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37 votes
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Amazon Prime Video will start showing ads on January 29th
102 votes -
Amazon is warning employees they risk undermining their own promotion prospects unless they return to the office (RTO) for three days a week, as was mandated by CEO Andy Jassy months ago
60 votes -
The Lord of The Rings: The Rings of Power | Season 2 official teaser trailer
25 votes -
Why we don’t recommend Ring cameras: They’re affordable and ubiquitous, but homeowners shouldn’t be able to act as vigilantes
29 votes -
Man unable to interact with any of his smart devices for a week after delivery driver accuses him of being racist
89 votes -
Fallout | Teaser trailer
45 votes -
Netflix, YouTube, Amazon and Apple accused of GDPR breach
27 votes -
Why Microsoft's new Flight Simulator should make Google and Amazon nervous
32 votes -
AWS eIP price change. What's your plan?
28 votes -
I think I'm done with Amazon. Recommend me some alternative storefronts.
This story was basically the last straw, but the bigger frustration is that I ordered a NAS on Black Friday that STILL hasn't shipped. I have zero trust in this company to actually deliver me what...
This story was basically the last straw, but the bigger frustration is that I ordered a NAS on Black Friday that STILL hasn't shipped. I have zero trust in this company to actually deliver me what they claim to be anymore, and their listings are crap.
So instead of just spending my time whining (like the Ars comment section seems to be), I'd like to brainstorm alternative places to buy stuff. The main problem is breaking the Amazon habit, especially as it dominates all Google results for whatever you're looking for.
Nothing will ever be as much of a "one stop shop" as the A->Z store, naturally. But I think I'll just set myself up some bookmarks and go to one based on what I'm looking for. Also, while I get that there is no ethical consumption under capitalism, there is definitely a sliding scale of better and worse so that should weigh into things.
So let's go by category. I'm just listing out places where I've started to look for things instead. Please feel free to make suggestions. Whatever people recommend, I'll edit back into this list. If you include any general comments about what you like or what they could do better on any of your recommendations or any of mine let me know.
Groceries (Dry goods and sundries)
- Target.com
- Jet.com
- WalMart.com
- CostCo
- Chewy.com: For dog/pet supplies
Groceries (Fresh/perishable and specialty foods)
- Peapod (is this still a thing? Has anyone used it?)
Electronics
- BestBuy.com
- WalMart.com
- Target.com
- Drop.com: Unfortunately, it's whatever happens to be a deal at the time. So good to check in on and get alerts if there is something you're waiting for but not reliable.
- TechnaBob: Same as Drop
- NewEgg: Obviously
- Monoprice: For cables and other staples.
Clothes (basics like socks, t-shirts, underwear, etc.)
Clothes (designer)
- Gilt.com is basically for overstock and weird fashion items. Sometimes there are good finds there though, particularly good deals on designer versions of basics.
Random stuff (specifically random "flea market" type sites)
- Meh.com
- Etsy (for handicrafts and consignment/antiques, although this is also starting to get lousy with shitty knockoffs)
- eBay (can be pretty dodgy, once again crappy knockoff scammers ruin everything)
- CraigsList (if you're okay with used)
Other (specialty sites for very specific things)
- Drop: For stuff in drop communities. Currently they have a very active one for mechanical keyboards along with audiophile gear, writing/stationary, EDC, and random tech.
- The Clymb: A deal site for camping clothes and outdoor gear
- REI.com: More outdoors gear
36 votes -
Amazon unveiled Key for Garage—a system that allows Amazon drivers to unlock garage doors to make secure deliveries.
15 votes -
Good Omens: Season 2 | Official trailer
The one-off series 'Good Omens' from 2019 is getting a follow-up! Here's the trailer for Season 2, which is being released on Amazon Prime later this month. I only know this as a one-off novel,...
The one-off series 'Good Omens' from 2019 is getting a follow-up!
