Cancelling Amazon

I rarely buy anything that is made in the US, but I shall manage to do without Heinz Baked Beans from now on.

My smartphone is not an American make, but the real problem is Microsoft Windows. Microsoft Office can be replaced by a European office program, but Google?

Do any of you know of a replacement for Google or Firefox, or Google Maps?

Like others on here I am now too old to get out & round shops then carry it all home on a bus or maybe a cab! So I do use Amazon quite a lot. It is down to my age & being increasingly more decrepit every day!

Wish I coykd find an alternative for kindle, actual books are a no no due to having an eye problem

Another private equity firm (British, I think) has just bought W H Smith.
Modella Capital also owns Hobbycraft and The Original Factory Shops plus online craft and shopping channels.

karmalady

amazon don`t seem to employ many British people, around here anyway

I also cancelled amazon

Amazon employ in excess of 75,000 people in the UK.

McDonald’s employ 120,000 in the UK.

KFC 27,000

Costa Coffee 17,000

A lot of employees.

Taichinan
When we moved here we had a variety of shops, a small supermarket, then some closed, others opened and the town was busy. I could shop for most things locally including shoes and clothes.
What killed it was out of town shopping centres not Amazon.
There are very few shops here now.

Is it normal to become more selfish in older old age?

It's not selfish. We do what we can to make our lives easier and more efficient.
Bezos found a business initiative which worked, is efficient and is extremely successful. I do wish he'd treat his staff better, though.

Well, I'm not going to cut off my nose to spite my face! I live in a rural area and am in my 80s, and I appreciate the speed and dependability of Amazon. When I first started using it about 20 years ago I wasn't thinking about where the company came from - I was just amazed by its efficiency. I was a bit more savvy when Temu came along and checked its source. When I discovered it was China, I didn't touch it!
I would love to find a way to trump Trump, but not if it means an inconvenience to myself. Is it normal to become more selfish in older old age?

amazon don`t seem to employ many British people, around here anyway

I also cancelled amazon

I wish I hadn't looked up Samsung actually. I love my Samsung phone.

Yes Galaxy you’re right, and we can only make what we think are the right choices for us, for now.

But it is about the ethics of buying and that is a complex matter. Will people abandon EU products when some of those countries shift to the right ( as I think they will). Someone mentioned Samsung instead of other electronics, Samsung have quite a poor track record in terms of workers rights, I say that as a Samsing user.

I want to do my small part, as much as I am able. Thank you for the list, Casdon.
Freya, this thread is not about the shortcomings of the British government.

Allira

Casdon

I must admit I don’t follow the logic of using Amazon because they employ British people, as buying the goods from another company protects a UK business and increases the number of jobs there instead. I often search for what I want on Amazon, and then order it direct from a company.

If I want a couple of balls of yarn to complete a project I'd be paying £3.99 postage. Ditto buying from other companies.

Buying the goods from that same company and other British companies via Amazon at zero postage seems fairly logical to me.

I know it’s easy, convenient and cheap to buy from Amazon, particularly if it’s small items you want, that has been their winning formula. It’s the same as people using Temu and the like. I’m just making a personal stand, as are lots of other people, and I’m prepared to pay a bit more and have a bit more inconvenience to buy British or European, I do realise that most people won’t do the same.

Freya5

Casdon

Here are the most impactful strategies according to a Facebook search I did.

1. Focus on High-Impact Sectors

Some industries are heavily dominated by American companies, so avoiding them would send a stronger economic signal:
• Technology: Avoid major US tech giants (e.g., Apple, Microsoft, Google, Amazon, Meta, Tesla).
• Fast Food & Beverages: Opt for European alternatives instead of McDonald’s, Coca-Cola, Pepsi, Starbucks.
• Entertainment & Media: Reduce subscriptions to US streaming platforms (e.g., Netflix, Disney+, Amazon Prime) in favor of European ones.
• Clothing & Retail: Choose European or local brands over Nike, Levi’s, or Gap.

