# Discussion thread for the "Polls only" thread (Part 2) **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [February 16, 2024, 2:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-2/997636 "2024-02-16T02:56:30Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 273
**Author:** ![thorny\_locust](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thorny_locust/32/431_2.png) [@thorny\_locust](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thorny_locust)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2025, 8:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-2/997636/5442 "2025-01-25T20:58:51Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > I answered “Survive” but it would really depend on whether or not one of them wanted on my lap during that time That’s a point. You’re imagining just being crushed? For ten seconds, not being able to breathe wouldn’t be a problem. The question is whether the sheer weight would break bones or crush organs. I suppose that would depend on how it was distributed; an entire lion wouldn’t fit on one human lap, after all, so some of the weight would be elsewhere – but if the cat were in midleap onto the lap and landed on said lap as a lion? and/or with most or all the weight on one or two paws? Thigh bones are pretty strong, but abdominal organs I expect rather less so. ---
**Author:** ![colinfred](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colinfred/32/21338_2.png) [@colinfred](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/colinfred)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2025, 9:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-2/997636/5443 "2025-01-25T21:35:34Z")
I’ve got nearly £1000 worth of Amazon credit, based on this competition I keep winning. It would depend on how they dealt with this. Full refund of Amazon credit, not too bothered, a bit miffed about future promos becoming worthless but Amazon prices are generally a ripoff compared to supermarkets and discount stores. If that £1000 became unusable I’d be very pissed off. ---
**Author:** ![markn\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f9ae1b/32.png) [@markn\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/markn_1)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2025, 9:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-2/997636/5444 "2025-01-25T21:37:12Z")
> [@colinfred](#): > > Amazon prices are generally a ripoff compared to supermarkets and discount stores That’s an interesting take. I find it to be quite the opposite; when I compare prices between Amazon and a local store, Amazon is almost always cheaper, often greatly so. ---
**Author:** ![colinfred](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colinfred/32/21338_2.png) [@colinfred](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/colinfred)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2025, 9:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-2/997636/5445 "2025-01-25T21:38:14Z")
> [@markn\_1](#): > > That’s an interesting take. I find it to be quite the opposite; when I compare prices between Amazon and a local store, Amazon is almost always cheaper, often greatly so That may be true for Amazon US. Amazon UK not so much. ---
**Author:** ![susan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/susan/32/17537_2.png) [@susan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/susan)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2025, 9:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-2/997636/5446 "2025-01-25T21:39:09Z")
My books are sold through Amazon, so the big pain would be if I couldn’t reset prices, use my author discount, or send copies directly to reviewers. ---
**Author:** ![Mollie\_Magill](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mollie_magill/32/20882_2.png) [@Mollie\_Magill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mollie_Magill)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2025, 10:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-2/997636/5447 "2025-01-25T22:11:49Z")
Yes, this would have been how I died. My cat was very big on sitting on my lap. ---
**Author:** ![Jegpeg](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f475e1/32.png) [@Jegpeg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jegpeg)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2025, 10:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-2/997636/5448 "2025-01-25T22:20:09Z")
I find it varies by item, Some things are significantly more expensive on Amazon UK than the local store some things are cheaper. Most of what I get on Amazon are things that are not available locally so I would have to either travel a fair distance or pay for shipping from someone else. My response to a letter from Amazon telling me I had been banned would assume it was from a scammer wanting me to click some link to discuss it further / get unbanned or whatever. ---
**Author:** ![ParallelLines](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/parallellines/32/3575_2.png) [@ParallelLines](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ParallelLines)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2025, 10:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-2/997636/5449 "2025-01-25T22:31:32Z")
I voted moderate issue if banned from Amazon as closest. I can find most anything _elsewhere_ but generally not as easily, requiring keeping multiple accounts updated, and of course, not being able to shop for others with Wish Lists which I use for most friends/family for gifts. I’d be more pissed and demand refunds if all my Amazon devices stopped working, since I have 3 working Amazon tablets and readers, and 4 working Alexa smart home devices. And continue to make a stink about all my ebooks, purchased music, movies and the like being gone as well, to the extent that I’d probably find others in the scenario to make a big enough fuss that they’d settle to make the problem go away. So it would be a _big_ but not insurmountable issue, which was kind of the breaking point between moving up to the next level of the poll. Day to day though, I use the Amazon Music stream more than the shipping! But there’s plenty of competition for my $$$ for that sort of service, and with better apps than Amazon’s unspeakably crappy one. ---
**Author:** ![Spiderman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spiderman/32/230_2.png) [@Spiderman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spiderman)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2025, 12:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-2/997636/5450 "2025-01-26T00:46:40Z")
> [@markn\_1](#): > > That’s an interesting take. I find it to be quite the opposite; when I compare prices between Amazon and a local store, Amazon is almost always cheaper, often greatly so. But you’re paying $129/year, upfront, for the to be cheaper ---
