During the promotion of Prime Day, a period of important discounts on Amazon, do Quebecers boycott the American giant? The press went to take the pulse of people, in the middle of a trade war and a few months after the closure of seven warehouses in the province.
“I don’t interest me at all, Amazon, because of the closure of warehouses,” replied Gilles Denis, met Wednesday in the Chinese district. It is not for Prime Day that it will change! »»
In contrast, Alexandra Zabik has just taken advantage of a discount on the platform: “There is a product that I had long in my basket and there was a big special. There was not the equivalent at the same price elsewhere, ”she says to explain her purchase.
Between these two opposite positions, Rachel Tardif’s family says it has reduced its use of Amazon. “But we still kept our premium subscription,” she says.
An impact that is difficult to quantify
“It is really hard to determine the impact of the closure of Amazon’s warehouses on public opinion, it would take a survey,” says Benoît Bourguignon, professor in the Marketing Department of the University of Quebec in Montreal (UQAM).
Quebec is a small market for Amazon, but “it is clear that they have felt” the boycott campaign, believes Mr. Bourguignon. The expert nuances, however: “The impact of these boycott campaigns tends to decrease over time. »»
“Maybe with the announcement of opening a warehouse in Ottawa [mardi]it scratched the boho a little, “revived the closure of Quebec warehouses in January.
The marketing professor believes that to restore his public image and bring together consumers who have turned away from her, Amazon should take initiatives such as sponsorships, partnerships or invest in Quebec, but not now. According to him, the memory of the warehouse closure is too fresh.
“It will take time,” believes Benoît Bourguignon.
If Mr. Bourguignon is of the opinion that the impact of the boycott campaign tends to fade, the spokesperson for the organization here on Boycotte Amazon, André-Philippe Doré, believes that the Prime Day has become a “political issue”, when this was not the case in previous years.
This week, we no longer feel Amazon’s panic with their aggressive advertising campaign. As we can see that it touched them and that they seek to find the Quebec population.
André-Philippe Doré, spokesperson for the organization here on Boycotte Amazon
“Our vast awareness campaign allows members not to miss the hundreds of thousands of offers at the lowest prices of the year,” replies Amazon by email.
It also mentions that by returning to the third -party model, it would be “able to offer customers the same quality service and even more long -term savings”.
“They got rid of the world”
Pierre Belley is not about to start buying on Amazon again. Since January, the resident of Château-Richer, near Quebec, has avoided any purchase on the platform, as he mentioned on social networks.
“I have already lived without that, I am able to live again without,” he launches on the phone. They got rid of the world as if they were objects. It’s hard for the workforce that worked there. »»
Wesley Marceau was one of these licensed employees. He was even at the heart of the DXT-4 warehouse unionization process, where he was vice-president of health and security in the union.
“We had about 160 injured each year. I just tell you about a warehouse. If we put it with all the other warehouses, I had calculated, I think that it is about 1050 injured per year, in Quebec. »»
The young man has very personal reasons to boycott Amazon, being injured in a knee and back, injuries he attributes to his work at Amazon.
“I raised above my head of the loads of 20 to 40 pounds. And I make six feet. Others were smaller than me and had to get up at the same height. One day, I felt a big back pain, ”says Wesley Marceau. He was recognized by the CNESST for this accident. Months later, his back still hurts him.
Asked about health and security in its warehouses, Amazon responds by email that it “innovates and continues continuously in security measures”, saying in particular having invested hundreds of millions of dollars to strengthen its efforts in terms of security in 2025.
