Poll: Should Amazon.com Apologize to Small Businesses?

Bargain-hunting shoppers had a handy tool in their pockets this past holiday season: Amazon.com's "Price Check" smartphone app.

In a click, the app allowed shoppers to scan the barcode on goods for sale locally and see how the Amazon.com price compared. For some, the app meant a bargain. But for others, it meant an attack on small businesses and a detriment to American communities. 

Jasmine Johnson, granddaughter of the founders of the nation’s oldest African American-owned bookstore — San Francisco and Oakland’s Marcus Books — launched a campaign on Change.org to "stop the 'Price Check' assault on small businesses." Bargain hunting is one thing, but Johnson spotted that Amazon.com was offering discounts to consumers who scanned locally and then bought the product on the Amazon website instead. 

"Small, local retailers are having a tough enough time without being preyed upon by huge corporations," wrote Johnson in the petition. "I'm calling on Amazon to publicly repudiate and apologize for this race-to-the-bottom promotion."

The petition garnered more than 11,500 signatures, with many coming from the Bay Area. 

A central argument in the debate about local businesses versus national online retailers is that companies like Amazon.com fail to "contribute to local economies in nearly the same way that small businesses do," Johnson emphasized. Until recently, Amazon.com had been resistant to collecting out-of-state sales taxes, allowing the site to sell items more cheaply than brick-and-mortar businesses.

According to Buy Local Berkeley, shopping at locally-owned stores means more jobs and sales-tax revenue for the Berkeley community. 

Did you use Amazon.com's "Price Check" app during your holiday shopping? Do you think the company should apologize to small businesses and refrain from such strategies in the future? Take the poll and share your thoughts in the comments.