The song Amazon Holler focuses on working conditions and market domination of the online shopping behemoth. As consumers worldwide are seduced by the convenience and entertainment offered by the Amazon platform, the working conditions of those at the fulfilment centres deteriorate in the name of profit.
Amazon Holler highlights the impact of online shopping on locally owned bricks and mortar’s retail stores.
Had a little store on the neighbourhood corner
People stopped comin they don’t need it no more
And poses the question of how our quest for speed and convenience impacts our neighbours.
You can save a lot of time getting what you need
But have you seen your good neighbour living in the poorhouse?
The concept album 21st Century Ballads predicts the demise of Amazon during the “Great Flattening”. Consumers reject the convenience of the global supply chain at their fingertips. Instead, they buy locally produced goods.
It’s incredibly tempting to order whatever it is you need from large online companies. But how many of those items can you buy locally? From coffee and meal kits to gifts and beauty products, much of what you’re buying online can be sourced locally.
When you shop at small businesses, you’re not only supporting your local economy but likely making an impact on the environment as well. If you’re shopping somewhere that makes their own goods or sources items locally, your purchases will have much less of “transportation carbon footprint”.
Consider this excerpt from a BBC News story December 1, 2021
Worldwide, nearly 50 organizations have signed up to a list of “common demands”, published by the Make Amazon Pay coalition, which include:
- raising warehouse workers’ pay and adding hazard pay and peak time increments
- halting worker “surveillance” and strict productivity targets
- extending sick leave and improving Covid-19 tracking and reporting
- ending casual employment status and “union-busting” activities
- paying taxes without using loopholes or tax havens
Owen Espley, from the War on Want campaign group, said: “Amazon is abusing its dominance across online retail, cloud services, and logistics, to create unfair competition that is driving down standards for everyone. Amazon workers face unsafe conditions, constant surveillance and are treated like robots. It’s time for Amazon to pay fair wages, fair taxes, and for its impact on the planet.”
