I avoided shopping on Amazon for 449 days. Having a baby brought me back to it, but I'm shopping smarter now.
I decided I wanted to quit shopping on Amazon, and I made it 449 days without it. Then, I had my third child, and went back for the convenience.
After challenging herself to stop shopping on Amazon for 449 days, a mother named Kate Bratskeir found herself returning to the site after having her third child. She bought 72 items from Amazon in 2024, including items for her newborn twins, such as pacifiers and skincare products. Bratskeir stopped shopping on Amazon due to concerns about her consumption, carbon footprint, and the addictive nature of the site's 1-Click checkout feature.
She found that adding back in friction to online shopping helped her make more thoughtful purchasing decisions, such as asking herself if she really needed an item or if it could be borrowed or found elsewhere. The return to Amazon was prompted by the need for specific baby items, such as bottle nipples, for her newborn twins. Bratskeir hopes to eventually eliminate her reliance on Amazon and practices some of the insights gained during her Amazon abstinence, such as checking with friends and neighbors before buying items and prioritizing secondhand purchases when possible.
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