The Prime Effect: How Amazon Has Us Hooked on Convenience

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Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, our use of Amazon has skyrocketed. Amazon has become the poster child for convenience culture, but the time we save for the sake of convenience is putting us in financial and carbon debt.
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In this episode, we're grappling with our fraught relationship with our Amazon Prime subscriptions and getting practical tips to break free from convenience culture and start shopping more sustainably.
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On this episode, you'll hear:

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• Listeners share their complex, conflicted feelings about using Amazon.
• MIT research scientist Erez Yoeli shares how we can have a more sustainable relationship with Amazon and how to close the action vs intent gap.
• How Amazon gets you to buy so much stuff and how its fast-paced shipping comes at the cost of workers' health and pay.

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Find Second Nature wherever you listen to podcasts: Spotify | Apple Podcasts

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Here are some of the people you'll hear from in this episode:

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Citations and further reading

• ​​Amazon Logistics Statistics (2024): Number of Package Deliveries
• Amazon leapfrogs UPS and 4 other takeaways from a top shipping index | Supply Chain Dive
• Amazon says more packages are arriving in a day or less after hefty investment in speedy fulfillment
• Amazon Logistics Statistics
• Market share of leading retail e-commerce companies in the United States in 2023
• One-click checkout increases spending and engagement
• Amazon selling stats
• Amazon Book Sales Statistics • WorldMetrics
• The Environmental Impact of Online Shopping: Nitty-gritty, Stanford Magazing
• Biggest online retailers in the U.S. 2023, by market share
• Why Do People Shop Online? [Updated May 2024] | Oberlo
• 37 ECommerce Statistics In 2024 (Global Data) - SellersCommerce
• Mobile Commerce Sales (2018–2027) [Feb 2024 Update] | Oberlo
• Amazon Surpasses UPS in Parcel Volume For First Time, Index Says
• Amazon Logistics Statistics (2024): Number of Package Deliveries
• Amazon Logistics: package volume in the U.S. | Statista
• 4 years after Climate Pledge, Amazon says emissions on the decline | The Seattle Times
• Building a Better Future Together 2022 Amazon Sustainability Report
• Amazon selling stats

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Episode credits

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• Listener contributions: Daria Panova, Diana Holguin, Freya Dumasia, Karen Jean and Rachel  Martinson, Katee Hui, Kimberly Foley, Lawrence Hott, Miriam Jornet, Nicole Collins, Rozalia Agioutanti‍
• Featuring: Lauren Bash and Sanchali Seth Pal‍
• Editing and engineer: Evan Goodchild‍
• Hosting and production: Katelan Cunningham

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Find Second Nature wherever you listen to podcasts: Spotify | Apple Podcasts