Gigi On Earth

About a year ago, I decided to quit Amazon. And now, with Montreal announcing that it’s cutting ties with the retail giant, I figured it was the perfect time to share why I made the switch too.

Like many people, I turned to Amazon during the pandemic. It was convenient, cheaper (most of the time), and saved me from having to make unnecessary trips to the store. But what started as a way to avoid crowded aisles slowly became my go-to for everything. At one point, I even gave up on trying to shop sustainably—every company I thought was ethical seemed to be greenwashing anyway. So I threw in the towel and started ordering clothes from Amazon, convincing myself that if everyone was doing a bad job at honoring human rights and the environment, what difference did it make?

Then the reality of shopping on Amazon started to hit me. Half the time, the item I ordered wasn’t the one that arrived. Other times, I couldn’t just buy one thing—I had to get a bulk pack of 16 (which is how I still have a lifetime supply of amber spray bottles when I only needed two). Ordering from Amazon started to feel like a gamble, where I had to mentally prepare for things to go wrong and plan for returns before I even opened the package.

So, I started shopping in person more. I liked being able to see, touch, and measure things before buying them—what a concept! But I quickly realized something: when you’re looking for a niche item, like sewing supplies, local stores don’t always show up in Google searches.

For me, sewing was the real test. There weren’t any sewing shops in my neighbourhood, and Google kept leading me straight back to Amazon. I assumed that’s just how people bought their supplies—until I tried two very old-school methods:

1. Wandering different neighbourhoods to see what shops I could find (which led me to fabric stores but no sewing notions).
2. Actually talking to people—store employees, other shoppers, anyone who might know where to find a spool of thread.

Eventually, I found a great little sewing shop, and when I walked in, I had a revelation: they had everything I had previously ordered on Amazon—except I wasn’t forced to buy in bulk, and the owner could actually help me choose what I needed!

But the biggest surprise? Shopping in person made me feel more connected to my city. I’d chat with store owners about my projects, hear what others were making, and suddenly, these small interactions started brightening my day. Talking with people in shops made me more comfortable to talking to strangers and I was able to get a better understanding of how people felt about different issues.

I used to think online shopping saved me time, but now I see it differently. Sure, it’s convenient, but it also isolates us, making cities feel less like communities and more like a collection of individuals just coexisting. By prioritizing local shopping, I’ve rediscovered why I love living in a city: people are kind, funny, and willing to help. And honestly, no Prime membership can compete with that.