【Marathi Archives】

Nice try,Marathi Archives Amazon. Trying to make us think you're here to support small businesses. We see you with your glossy new "Storefronts" webpage on Amazon.com.

In case you weren’t aware, Amazon has put a ton of pressure on brick-and-mortar businesses by undercutting them on price, sometimes with its own Amazon-branded products. Plus the company (currently worth more than $900 billion) has the power to charge business owners whatever it wants to have products listed on Amazon, because, really, what other option do they have?

SEE ALSO: Amazon reportedly wants to buy a bunch of movie theaters

But don't mind that. Storefronts is all about highlighting products "exclusively from U.S. small and medium-sized businesses." Amazon will air national TV commercials featuring some of those very sellers. The new online store will sell items from 20,000 small businesses, spanning 25 categories from back-to-school supplies to kitchen utensils.

Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable

While highlighting local businesses is great (each week there'll be a "Storefront of the Week" and profiles of business owners), it might not be enough to make up for the damage Amazon has done.

The nonprofit Institute for Local Self-Reliance found that most small businesses blame Amazon for fewer sales. On top of that, many businesses feel forced to join the e-commerce platform. The Institute cites U.S. census data showing that 85,000 small businesses closed between 2005 and 2015.

Mashable Light Speed Want more out-of-this world tech, space and science stories? Sign up for Mashable's weekly Light Speed newsletter. By clicking Sign Me Up, you confirm you are 16+ and agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Thanks for signing up!

To counter that perception, Amazon released its own report earlier this year, which found Amazon is good for small businesses -- creating 900,000 jobs and helping 20,000 small businesses earn at least $1 million in sales in 2017.

Still, it seems egregious to have a "books" section on the Storefronts page when Amazon single-handedly decimated the brick-and-mortar book industry. And it wasn't just the independent stores — no, we're talking about the Barnes & Nobles and Borders of the world.

As if that wasn't enough, now Amazon is replacing physical businesses in cities with its very own brick-and-mortar stores.

On Monday, Amazon opened its fourth physical convenience store, Amazon Go. The cashier-less business opened in Chicago after the concept took off earlier this year in Seattle. The location — which sells prepared meals and snacks, along with meal kits — is the first Go store outside of Seattle.

Open Monday through Friday, the Chicago location is targeting workers strapped for time during the work week. Another Amazon Go is supposed to open in San Francisco and eventually in New York City. That's probably not a great sign for small- and medium-sized convenience stores in those cities.

---

Featured Video For You

---

Amazon just revolutionized the way you shop, again

---

Topics Amazon

• Games
• Life
• Science
• Deals
• Social Good
• Shopping
• Digital Culture
• Entertainment

• Dyson V8 Plus cordless vacuum: $120 off at Amazon
• NYT's The Mini crossword answers for May 3
• Swiatek vs. Sabalenka 2024 livestream: Watch Madrid Open final for free
• IOS 18 tipped to get 3 new AI features, including Siri summarizing your texts
• Nvidia DLSS: An Early Investigation
• Toulouse vs. Harlequins 2024 livestream: Watch Champions Cup rugby for free
• Great Wall Motor’s first MPV model to compete with BYD’s Denza D9 · TechNode
• GAC’s newest falcon
• Best headphone deal: Take 22% off the Sonos Ace at Amazon
• Best Lego deal: Get Star Wars Lego sets up to 30% off at Amazon

• British star falls in hole in stage, posts perfect Instagram reaction
• Facebook and Italy team up to teach students how to spot fake news
• 'Harvest Moon: One World' Review: A game so bad that it broke me
• Dictionary.com adds new words reflecting online activism and work
• Getting all 7.8 billion humans online: What will it take?
• Instagram Lite keeps all the key features in a 2MB package
• Clubhouse and Twitter Spaces have very different data privacy policies
• Solange calls out a UK magazine for Photoshopping her braids out of the cover
• Google Doodle celebrates the inventor of surgical masks
• The cutest photos from the annual Tompkins Square Halloween Dog Parade

• This is the fattest of the extremely fat bears
• iPhone 15 series sees price fall in China · TechNode
• Books about consumerism and climate change to buy on Amazon Prime Day
• New giant squid video shows they're not terrible monsters, after all
• Patched Desktop PC: Meltdown & Spectre Benchmarked
• Foxconn and Nvidia to jointly build AI factories · TechNode
• Best Star Wars Day deals 2024: LEGO sets, Xbox games, and more
• Didi’s self
• Patched Desktop PC: Meltdown & Spectre Benchmarked
• East Buy launches paid membership program as it chases new income source · TechNode

• Is 'Sing Sing' streaming? How to watch the A24 drama at home.
• Cotti Coffee registers multiple trademarks for baijiu
• New Beats Headphones 2024: Get the Beats Solo 4 for $199 at Amazon
• Miami bakes in unusual heat before Democratic debates kick off
• The Story Behind the Home of Forgotten Video Games
• RCB vs. GT 2024 livestream: Watch IPL for free
• Everything we know about 'House of the Dragon' Season 2
• Deep sea shrimp filmed spewing a glowing substance, or bioluminescence
• U.N. aims to make carbon emissions cost money at COP 25 climate talks
• Deep sea shrimp filmed spewing a glowing substance, or bioluminescence