On this Cyber Monday, let's pledge to buy from local businesses that support our communities. (Photo: Shutterstock)
Skip Cyber Monday--Support a Real Local Business
The online shopping day is just another ploy by Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos to siphon sales from real stores
"Cyber Monday" is coming up--get out there and buy stuff!
You don't actually have to "get out there" anywhere, for this gimmicky shop-shop-shop day lures us to consume without leaving home, or even getting out of bed. Concocted by Amazon, the online marketing monopolist, Cyber Monday is a knock-off of Black Friday--just another ploy by Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos to siphon sales from real stores.
Seems innocent enough, but behind Amazon's online convenience and discounted prices is a predatory business model based on exploitation of workers, bullying of suppliers, dodging of taxes, and use of crude anti-competitive force against America's Main Street businesses.
A clue into Amazon's ethics came when Bezos instructed his staff to get ever-cheaper prices from small-business suppliers by stalking them "the way a cheetah would pursue a sickly gazelle."
John Crandall, who owns Old Town Bike Shop in Colorado Springs, is one who's under attack. He offers fair prices, provides good jobs, pays rent and taxes, and lives in and supports the community.
But he's noticed that more and more shoppers come in to try out bikes and get advice, yet not buy anything. Instead, their smartphones scan the barcode of the bike they want, then they go online to purchase it from Amazon--cheaper than Crandall's wholesale price.
You see, the cheetah is a multibillion-dollar-a-year beast that can sell that bike at a loss, then make up the loss on sales of the thousands of other products it peddles.
This amounts to corporate murder of small business. It's illegal, but Amazon is doing it every day in practically every community.
So, on this Cyber Monday, let's pledge to buy from local businesses that support our communities. For information, go to American Independent Business Alliance: www.amiba.net.
We are at a crossroads
This country and this world are at a monumental crossroads. In a few short weeks, US voters will have an opportunity to beat back the forces of fascism and confront the billionaires who are rigging the economy, our media system, and our democracy, making it increasingly impossible for ordinary people to get by. We’re not just talking about the election. We’re talking about what must be done once these fascist elements are vanquished from power. We need a bolder set of solutions than what either major party has so far been willing to offer and a working-class movement ready to fight like hell for it. Trump didn't emerge from nowhere. The conditions that fueled MAGA authoritarianism were created by decades of radical neoliberal economic policies and a corrupt political system dominated by corporate interests. They slashed taxes on the super-rich, promising that the benefits would trickle down. They said giveaways to the corporate titans would make life more affordable for the rest of us. It was all bullshit. And when a bitter, betrayed populace searches for someone to blame, right-wing demagogues have little trouble finding scapegoats. People know when they're being lied to, but you won't hear any of this from the corporate media. Only independent journalism—powered and funded by people who believe in building a better world—can deliver truly trustworthy daily news. Our Fall Campaign is underway, and we need your help. To power our newsroom through the rest of the year, we need to raise $125,000 by midnight on October 31. So if you share our vision, please contribute whatever you can to sustain our work. |
"Cyber Monday" is coming up--get out there and buy stuff!
You don't actually have to "get out there" anywhere, for this gimmicky shop-shop-shop day lures us to consume without leaving home, or even getting out of bed. Concocted by Amazon, the online marketing monopolist, Cyber Monday is a knock-off of Black Friday--just another ploy by Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos to siphon sales from real stores.
Seems innocent enough, but behind Amazon's online convenience and discounted prices is a predatory business model based on exploitation of workers, bullying of suppliers, dodging of taxes, and use of crude anti-competitive force against America's Main Street businesses.
A clue into Amazon's ethics came when Bezos instructed his staff to get ever-cheaper prices from small-business suppliers by stalking them "the way a cheetah would pursue a sickly gazelle."
John Crandall, who owns Old Town Bike Shop in Colorado Springs, is one who's under attack. He offers fair prices, provides good jobs, pays rent and taxes, and lives in and supports the community.
But he's noticed that more and more shoppers come in to try out bikes and get advice, yet not buy anything. Instead, their smartphones scan the barcode of the bike they want, then they go online to purchase it from Amazon--cheaper than Crandall's wholesale price.
You see, the cheetah is a multibillion-dollar-a-year beast that can sell that bike at a loss, then make up the loss on sales of the thousands of other products it peddles.
This amounts to corporate murder of small business. It's illegal, but Amazon is doing it every day in practically every community.
So, on this Cyber Monday, let's pledge to buy from local businesses that support our communities. For information, go to American Independent Business Alliance: www.amiba.net.
"Cyber Monday" is coming up--get out there and buy stuff!
You don't actually have to "get out there" anywhere, for this gimmicky shop-shop-shop day lures us to consume without leaving home, or even getting out of bed. Concocted by Amazon, the online marketing monopolist, Cyber Monday is a knock-off of Black Friday--just another ploy by Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos to siphon sales from real stores.
Seems innocent enough, but behind Amazon's online convenience and discounted prices is a predatory business model based on exploitation of workers, bullying of suppliers, dodging of taxes, and use of crude anti-competitive force against America's Main Street businesses.
A clue into Amazon's ethics came when Bezos instructed his staff to get ever-cheaper prices from small-business suppliers by stalking them "the way a cheetah would pursue a sickly gazelle."
John Crandall, who owns Old Town Bike Shop in Colorado Springs, is one who's under attack. He offers fair prices, provides good jobs, pays rent and taxes, and lives in and supports the community.
But he's noticed that more and more shoppers come in to try out bikes and get advice, yet not buy anything. Instead, their smartphones scan the barcode of the bike they want, then they go online to purchase it from Amazon--cheaper than Crandall's wholesale price.
You see, the cheetah is a multibillion-dollar-a-year beast that can sell that bike at a loss, then make up the loss on sales of the thousands of other products it peddles.
This amounts to corporate murder of small business. It's illegal, but Amazon is doing it every day in practically every community.
So, on this Cyber Monday, let's pledge to buy from local businesses that support our communities. For information, go to American Independent Business Alliance: www.amiba.net.