I pushed back my instinct to immediately sign into my Amazon. In fact, when I got a newsletter that one of my favorite authors whose books are available through KU had a new release today, I immediately clicked the link and then was surprised when it prompted me to sign in!
So I congratulated myself on my decision to allow KU reading (since otherwise I'm losing money on this month, having pre-paid for a year long membership), signed into Amazon and downloaded the book. So far, I'm doing well on Day 2!
But then came... the test.
Ya'll... I truly did not know how bad my Amazon-oriented-brain was until a friend invited me to a last-minute birthday lunch this Friday.
My first thought was - I must get her a gift!
My second thought was - But I'm not using Amazon this month... and cue my panic.
Like... really brain? Within thirty seconds logic had caught up to me and reminded me that I have so many options that don't involve ordering something through Amazon.
Does it mean extra effort? Yes. Probably. There might be some other stores that will also deliver quickly enough on a holiday week if I find something I want for her online, but I also literally forgot that just going out to a store and buying something is a viable option.
I'm going to give myself a partial pass for that one, only because I have an 8 1/2 month old daughter at home and during the last month of my pregnancy / these first months of her life, my husband and I have become increasingly reliant on Amazon. Because it's so easy. And fast. And convenient.
Especially when compared with having to either leave the kiddo at home while feeling extra guilt about the fact that I'm spending MORE time away from her (as if my 40 hour work week plus 2 hour total commute per day on average wasn't enough time away) or having to pack her up, take her to the store, and then wrestle her back into her car seat. She actually does fairly well with the first two parts, but trying to put her back into a confining car seat after she's been stuck in a shopping car for the last 20/30 minutes isn't fun for either of us. And then she fusses the whole way home.
Daughter pic just for the bragging rights -
Daughter pic just for the bragging rights -
So Amazon and ordering has been the easiest choice. No guilt about spending more time away from my daughter! No packing her up into the car! It just shows up at my house. Within a day if I need it to! Heck, sometimes I can get same day delivery. Amazon does a great job of helping out with these small inconveniences, it cannot be denied. But, when I really sit down to examine it, the inconvenience is just that: small.
Tune in later this week to find out what I end up getting her.
As for yesterday's vacuum search - success!
Google turned up several search results - surprisingly none of the first ones were Amazon - and I ended up going with a Dirt Devil from Home Depot. I chose NOT to have it delivered - instead it's going to a nearby store for free and all I have to do is stop in to pick it up. Is that as convenient as having it delivered directly to my door?
No. But it IS free. And will only take me a few minutes out of my way on the way home from work.
I CAN DO THIS!
Although I'm already feeling the withdrawal of not being able to purchase ebooks. Tomorrow I'm going to work on figuring out how to get new ebooks without buying them through Amazon. I've also realized that I'm going to have to purchase my own paperbacks from Amazon for a convention I'm going to at the end of this month. I have no other choice since they're the ones who have published my paperbacks. So I'm also going to spend some time tomorrow checking out the alternate paperback publishers... of which I think there is one =/ Just another way in which Amazon has cornered the market, I guess.
Keep going! You can do this ;)
ReplyDeleteThank you! I appreciate the encouragement!
DeleteYou're a better woman than I am! Personally, I wish Amazon had been around when I was a single mom ('90s); Taking a wee one pretty much everywhere you go is wearing and wearying. Now, she is grown and has left the nest, while I live in a rural area with no means of transport, so Amazon has been a major resource and is less expensive with some items. I do see your points, though.
ReplyDeleteMy question is, do you have to pay retail for your own books? One would think Amazon would comp some copies, since they will be profiting, as well. What's up with that?
we have to pay the cost of printing + tax and shipping. It can add up pretty quickly, esp the shipping costs if you're ordering a lot of books. It IS still cheaper than paying retail though, thankfully.
DeleteAnd yes - the convenience of Amazon is something that cannot be denied! It made my life so much easier the first few months of baby girl's life.