses to buy electronically “for reasons of class, social justice and the environment.” Jeff Bezos’ company has reduced its workforce by 157,000 employees in the last year. “I don’t want to support their awful working conditions,” he adds. Years ago, the online retailer’s workers went on strike under the slogan “Make Amazon Pay,” asking for better working conditions, more rights and a reduced environmental footprint.

The e-commerce giant “barely pays taxes, by using a financial structure that revolves around tax havens, and it eats SMEs by stealing data and information from them,” says Yago Álvarez, a business journalist who acknowledges that he does buy from other online stores, but not from the American giant.

Esperanza Álvarez, 28 years old, who works in a cooperative and studies environmental science, does not buy from practically any website, unless it is the small business of self-employed people. “I don’t believe that the society in which we live, in which hyperconsumerism is rewarded, is sustainable either for people or for the environment,” she says when asked about her reasons. She assures that this is enough “to reevaluate our way of living.” She trusts in responsible, degrowth consumption as a tool for social change. “I also don’t think that consuming a lot makes you happier. That is an ideological basis. We can live with less, and we even have to start thinking about not buying more than the basics,” she concludes, and calls for more people to consume responsibly.

Avoiding them doesn’t necessarily weaken them

“There has always been a tendency for certain groups to resist certain consumption practices or channels. This is not new,” explains Zurdo. “When talking about companies like Amazon or eBay, the fact that a few refuse to buy from them is not enough to weaken their economic structure.”

Zurdo points out that when a person tries to resort to “conscious and alternative consumption,” there is a tendency to turn to individual solutions. “Not going beyond an individual level means that it doesn’t translate into a more political, organized approach,” he says. On the other hand, he does emphasize the importance of neighborhood initiatives with locally-based consumption, “although sometimes these alternatives are relegated to the background.”

The professor admits to buying from Amazon “from time to time” and feeling incongruous. But as with any problem, he says, the causes depend on many factors: “Advertising and marketing have known how to move within adaptable frameworks. You can sell soft drinks from multinationals by talking about revolutions, or polluting products by talking about sustainability.” He also sees the society of immediacy and stimuli in which we operate as key. “It is very likely that what spurs sporadic mass consumption the most is e-commerce, due to the rapid stimuli it generates.” And he wonders: “Can the working classes access sustainable fashion? Probably not. Right now, alternative ways of consuming also have a high cost.”

The personal touch

“I love the interpersonal contact in the store, revitalizing the neighborhood and being able to know how my customers are doing,” says Eugenia Santín, who created the Spanish brand Hook in 2015. She somehow regrets having started online, because she is aware of all the plastics this generates. “But today it is easier to start selling online than opening a store,” she explains. Three years after her brand was born, she was able to open a brick-and-mortar establishment. “Being an entrepreneur is one thing and your personal beliefs are another. I have my own conscience, but I try to tell people to come more in person.” In addition, she no longer buys online.

For Zurdo, “there is increasing awareness, but sometimes there are no alternatives.” In this sense, he demands political intervention and regulation in the sector. “It is necessary to educate the people about the impact of consumption,” he emphasizes, pointing out that, for example, “buying clothes every week is not sustainable.”

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