The following excerpt reveals how Amazon attempted to utilize its physical bookstores to bolster Amazon Prime and its other digital subscription services — in sometimes unethical ways. Among them were bookstores, under the name Amazon Books, which first opened to the public in 2015. Prior to the pandemic, store customers could view one of the free trial offers on a screen in front of them. Amazon spokesperson Jordan Deagle told me that there was no corporate mandate to increase sign-ups for free trials of Amazon subscriptions. The e-commerce giant just couldn't break away from its digital DNA, even in a physical store setting.

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Persons: Jason Del Rey, Amazon's, Chris Garlock, Garlock, Jordan Deagle, Deagle, Tony Hoggett, Insider's Eugene Kim Organizations: Walmart, Morning, Amazon, Amazon Prime, East Coast, Amazon Books, Tesco, Harper Business, HarperCollins Publishers, Federal Trade Commission, FTC