2. Redirect Purchases to Local or European Alternatives

Instead of just avoiding American companies, shift spending to European or local businesses:
• Cars: Choose European brands (Volkswagen, Renault, BMW, Volvo) over Tesla and Ford.
• Food & Drinks: Opt for local soft drinks and food chains instead of US imports.
• Electronics: While harder to replace entirely, European brands like Fairphone (smartphones) or Nokia (networking) can be alternatives.

3. Banking & Financial Services
• Avoid American financial services like Visa, Mastercard, PayPal, and opt for European alternatives such as Revolut or TransferWise.
• Shift investments away from US-dominated stock markets and funds.

4. Reduce Dependency on the US Dollar
• Support European payment networks instead of relying on US-backed financial infrastructure.
• Buy products priced in Euros or GBP instead of USD to weaken dollar dominance.

5. Travel & Tourism
• Boycott travel to the US, avoiding American airlines and tourist destinations.
• Choose European-based airlines (Lufthansa, Air France) over American ones.

6. Promote EU Regulations Against US Tech Monopolies
• Support stronger antitrust laws and EU regulations that restrict US Big Tech dominance in the European market.

7. Spread Awareness & Collective Action
• Use social media and grassroots activism to educate people on alternative choices.
• Encourage European businesses and policymakers to prioritize economic independence from the US.

Oh yes, we can all do that. How many will be really bothered, they love their Iphones and Ipads, not me, never had them, samsung for me, but most will carry on regardless.
The UK has its own price rises, thanks to Reeves, businesses are passing on their NI rises to their customers, no choice have they, unless they close, lay off workers, According to The Telegraph nearly 3000 companies have shut down this year, after a record 40 billion in tax rise. So they are both as bad as each other, cut from the same cloth.

I'm looking through the list and there is not a lot of those products and services I use.

In fact, so many businesses are global now that you could tie yourself in knots trying to decide what to avoid apart from the most obvious. .
Nost people tend to use a debit or credit card provided by our bank or building society, which is Visa or Mastercard, with the guarantees offered, rather than a credit card from a little-known company.

Casdon

I must admit I don’t follow the logic of using Amazon because they employ British people, as buying the goods from another company protects a UK business and increases the number of jobs there instead. I often search for what I want on Amazon, and then order it direct from a company.

If I want a couple of balls of yarn to complete a project I'd be paying £3.99 postage. Ditto buying from other companies.

Buying the goods from that same company and other British companies via Amazon at zero postage seems fairly logical to me.

I don’t follow your logic though Freya5, because if more of us bought more goods from UK owned and companies that manufacture in the UK, that would make businesses here more profitable. For me it’s a no brainer, even when it’s more effort - what others do is up to them, I can only make my personal stand.

Casdon

Here are the most impactful strategies according to a Facebook search I did.

1. Focus on High-Impact Sectors

Some industries are heavily dominated by American companies, so avoiding them would send a stronger economic signal:
• Technology: Avoid major US tech giants (e.g., Apple, Microsoft, Google, Amazon, Meta, Tesla).
• Fast Food & Beverages: Opt for European alternatives instead of McDonald’s, Coca-Cola, Pepsi, Starbucks.
• Entertainment & Media: Reduce subscriptions to US streaming platforms (e.g., Netflix, Disney+, Amazon Prime) in favor of European ones.
• Clothing & Retail: Choose European or local brands over Nike, Levi’s, or Gap.

2. Redirect Purchases to Local or European Alternatives

Instead of just avoiding American companies, shift spending to European or local businesses:
• Cars: Choose European brands (Volkswagen, Renault, BMW, Volvo) over Tesla and Ford.
• Food & Drinks: Opt for local soft drinks and food chains instead of US imports.
• Electronics: While harder to replace entirely, European brands like Fairphone (smartphones) or Nokia (networking) can be alternatives.

3. Banking & Financial Services
• Avoid American financial services like Visa, Mastercard, PayPal, and opt for European alternatives such as Revolut or TransferWise.
• Shift investments away from US-dominated stock markets and funds.

