I wondered how many other people were also in this kind of survival mode: perhaps the one in seven American adults with a disability affecting their mobility, or the 60 percent who have a chronic condition, or the three-quarters of workers who live paycheck to paycheck, or the more than 90,000 who work in Amazon’s “fulfillment centers” in the United States because they have no better options.

If I wanted to quit the service forever because it offends my values, I could probably do that without upending my life. But even for someone like me, who isn’t sick or disabled or poor or living in a rural area, Amazon Prime helps alleviate the pressures of a sped-up economy. I don’t use it just because I’m lazy and love to stream “Transparent.” I use it (and other timesaving apps like Seamless and Uber) because I’m overworked and one-click ordering spares me time.

I also live in a city where the cost of living is skyrocketing, so I might as well save money where I can. You have to be an able-bodied person with remarkable affluence and free time to not buy any of your food from drive-through windows, to forgo Walgreens for an independent pharmacy, to avoid all-encompassing superstores that slash prices. Nearly two-thirds of Americans have bought something on Amazon, and 95 percent have shopped at Walmart.