____ is a Cult

It's a word that pushes buttons. Admit it! Your buttons were pushed, weren't they?

cult [kuhlt]
noun

1. a particular system of religious worship, especially with reference to its rites and ceremonies.
   
   
2. an instance of great veneration of a person, ideal, or thing, especially as manifested by a body of admirers.
   
   the physical fitness cult.
   
   
3. the object of such devotion.
   
   
4. a group or sect bound together by veneration of the same thing, person, ideal, etc.
   
   
5. Sociology. a group having a sacred ideology and a set of rites centering around their sacred symbols.
   
   
6. a religion or sect considered to be false, unorthodox, or extremist, with members often living outside of conventional society under the direction of a charismatic leader.
   
   
7. the members of such a religion or sect.
   
   
8. any system for treating human sickness that originated by a person usually claiming to have sole insight into the nature of disease, and that employs methods regarded as unorthodox or unscientific.

Now you're probably wondering what the heck he's talking about, right? Well, I shall keep you in suspense no longer. The institution to which I am referring is

AMAZON

I'll bet you're saying to yourself right now, "Self! I sure didn't see THAT coming, boy howdy!"

I truly mean it. That Amazon PRIME permeates the consumer industry like no one's business. I wish more outfits of commerce would pay more attention to my AARP membership. It's attached to WHOLE FOODS (where I almost never shop). You can find a list of other companies (that I never use) that have been gobbled up via mergers and acquisitions.

I am not saying that I never use Amazon. No, I will not lie. There are some things that are indeed actually cheaper if purchased through Amazon. And there are some things that are indeed actually unobtainable from the grocery store shelves.

Like what?

There is a coffee that's made in Puerto Rico. I looked online for places where it could be purchased on the mainland. There is a chain of stores in Southern Florida (Sedanos) that advertises the product. You have to physically go to the store (I'm in California). Oh, and guess what, it's never on the shelves! Walmart has it online for twice the price.

Well, right now, I must 'fess up. I went to the website Puerto Rico Coffee Roasters and found the product available at a lower price than what Amazon offers. I refuse to pay for their PRIME product because it is used as an incentive for people to buy more of something than they need simply because it is available at a discount. It reminds me of the heavy-handed sales offered by cell phone dealers... "Would you like an upgrade?" "No," is my usual response, "I would actually prefer a downgrade. My cell phone screen is cluttered with icons of nonsense that I never open and have no interest in seeing. The few things that I do have and use seem to get buried or have to be requested via search in order for me to access them."

I have heard other people refer to things as a cult. My HMO was one such organization. People who buy into specific cars (Tesla, for example). Even folks who followed the Harry Potter series were branded as cult followers.

Oh well... guess I will remain Amazon light for the time being.