4. Reduce Dependency on the US Dollar
• Support European payment networks instead of relying on US-backed financial infrastructure.
• Buy products priced in Euros or GBP instead of USD to weaken dollar dominance.

5. Travel & Tourism
• Boycott travel to the US, avoiding American airlines and tourist destinations.
• Choose European-based airlines (Lufthansa, Air France) over American ones.

6. Promote EU Regulations Against US Tech Monopolies
• Support stronger antitrust laws and EU regulations that restrict US Big Tech dominance in the European market.

7. Spread Awareness & Collective Action
• Use social media and grassroots activism to educate people on alternative choices.
• Encourage European businesses and policymakers to prioritize economic independence from the US.

Oh yes, we can all do that. How many will be really bothered, they love their Iphones and Ipads, not me, never had them, samsung for me, but most will carry on regardless.
The UK has its own price rises, thanks to Reeves, businesses are passing on their NI rises to their customers, no choice have they, unless they close, lay off workers, According to The Telegraph nearly 3000 companies have shut down this year, after a record 40 billion in tax rise. So they are both as bad as each other, cut from the same cloth.

Doodledog

It would bee really difficult to avoid US and Chinese goods. I do try not to buy from China, but the marketing of so many products makes them sound as though they are made locally and sourced from the UK.

I've mentioned the anxiety bed I bought for my son's puppy. That sounded as it was made and shipped from Leeds, but no, it was from China. More recently I bought a Genion Space lamp for the study, and again, the ads show British users and there was nothing in the buying process that suggested it was coming from China, but when the tracking email arrived it showed that this was the case.

To avoid Apple, Microsoft, Google and Amazon would require a huge shift in lifestyle for most people (me included, as I use all of them every day), and if you add in Netflix and other huge American brands it seems impossible. Maybe if our government put a tariff of 20% on all of those things we would find alternatives, but there would be outrage. Maybe they should reduce VAT on British-made goods as a carrot rather than stick approach?

It is difficult, I’m trying hard - since I started I’ve switched and compromised on lots of things. I do feel better for having done it though, as it’s the only influence I can have. Technology is the one area where it’s extremely difficult to avoid US ownership.

be, not bee 🐝

It would bee really difficult to avoid US and Chinese goods. I do try not to buy from China, but the marketing of so many products makes them sound as though they are made locally and sourced from the UK.

I've mentioned the anxiety bed I bought for my son's puppy. That sounded as it was made and shipped from Leeds, but no, it was from China. More recently I bought a Genion Space lamp for the study, and again, the ads show British users and there was nothing in the buying process that suggested it was coming from China, but when the tracking email arrived it showed that this was the case.

To avoid Apple, Microsoft, Google and Amazon would require a huge shift in lifestyle for most people (me included, as I use all of them every day), and if you add in Netflix and other huge American brands it seems impossible. Maybe if our government put a tariff of 20% on all of those things we would find alternatives, but there would be outrage. Maybe they should reduce VAT on British-made goods as a carrot rather than stick approach?

I must admit I don’t follow the logic of using Amazon because they employ British people, as buying the goods from another company protects a UK business and increases the number of jobs there instead. I often search for what I want on Amazon, and then order it direct from a company.

I can’t think of anything we buy here from the USA. It is all Chinese stuff now. Temu overtook Amazon a while back. American cars have more or less disappeared except for Teslas but sales of these have plummeted because there are more and more alternatives. Even Costco stocks Australian wines and not American wines now and that is an American company. I bet China is rubbing its hands in glee.

I use Amazon quite a bit. There is a huge distribution centre near here which employs a lot of people so I won't stop using it.

We have the Amazon channel on our TV and get free deliverys because we have Prime.

I will try to be more careful about what I buy but will not give up the convenience of having it. And, actually, avoiding buying from China is harder

Cold, I live in a town in Ontario that borders the US. We cross a bridge to go to the states. This bridge is usually packed with cross border shoppers.We noticed yesterday while driving near the bridge it was completely empty of cars.