As you may have noticed, I have Amazon ads on this blog, but I’m pretty ambivalent about them.
On the plus side, they’re a convenient way to tell people about products I like or discuss, and they have the potential to throw off a little income to compensate me for the time and expense I put in here.
On the minus side, Amazon’s business model (running deficits for years which it only recently has begun to whittle away at) is yet another contributing factor to the loss of thousands of independent bookstores in recent years, and I wonder about the environmental friendliness of it. Is it better to have UPS dropping off Amazon packages at four houses on a block, or is it better that those householders get in their individual automobiles and drive to a mall and back for the same products, the most likely alternative scenario?
Anyway, in that spirit of ambivalence, I mention to those of you who are Amazon customers anyway that if you’re interested, Amazon is having a kitchen and home Thanksgiving sale
that runs through Sunday. Might as well also mention the company is having “black Friday” specials, too.
Is telling you so is selling out? I’d be very interested to hear what you think about that.
4 responses so far ↓
1 Kei // Nov 20, 2007 at 4:19 pm
Are you a sell-out for having Amazon ads on your site? I don’t think so! I understand your concerns about them as a business; but in the grand scheme of things, I kind of feel like there are only so many things you can justifiably beat yourself up about. You put effort into this blog and you share a lot of good tips and perspectives. I’m not paying you for that, so Amazon might as well. It could be worse! It could be Cargill or some awful company that extracts oil in nature refuges by filtering it through baby seal skins or something.
2 Janet Majure // Nov 21, 2007 at 8:23 am
Thanks, Kei. Not only do I appreciate your reassurance, but you made me laugh, too. A good way to start the day from my way of thinking! Have a happy Thanksgiving, and may you continue to miss out on the green bean casseroles!
3 Joanne // Nov 27, 2007 at 9:44 am
It’s funny that you mention this issue of “selling out.” I believe in supporting local and independent whenever I can. That said, if I didn’t have Amazon or its kitchen supplies, I’d be really stuck when it came to finding new pans or cookie sheets or jelly roll pans. I live in the land of non-stick, available at the grocery store and TJ MAXX (which I won’t buy, it’s unsafe) and we don’t have a kitchen store in town. I just ordered a bunch of stuff online, and it arrived quickly. It was just what I wanted. So, is this an ideal business model? Maybe not, but I live in the third biggest town in KY and I couldn’t find what I wanted in town. Thank goodness for mail order!
4 Janet Majure // Nov 27, 2007 at 6:33 pm
Feeling better all the time. Thanks, Joanne!
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