During the pandemic we often had to shop online, resulting in record profits for Amazon. (In August 2020, during the first year of the pandemic, founder Jeff Bezos  had already amassed a net worth of $185.5 Billion, according to yahoo!finance.) To save shipping costs, many of us purchased an Amazon prime membership costing $119/year.

Amazon recently raised its prime-membership rate to $139 — a 16.8% increase at a time when many of us still struggle to recover from the pandemic.

While we pay more for almost everything, Amazon and founder Jeff Bezos continue to reap more riches from both our purchases and our now-increased prime membership. This is unconscionable.

Amazon should stop gouging its loyal, prime-membership customers. Twenty dollars, the cost increase, means a lot to those of us who are not wealthy. Amazon should reduce the cost of its prime membership back to $119 — and reimburse the difference to those of us who’ve already paid $139. Amazon would benefit both us and itself by charging the lower, $119 fee. We might be able to buy something else from Amazon.