- Amazon shoppers say they’re canceling their Prime memberships on Prime Day to show support for Amazon workers protesting working conditions at the tech giant.
- Thousands of Amazon workers in the US and Germany are striking, and protests in the UK, Spain, and Poland are planned within the 48 hours of Prime Day.
- You can’t cancel your Amazon Prime membership in one click; there are four steps to follow.
- Visit Business Insider’s homepage for more stories.
Some online shoppers say they’re canceling their Prime memberships in support of Amazon worker strikes and protests happening around the world on Prime Day, which kicked off on Monday.
Thousands of Amazon workers in the US and Germany are striking amid the 48-hour deals event, and protests in the UK, Spain, and Poland are planned on Monday and Tuesday.
Orhan Akman, the federal secretary of the German union Verdi, told Business Insider in a statement that Amazon warehouse workers were “deprived of a living wage.”
Stuart Appelbaum, the president of the Retail, Wholesale, and Department Store Union, mentioned the extended deals window and Amazon’s recent commitment to one-day shipping for Prime orders.
"By doubling Prime Day's duration and halving the delivery time, the company is testing hundreds of thousands of workers' physical limits as though they were trained triathletes," Appelbaum told Business Insider.
An Amazon representative pushed back on these claims in a statement to Business Insider, saying: "These groups are conjuring misinformation to work in their favor, when in fact we already offer the things they purport to be their cause - industry-leading pay, benefits, and a safe workplace for our employees."
Read more: Thousands of Amazon workers across Europe and the US are striking and protesting on Prime Day
People on Twitter urged shoppers to not only boycott Amazon on Prime Day but cancel their Prime memberships as the ultimate show of solidarity to warehouse workers and delivery workers.
I've been meaning to cancel my Prime membership for a while. I just cancelled it right now, to send an even strong message that I don't want to do business with companies that treat warehouse & delivery workers the way Amazon does. Bubye Amazon Prime!
— Jen Simmons (@jensimmons) July 15, 2019
Some on social media said workers were protesting Amazon's "appalling working conditions" and called the company "a scourge on workers all over the world."
Should have done this ages ago. #PrimeDay when Amazon workers are going on strike to protest appalling working conditions seems as good a time as any to cancel @amazon Prime. @amazonprimenow #AmazonStrike #Amazon pic.twitter.com/lSo6VRILJd
— Alice Guillaume (@alm_guillaume) July 15, 2019
https://twitter.com/nisadang/status/1150411707497484293?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
Others voiced opposition to Amazon's cooperation with US Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
https://twitter.com/irmacorado_/status/1150797653791432705?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
Publications covering Prime Day deals have been the target of backlash from readers who say the coverage is tone-deaf to the strikes and worker-conditions protests.
https://twitter.com/bramble__jam/status/1150737881658511360?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
Read more: People are slamming publications for pushing Amazon Prime Day deals while workers are protesting
Canceling your Prime membership takes more than one click.
Here's how to cancel your Amazon Prime membership:
- Log in to your Amazon account, hover over "Accounts & Lists" at the top right of the homepage, and on the drop-down menu that appears click "Your Prime Membership."
- On your Prime membership page, look to the left and select "End Membership and Benefits."
- On the next page, Amazon will remind you how much you've saved on shipping fees in the past year with Prime. If you still want to cancel, click "End My Benefits."
- You'll be asked to confirm your cancellation on two subsequent screens. Select "Continue to Cancel" and "Cancel Membership" to finalize your Prime cancellation.