I know Google's doing this for their own reasons, but I'll take the help. I've been an Amazon customer since 1997, but their recent anti-worker actions [1] were the straw [2] that broke the camel's back. I canceled my Prime account, and have decided to start my product search elsewhere. Google's product search has been long neglected, so it's great they're giving it some love.
Where are you starting your product search? For everyone claiming they have found the better amazon, the more ethical amazon they never seem to be actually willing to NAME these great places so others can use them - if you are going legitimately would be great to get the name of these product search starting points.
And I've tried google's shopping - blah. If that's your starting point we are going to be with amazon for a while.
Recently tried to avoid amazon - got some stuff from a name brand retailer. The return process required a 40 minute hold time, and because it was one order they only give one return label even though order came in two large boxes. So now it's around and around to try to figure out the second label. It's apparently an outsourced return provider (is that a thing) so the logic / communication related to the original sellers product is terrible.
The last time this happened they ended up giving a store credit for sale price, a refund and never sent the label! Ended up giving away a pretty expensive item ($150). I mean it's just a totally unintegrated system
Compared to amazon (walk into Kohl's / UPS store even unsealed / drop in a locker / give to mailroom to give to UPS guy, stack item on UPS box in garage etc etc) it's night and day different.
For me, it's leaning away from large online marketplaces entirely. I'll try to order a product directly from the manufacturer or a specialized website, or just see an example at a local store. 5 star reviews are worthless compared to holding the thing in your hand, and 2 (usually 5 for me) day shipping is a lot longer than taking 10 minutes to run to the store. I figure my biking is greener than sending out a delivery van.
Sure, I don't expect the change to happen overnight. My switch to getting most ecommerce from Amazon was slow. If the switch away takes that long, I'll live with it. But I'm definitely starting now.
You might not want to hear it, but those that were fired recently were using their company email address to organize union discussions. You just can’t do that, no matter how justified one is to pursue unionizing.
> Also, restrictions on your efforts to communicate with co-workers cannot be discriminatory. For example, your employer cannot prohibit you from talking about the union during working time if it permits you to talk about other non-work-related matters during working time.
I worked at a place where all emails had to be work related.
That was in the Cable TV Industry. Which, in it's own way makes sense; that industry has a 'Owner'->'Prime Contractor'->'Subcontractor' tiered setup for work that has always had the unspoken purpose of preventing field workers and installers from unionizing.
Wanted to send out an email about a fundraiser or special weekend craft thing? Had to have HR give the OK.
-IF- Amazon had and enforced such a policy it could be considered non-discriminatory. But I'm somehow doubting such a policy is fully enforced even if it is on the books.
I look forward to citations for both those points. But I suspect what you mean is not that the employees did anything illegal, but that you believe a company is legally allowed to fire you for that. If that company is eager to fire people for trying to organize. Because that is what I'm objecting to here.
The union was already set up at my previous employer, but they used work email including an Exchange distribution list and Outlook calendar events to organize it.
[1] E.g. from many: https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/tech-news/amazon-fires-two-empl...
[2] Previous straws including the steady decline of their website, increasing fraudulent goods, and so, so many bad customer service experiences.