Tag: Amazon

Toilet paper and changing the world? Really?

Posted on by philipdodson

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If you have been following the story, I am on a quest to put my why into everything in my life, put my values into all that I do. So I have previously blogged about soap and fruit changing the world.

Well now it’s the turn of toilet paper to carry the banner of the revolution.

So I was sitting planning my daily #WalkNTalk Periscope and I planned today’s topic to be on ‘don’t use supermarkets’, which is something we have started doing at home, and something I am now applying to my business. In business change supermarket with Amazon.

Supermarkets/Amazon are bad because:

* They don’t treat their staff very well
* They kill small businesses, run by real people for the community
* They avoid paying tax
* They cook their books (Tesco)
* They sell us horse meat that is supposed to be beef

The list could go on, but hopefully the point is made.

While planning, I remember I needed some more toilet paper for my coworking space. I normally have been buying it from Amazon (uh oh I’ve admitted to being wrong publicly). So I went onto the internet and searched for ‘eco friendly toilet paper’ and found eco-leaf on Amazon, looked up the company directly, which is Suma. I then called them to find out how to buy without using Amazon. To cut a long story short check out Ethical Superstore.

They have all the convenience and ease of Amazon, but they are decent, ethical and great people.

So this is yet another step in my journey to change things, step by step the world can be changed, if we all do a little bit each day to find an alternative, and support the people, who were driven by their why, to make a change to the world. So toilet paper can change the world.

Next stop the coffee.

#NewWorldProject a world for the many not just the few

Stick to what you believe in

Posted on by philipdodson

Easier said than done sometimes. We have decided at Team Dodson to stop using Amazon.

Amazon use a lot of temporary staff and pay them poorly. Then they pay virtually no tax, only £4.2M on £4bn of turnover.

So they use us to make huge profits, kill UK small businesses, and then contribute nothing back into the country that they make their money in.

Yet the rest of us have to pay tax, see austerity measures put in place and see many cut backs effecting our lives. If Amazon paid their fair share of tax, then we’d have more money to provide the important things in society. Also if they paid their staff better, then their staff could also enjoy their lives a bit more and be able to afford the things that would make life better.

However, I now realise just how much we all depend on something like Amazon. First is the convenience of just sitting at home/work and just clicking and then the product appears. Also, it is usually cheaper and some things you can’t find elsewhere.

But we are determined that we are going to stop using them and it isn’t easy initially. However if you want to make change it isn’t easy.

I takes a bit longer to find stuff, but most of the suppliers to Amazon have their own sites and often deliver. Yes it does mean going back to the old fashioned ways of going to a shop. It may mean paying a bit more. However, you hope by paying a bit more that the alternative suppliers pay their staff better and that they pay their taxes.

Something I’ve learnt in life, the best things and right things often require hard work to get. So if you don’t like Amazon, or anything else, the best way to change it is to stop supporting them, even if it is hard.