Amazon Ends Its Charity Donation Program — Retail Bum

Amazon is ending its charity donation program, AmazonSmile, as part of the company’s effort to take deeper cost-cutting measures.

The program donated a small share of eligible purchases to a pre-selected charity chosen by shoppers. Since being founded in 2013, the program has donated nearly $500 million to various charities. However, the average donation has been less than $230 — much lower than what Amazon had anticipated.

“After almost a decade, the program has not grown to create the impact that we had originally hoped,” the company said in a statement. “With so many eligible organizations — more than 1 million globally — our ability to have an impact was often spread too thin.”

The Seattle-based company said it would continue to make investments in areas where it can bring meaningful change, such as supporting affordable housing projects, natural disaster relief, and other community assistance programs, according to CNBC.

The announcement comes at a time when CEO Andy Jassy is conducting a sweeping review of the company’s expenses in preparation for a worsening economic outlook.

This week, it was revealed that Amazon is laying off more than 18,000 people. The company has also canceled several experimental projects, such as its telehealth service.

Originally published at https://retailbum.com on January 20, 2023.