Amazonian

My boycott of Amazon is not going well. But let's start with my moderate success, this year, of weaning myself off Starbucks, with the caveat that it remains my motorway treat and I still have a weakness for their merchandise.

But with Amazon it's not going so well. I'd already agreed with myself that I would continue to buy music from them until a better - or matching - service came along. (Apple's attitude to digital rights management plus my enduring preference for the physical artefact means I never buy from iTunes.)

But I'm ashamed by how often I buy things from Amazon because I'm seduced by the convenience and experience. These tax-dodging, employee-abusing gits don't deserve my business and I should stop giving it to them. I'm going to start with books - hello Big Green Bookshop - and maybe stationery, too.

This renewed vitriol is the result of a parcel that arrived in the post, today. I couldn't work out what it was; I didn't remember ordering anything this big. However, it transpired that this enormously long package contained 17 inches of rolled up year planner. I need to stop rewarding all this bad practice. And maybe get out to the shops once in a while!