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ronald_schoedel 's review for:
Fulfillment: Winning and Losing in One-Click America
by Alec MacGillis, Stefan Alexander MacGillis
I was a huge fan of Amazon in the late ‘90s, as I lived in Alaska and their huge book catalog was unlike any I could easily access otherwise. I loved selling my used textbooks on Amazon in the late 2000s, as they offered a worldwide reach for my occasional need to sell. But in the early 2010s I began to realize what Amazon was becoming and I wasn’t keen on it. I still buy from Amazon because let’s be honest, there’s no other way to get a lot of things I want or need. But, if it can be had locally or like a book if it can be had from another source, I absolutely prioritize buying from anyone but Amazon. eBay is my first choice for online, even. I refuse to buy into the Alexa environment or any of Amazon’s subscription services. I want to be as non-stuck to their attempts to rope me into their sticky ecosystem. This book did a great job confirming my suspicions as to how one company creates so many winners and losers and it made me sad to know Amazon has directly decimated many communities. They may be here to stay and a somewhat “necessary evil”, but I’m more determined than ever to not do any more business with Amazon than necessary.