Here's the trailer for Season 2, which is being released on Amazon Prime later this month.
I only know this as a one-off novel, and a series based on that novel. I didn't expect any form of follow-up.
However, Neil Gaiman, who is listed as an executive producer and the show-runner for this new season, has supposedly said in the past that he and Terry Pratchett discussed a possible sequel to the novel (although Pratchett gave up on the idea when Gaiman moved to the USA). Maybe Gaiman is going to use ideas from that unwritten sequel for this second series.
43 votes -
Why Amazon workers sided with the company over a union
17 votes -
Whole Foods employees are staging a nationwide "sick-out"
16 votes -
So ... The Expanse
Looks like Tildes hasn't discussed this show for a year or two. I just finished binge-watching the first 5 seasons (I'm hoping there is a Season 6 in the offing), and of course, I now feel like...
Looks like Tildes hasn't discussed this show for a year or two. I just finished binge-watching the first 5 seasons (I'm hoping there is a Season 6 in the offing), and of course, I now feel like discussing it. This thread is wide open to whatever anyone wants to bring up about the series. But my first question for people is this--
Did anyone notice any significant change in quality after Amazon took it over? If so, better or worse? How?
For me, somewhere around Season 3 or 4, it felt like the story quality declined. Not that it's "bad" in any way ... just that it got less original, more like traditional series plot devices. And that could just be me, or that--in general--even the best shows tend to lose some of their edge after the first few seasons ... or maybe they're just following the books (never read 'em) and this is how the books went.
But, yeah ... it's turning into a nicer, more nuanced Stargate ... the Good Guys trying to save humanity from The Terrorist Mastermind ... the Evil Post-Soviet Empire conspiring to help said Terrorist, etc. They even had Snidely Whiplash tying the poor girl to the railroad tracks.
I'm obviously over-simplifying here; it is still an excellent show ... just, like I said; it started to feel less original. I'm wondering if that's just my impression, and if not, do we know that it's an "Amazon" thing, or what?
15 votes -
Amazon has too many ways of watching you now
23 votes -
Fallout | Official trailer
40 votes -
‘Coyote vs. Acme’ now to be shelved forever as WB rejected offers from Netflix, Amazon, and Paramount
34 votes -
The Boys | Season 4 official teaser trailer
36 votes -
Amazon CEO Andy Jassy said the company does not have plans to stop selling the antisemitic film that gained notoriety recently after Brooklyn Nets guard Kyrie Irving tweeted out an Amazon link to it
8 votes -
The Kindle is fine. It could’ve been much more than that.
27 votes -
Amazon grows to over 750,000 robots as world's second-largest private employer replaces over 100,000 humans
29 votes -
Why Jeff Bezos must be stopped before it’s too late
17 votes -
Elizabeth Warren proposes breaking up Amazon, Google, and Facebook
48 votes -
The Wheel of Time reunites us with old friends in season 2 premiere
19 votes -
AWS announces they will create and maintain an Apache-licensed fork of Elasticsearch and Kibana
20 votes -
Amazon copied products and rigged search results to promote its own brands, documents show
20 votes -
Amazon’s mission: Getting a ‘key’ to your apartment building
9 votes -
Amazon devices in the US will automatically join the Amazon Sidewalk mesh network and start sharing internet with neighbors on June 10th, unless opted out
30 votes -
Amazon workers vote down Alabama union campaign
26 votes -
Road House | Official trailer
8 votes -
I filed a complaint against Amazon to the US Federal Trade Commission
Mods: I put this in Tech because Amazon is a tech company, if this is the wrong group I apologize. For the last several purchases I have made through Amazon, not only has the advertised "expected...
Mods: I put this in Tech because Amazon is a tech company, if this is the wrong group I apologize.
For the last several purchases I have made through Amazon, not only has the advertised "expected delivery date" been wrong, Amazon hasn't even shipped the product by the delivery date. The day I expect an order to arrive, I get a notice from Amazon saying it's "running late" and the new expected delivery date is anywhere from 4 to 10 days away.
