And out in the sticks where I live, shopping on Amazon can often be literally the only option. I can drive 40 minutes (one way) to the nearest big town, or over an hour to the nearest small city, but within a more reasonable driving distance all I have are dollar stores and one small grocery store.

In the winter, driving is risky, and even when it isn’t risky, it’s time consuming and far from free.

But if I shop on Amazon, I can buy things that would be hard to find even in the nearest small city. My latest purchase was a new phone, which I really needed. My old one was not holding a charge any longer, and I couldn’t replace the battery.

I don’t like Amazon, but I bought my new phone from Amazon anyway. I just couldn’t find a practical alternative.

Because you know, monopolies.