**Author:** ![ParallelLines](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/parallellines/32/3575_2.png) [@ParallelLines](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ParallelLines)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2025, 12:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-2/997636/5451 "2025-01-26T00:52:22Z")
You can order without Prime of course. I pay for Prime for 1) the music, which isn’t as good as the usual suspects around $10 a month 2) the video, which itself isn’t as good a value as say Netflix (barely) but is absolutely a non-zero value and 3) the free 2 day shipping on many items. So from my POV, I’m not paying the price a year for the shopping, but the expedited shipping with two freebies that are somewhat valuable. Pricewise, Amazon is almost _always_ less than the remaining retail stores _other_ than Walmart or (rarely) Target. And on most things, Walmart and Amazon prices are within 5% of the other, though it could go either way. ---
**Author:** ![markn\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f9ae1b/32.png) [@markn\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/markn_1)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2025, 2:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-2/997636/5452 "2025-01-26T02:17:16Z")
Yeah, you don’t need to pay for Prime to buy from Amazon and get the low prices. Those are two separate things. For me, Prime is totally worth the cost. I save far more than $129/year just in shipping costs, and the expedited shipping and Prime Video is even more value. But if Prime doesn’t make sense for you, you can still buy from Amazon. ---
**Author:** ![DesertDog](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/desertdog/32/11503_2.png) [@DesertDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DesertDog)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2025, 2:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-2/997636/5453 "2025-01-26T02:32:55Z")
Change “anyway” to “anymore” and I I can vote in the Amazon poll. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2025, 3:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-2/997636/5454 "2025-01-26T03:02:14Z")
> [@markn\_1](#): > > That’s an interesting take. I find it to be quite the opposite; when I compare prices between Amazon and a local store, Amazon is almost always cheaper, often greatly so. I have found that to be true also. > [@susan](#): > > My books are sold through Amazon, so the big pain would be if I couldn’t reset prices, use my author discount, or send copies directly to reviewers. Good luck, And note I am a Amazon Review a 'top" reviewer if that means anything. Amazon send us free stuff to review so very annoying. > [@Jegpeg](#): > > My response to a letter from Amazon telling me I had been banned would assume it was from a scammer wanting me to click some link to discuss it further / get unbanned or whatever. Good point. > [@Spiderman](#): > > But you’re paying $129/year, upfront, for the to be cheaper Also Video, free shipping and other stuff. ---
**Author:** ![Maserschmidt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/maserschmidt/32/18829_2.png) [@Maserschmidt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maserschmidt)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2025, 11:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-2/997636/5455 "2025-01-26T11:39:14Z")
Among the other stuff, GrubHub without the annual fee. (I understand menu items get up-priced for GrubHub and DoorDash, but if you’re going to use it anyway…) ---
**Author:** ![pjd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pjd/32/3009_2.png) [@pjd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pjd)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2025, 12:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-2/997636/5456 "2025-01-26T12:31:46Z")
Yet again, my answer would be between 2 options, namely … “Oh no, that’s a big deal for me! I buy a lot of stuff from Amazon and I don’t know how I’ll replace it.” and “That’s a moderate inconvenience; I will need to do some work to find alternatives.” ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2025, 6:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-2/997636/5457 "2025-01-26T18:14:12Z")
> [@pjd](#): > > Yet again, my answer would be between 2 options, namely … > “Oh no, that’s a big deal for me! I buy a lot of stuff from Amazon and I don’t know how I’ll replace it.” and “That’s a moderate inconvenience; I will need to do some work to find alternatives.” Yes pretty much. I know how I’ll replace it but I won’t like it much. I’ll have to use my shitty memory and remember to buy stuff when I go to the store. And I’ll have to deal with people. Now I pop on Amazon and buy it when I think of it. Much more inconvenient are hard to find items. I needed an IR lightbulb for the AC unit. HD and Lowe’s didn’t carry it. The HVAC company would charge double or more for an already expensive part. I was able to put in the long string of the product number into Amazon and it came right up. ---
**Author:** ![susan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/susan/32/17537_2.png) [@susan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/susan)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2025, 1:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-2/997636/5458 "2025-01-27T01:24:47Z")
Under “Other”: When United beat up the Asian doctor, we killed our United account and donated our miles to an Asian charity. ---
**Author:** ![Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mean_mr.mustard/32/3865_2.png) [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mean_Mr.Mustard)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2025, 1:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-2/997636/5459 "2025-01-27T13:29:27Z")
I didn’t use my airline miles to book a free trip, but I did just use them to book a $12 flight to Montana. I considered that “free”, so I voted as such. mmm ---
**Author:** ![zimaane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/a3d4f5/32.png) [@zimaane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zimaane)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2025, 2:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-2/997636/5460 "2025-01-27T14:46:49Z")
Even if you don’t have Prime you can still often get free shipping on $50 items. Or if you bundle several small items together you can sometimes get free shipping. You may have to wait longer, but do you really need those towels right now? ---
**Author:** ![Mollie\_Magill](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mollie_magill/32/20882_2.png) [@Mollie\_Magill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mollie_Magill)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2025, 3:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-2/997636/5461 "2025-01-27T15:45:42Z")
When we were dating, **Mrs Magill** was a consultant with Accenture. She flew from Raleigh, NC to Peoria, IL and back every week for eighteen months. We used her miles to go business class to Sydney for our honeymoon. That was September of 2001. We then managed to take advantage of her super-duper platinum plus status to get home. She did say that if we had to spend one more week in Sydney, she was going to start looking at houses. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-2/997636.md?page=272) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-2/997636.md?page=274)