- Amazon shoppers are canceling their Prime memberships on Prime Day as a show of support for Amazon workers protesting against 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 to take place 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 are cancelling their Prime memberships in support of Amazon worker strikes and protests happening around the world on Amazon Prime Day, which officially kicked off on Monday.
Thousands of Amazon workers in the US and Germany are striking amid the deals event, and protests in the UK, Spain, and Poland are planned to take place within the 48 hours of Prime Day on July 15 through 16.
Orhan Akman, federal secretary of German union ver.di, told Business Insider in a statement that Amazon warehouse workers are "deprived of a living wage."
"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," Stuart Appelbaum, president of the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union, told Business Insider, referencing the extended deals window and Amazon's recent commitment to one-day shipping for Prime orders.
An Amazon spokesperson 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
Twitter users urged shoppers not only to boycott Amazon on Prime Day, but also to cancel their Prime memberships as the ultimate show of solidarity to warehouse workers and delivery workers.
Some on social media called out Amazon for "appalling working conditions" and called the company a "scourge on workers all over the world."
Others voiced opposition to Amazon cooperating with ICE.
Publications covering Prime Day deals have also gotten backlash from readers who feel this coverage is tone-deaf to the strikes against worker conditions.
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 into your Amazon account, hover over "Accounts & Lists" on the top-right of the home page for a dropdown menu to appear, and click "Your Prime Membership."
- After being taken to 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 12-months with Prime to convince you to remain a member. 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.
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
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
- A. Guillaume (@alm_guillaume) July 15, 2019
Y'all cancel y'all amazon prime memberships yet? For those of us who can afford to do it, please do. @amazon is a scourge on workers all over the world. pic.twitter.com/IN3aPOG7Mv
- litigiously speaking, (@nisadang) July 14, 2019
You have workers striking for better working conditions and migrants protesting @amazon 's ICE contracts. Least you can do is cancel your Amazon Prime on #PrimeDay. https://t.co/A3qUIgNbtH
- Irma Corado (@irmacorado_) July 15, 2019
The workers are striking, don't be a scab
- Eilidh (@bramble__jam) July 15, 2019