Small Business Coalition Declares March 20 to be “SBA: Dump Amazon” Day

American Booksellers Association Demands the Small Business Administration “Dump Amazon” as Co-sponsors of National Small Business Week

WHITE PLAINS, NY, UNITED STATES, March 18, 2024 /EINPresswire.com/ -- The American Booksellers Association (ABA) and a number of independent businesses and associations are declaring March 20 “SBA: Dump Amazon” Day.

The Day of Action is a social media-focused protest of Amazon’s continued co-sponsorship of the National Small Business Week. This year’s event is April 28–May 4.

Said Allison Hill, ABA CEO: "It raises concerns that a government agency promoting small business interests would choose Amazon as a co-sponsor of National Small Business Week, especially considering the ongoing lawsuit by the Federal Trade Commission alleging Amazon's monopolistic practices. By allowing Amazon to sponsor, there is a risk of overlooking anti-competitive actions– it also could force small businesses to engage with a major competitor under this sponsorship arrangement. We believe it’s time for Amazon’s cosponsorship to be re-evaluated."

Participants explained that they are holding this Day of Action because they find it troubling that the week is co-sponsored by Amazon — a huge corporation currently being sued by the Federal Trade Commission and 17 state AGs for alleged antitrust violations that the FTC claims have severely harmed small businesses.

In September 2023, FTC and 17 state attorneys general sued Amazon case (2:23-cv-01495-JHC) alleging that the company uses a set of interlocking anticompetitive and unfair strategies to illegally maintain monopoly power. FTC and the AGs argue that Amazon’s actions allow it to stop rivals and sellers from fairly competing against Amazon, among many other charges.

Both ABA and Small Business Rising (SBR) complained to the SBA regarding corporate cosponsorship of National Small Business Week but their complaints were unheeded. ABA and a number of SBR partners decided they needed to take matters into their own hands. On March 20, small businesses, entrepreneurs, and other stakeholders will be making their voices heard, demanding that Administrator Guzman “dump Amazon.”

About ABA
ABA is a not-for-profit trade association supporting over 2,500 independent bookstores across the country. ABA was founded in 1900 and advocates for booksellers on a daily basis.

Contact: Ray Daniels, CCO, American Booksellers Association, ray@bookweb.org

Ray Daniels
American Booksellers Association
+1 2026693039
email us here