Why I Stopped Shopping at Amazon - and Started Supporting Canadian Tire

I didn’t stop shopping on Amazon, even after they shut down four Montreal warehouses and laid off thousands of workers to crush a union effort in February 2024.

I saw the headlines. I felt the outrage. And then… I went back to clicking to that "Buy Now" button.

What finally made me stop shopping at Amazon was Trump and his tariffs.

Shuttered Amazon warehouse in Montreal in 2024, after the company shut it down to block union efforts.

Shopping at Amazon Destroys Other Businesses

Before Donald Trump's trade wars, I had pretty much stopped going to stores.

Why would I schlep through traffic to Canadian Tire for a new immersion blender when I could just grab it on Amazon—click, click, done—all while sipping coffee at my kitchen table?

I never thought twice about it.

Then Trump started calling Canada the 51st state.

That’s when it hit me: there’s a price for Amazon’s unbelievable convenience.

Every time we shop there, we’re helping Amazon crush other businesses—not just online, but real stores in our own communities. Stores that will disappear if we don’t support them.

The more I thought about it, the more I realized that Amazon is not a company I wanted to support.

Amazon Exploits Their Employees

Working conditions at Amazon are abysmal. Between the hectic pace of work, the low wages and inadequate health and safety measures, it is truly an awful place to work.

Because of this, people have tried to unionize. 

After a gruelling fight, workers at a warehouse in New York actually managed to unionize in 2022, becoming the first and only unionized Amazon facility in the USA.

Encouraged, workers at a Amazon warehouse in Laval, near Montreal, became unionized in May, 2024, becoming the first unionized Amazon warehouse in Canada.

Less than a year later, in February 2025, Amazon closed all four Amazon warehouses in Montreal - including the one in Laval - throwing nearly 2,000 people out of work. When workers employed by subcontractors were factored in, that number was closer to 4,500.

And with that closure, Amazon’s lone union in Canada was gone.

So, spending your money at Amazon sends the message that it is OK to bust up unions, underpay people and work them half to death.

In other words, it's OK for Amazon founder Jeff Bezos - someone who earned $2,489 per second between Sept 2019 and Sept 2020 - to exploit people.

Many Other Reasons to Stop Shopping at Amazon

Besides not wanting to exploit people, there are lots of other good reasons to stop clicking that "Buy Now" button.

Amazon has been criticized for using too much fossil fuel, pushing back against climate laws, and destroying unsold products instead of recycling them.

It also has a problem with fake or copied products, which hurts both customers and honest sellers.

Amazon’s business practices raise red flags too — from avoiding taxes to how people's personal data is handled.

Canadian Tire - a Rare Gem and Alternative to Amazon

In contrast to Amazon, Canadian Tire is a family-owned company that treats its employees well, gives back to the community, and is guided by values like fairness, loyalty, and a deep commitment to Canadians.

Founded by the Billes brothers in Toronto in 1922, it has grown into one of the country’s most successful and iconic retail brands.

Over the past 100 years, the company has supported countless charitable efforts, but it’s best known for Jumpstart, which has helped over 3 million kids across Canada access sports and play.

That spirit of generosity started at the top. Co-founder A.J. Billes was awarded the Order of Canada for his dedication to employees and community, while his daughter Martha Billes - also an Order of Canada recipient - has proudly carried on that legacy. From employee profit-sharing to investing in staff development through their Triangle Learning Academy, the Billes family has helped define the right way to do business—rooted in fairness, community, and the kind of values Canadians can be proud of.

Final Thoughts

So no, I don’t shop at Amazon anymore. Not for books. Not for immersion blenders. Not for anything.

Now I go to Canadian Tire, a company that remind us that it’s possible to run a successful business while leading with integrity, fairness, and decency.

That's my kind of store.