Beyond Amazon

THIS JUST IN: The No King Alliance is encouraging its supporters to participate in the “We Ain’t Buying It” (https://weaintbuyingit.com/; for RVA focus go here) campaign, a coordinated weekend of economic noncooperation.

Use your purchasing power from Thanksgiving through Cyber Monday (November 27 – December 1) to protest corporations: Target, for abandoning DEI; Home Depot, for colluding with ICE; and Amazon, for funding the administration to secure corporate tax cuts.

The No Kings Alliance joins We Ain’t Buying It in urging Americans not to shop at Target, Home Depot, and Amazon during this five-day period. Instead, shoppers should redirect their spending toward small, local businesses. Supporters can also amplify their actions on social media, including the hashtag #WeAintBuyingIt.

“When corporations align with cruelty and authoritarianism, they must understand that our purchasing power matters,” said LaTosha Brown, co-founder of Black Voters Matter Fund, a member of the We Ain’t Buying It coalition. “Economic noncooperation is a powerful, nonviolent tool for a free people, and we plan to use it to make America better for all of us – not just the wealthy few.” 

While there always have been plenty of concerns about purchasing from Amazon, founder Jeff Bezos’s support for Trump has been the final straw for many people.

As the Rolling Stone magazine writes, some want to support smaller businesses and independent creators instead of contributing to the fortune of Bezos, whose net worth reportedly exceeds $240 billion and whose purchase of the Washington Post has moved the paper dramatically to the right. Others are disgusted with the company’s labor and business practices and environmental impact, prompting them to take their spending elsewhere.

“But it’s so convenient and cheap” we can hear you think, even as your conscience reminds you that you know better. Read on for your conscience, not your convenience.

Of course, purchasing locally is always a good way to support our neighbors’ businesses and our localities’ tax base.

But there are times when you may not be able to find what you need locally, or are unable to shop locally, for a variety of reasons. Take heart! There are alternatives to Amazon that may offer better products and good deals while supporting better labor, business, and environmental practices.

Below you will find some good choices to get you started, as well as a number of links to sites that review alternatives to Amazon. Thanks to Rolling Stone in particular for their guidance.

If you’re looking for clothing, footwear, outdoor gear, and sports equipment, the best Amazon alternative is REI (rei.com/). REI also has in-person stores in Richmond and Northern Virginia as well as other locations.

For those looking for groceries, our local grocery stores still offer online shopping with delivery or pickup available. Our local groceries and pharmacies also have health products, but if you’re looking for a greater selection, Grove (​​grove.co/) is a one-stop eco-conscious shop for non-toxic and cruelty-free household supplies, beauty and skincare, personal care, and wellness products.

From the Downtown Mall to suburban shopping centers, you can find lots of clothing options locally. But if that doesn’t work for you, Nordstrom’s (nordstrom.com) offers a curated mix of high-quality fashion, beauty, and home goods that feel more personal than the overwhelming Amazon marketplace.

For those with companion animals, you probably can find all you need locally. But if not, Chewy (chewy.com) is an online pet food, pharmacy, and supply site that offers more than 2,000 pet brands that cater to dogs, cats, horses, fish, birds, reptiles, and other animals.

Looking for gift items? UU Cville’s Holiday Bazaar has got you covered! But if you need more, Uncommon Goods (uncommongoods.com/) has independent brands from stylish jewelry and clothing to gourmet condiments and kitchen accessories to puzzles and home decor. The ethical online retailer only stocks leather-, feather-, and fur-free products and donates $1 from every purchase to a nonprofit partner, uses eco-friendly packaging, pays its employees more than double the federal minimum wage, and advocates for paid family leave and better pay in the state of New York. 

Want more information? more connections to businesses whose values match your own? Try exploring these:

Little Blue Cart (littlebluecart.com)connects conscious shoppers with progressive small businesses—including women-owned, BIPOC-owned, queer-owned, military spouse or veteran-led. Every business is vetted so you can shop your values with confidence, knowing your purchases support fairness, freedom, and a future for all of us.

We believe every dollar is a vote for the world we want to live in. By turning everyday purchases into intentional action, we’re building a movement of makers, dreamers, and doers who prove that when we shop small and shop our values, we can create real, lasting change.

The Good Trade (https://www.thegoodtrade.com/features/amazon-alternatives/) offers 11 vetted sites as Amazon alternatives.

And finally, for those who always want more, more, more (information, not goods), check out this: https://www.techlifeunity.com/ethical-alternatives-to-amazon