So I wanted a copy of the board game Carcassonne as it’s a game I’ve played with friends before and loved. For things like this I (like many others) would gravitate towards Amazon.
But after some research I found that my local board game cafe sells copies of the game cheaper than anywhere online. Yesterday I popped by, grabbed a copy and had a nice chat with the owner about the game and their favourite expansions. This was a significantly better experience than buying the game online from a soulless corporation, and my money has gone to an great local company rather than a billionaire. Why did we give up the joy of shopping locally and in-person for convenience?
Similarly I was looking out for a black denim jacket in my size. Instead of going to a big clothing retailer I checked out some charity shops, and I found exactly what I wanted for a fraction of the price with the money going towards charity.
Going forward I’m going to avoid Amazon and any big American companies wherever possible. Hopefully others will do the same :)
I don’t know your situation of course, but I think going to places and talking to people is generally a good thing :) I sometimes dread social interactions, but only by actually interacting with others can I improve.
Obviously it’ll be different for a lot of people, especially those who are neurodivergent, but I agree. I’m a very shy person but I think it’s good to get out there and talk to people. Even just people who work in stores. You can actually learn to like talking to strangers.