> Canceling my Prime account mainly meant I bought less stuff overall.

Which sounds like an agreement with my point, no? Buying stuff without Amazon was in aggregate "more expensive" for you in the broader sense of value that includes effort/experience/whatever. So you didn't.

And, bravo? I'm all for efficiency and reasonable asceticism, and likely agree with you about the general consumerist bent of our society.

All I'm saying is that constitutes an argument in FAVOR of Amazon as a retailer product, and not an indictment.