This is on top of the fact that I have Amazon Prime. Prime eligible meant "it would be delivered within two days" for the better part of a decade. They slowly transitioned away from that to "two days delivery after it ships," and now it seems like half of everything takes 5-8 days to deliver, even with Prime.
Anyway, the reason I reported them to the FTC because I believe they are advertising misleading or downright incorrect delivery times in hopes of winning your business over a competitor who is honest about their delivery times. If I want a monitor and Best Buy has it for $200 with 3-5 day shipping, and Amazon advertises it being delivered on day 3, I'm probably going to go with Amazon if I'm in urgent need of a monitor. But then the third day rolls around and Amazon indicates "oh, well, it's probably going to be 3-4 more days." If I had known that, I would have just gone with Best Buy, where I know it would have at least been delivered in 5 days; now I'm stuck waiting a week for Amazon.
I don't even know if this is something the FTC cares about. But it should. I encourage everyone to report this if they've encountered the same issue.
80 votes -
The Wild West of streaming TV is here and it’s free. Welcome to FAST: The free, ad-supported, streaming television bargain bin.
26 votes -
The Boys | Season 4 official trailer
19 votes -
Amazon is acquiring iRobot
21 votes -
The race is on to make the next ‘Game of Thrones’
10 votes -
Looking to cancel Amazon Prime for ethical reasons (and quality decline) - what are my alternatives for online shopping?
For the past few years, I've grown more and more uneasy with Amazon's business practices. I think it's time to move on. Not to mention the declining quality in products since international...
For the past few years, I've grown more and more uneasy with Amazon's business practices. I think it's time to move on. Not to mention the declining quality in products since international shippers were added (as discussed in the podcast Reply All).
I'm addicted to the convenience of 2 day shipping, even though we use Amazon less and less, I like knowing I have that option.
I've been considering a Costco membership instead - how does their online shopping and shipping times/prices compare?
I've also considered using Jet more but I don't know much about their ethics, does anyone?
Open to other alternatives and discussion about business ethics here.
33 votes -
Anyone else having a bad day because of the AWS us-east-1 outage?
25 votes -
Amazon is buying home mesh router startup, Eero
15 votes -
Doug Liman says he’s boycotting SXSW premiere of his Jake Gyllenhaal film ‘Road House’ to protest Amazon MGM bypassing theaters for Prime streaming release
17 votes -
Is it a good idea to use an AWS server as a vpn?
I have an amazon server that I use to host my email and my simple website. I'm considering setting a vpn up on it, but I'm not sure if it's worth it. Would my data be as secure as with 3rd party...
I have an amazon server that I use to host my email and my simple website. I'm considering setting a vpn up on it, but I'm not sure if it's worth it. Would my data be as secure as with 3rd party vpns? Would Amazon see my traffic? It seems like if I go this route, anything that I do could be traced back to me, because the see the ip of my server and than ask amazon who owns it.
10 votes -
The influencer who “reverses” Lupus with smoothies. Psychiatrist Brooke Goldner makes extraordinary claims about incurable diseases. It’s brought her a mansion, a Ferrari, and a huge social following.
18 votes -
Amazon Ring cameras were used to spy on customers
32 votes -
Henry Cavill’s next play: ‘Warhammer 40,000’ series for Amazon
21 votes -
EVGA confirms it's replacing all its RTX 3090s killed by Amazon's New World MMO
6 votes -
Want to borrow that e-book from the library? Sorry, Amazon won’t let you.
18 votes -
Amazon makes Alexa-controlled microwave
5 votes -
A West Virginia judge largely denied Amazon's motion to dismiss lawsuit over selling a spycam disguised as a bathroom hook
22 votes -
Online grocery shopping has been slow to catch on - We shop online for almost everything. Why not food?
11 votes