BOYCOTT AMAZON - 100%
It/they have disgraced American Southern heritage in an unforgivable manner . Not one dime . Zero .
Patronize other companies .
If you need a book or some music - Barnes & Noble
works just fine .
This is not exactly the history of internet retailing as I remember it.
When it started internet retailing did have the sales tax advantage, but they had the disadvantage of shipping costs and shipping time. 20 years ago I used to order computer memory on line and waited weeks for delivery. I could get it from a local store in minutes, but the price was higher.
But, and the big but, is that Amazon was not the dominant player. There were hundreds and thousands of internet retailers.
Amazon did not have 20 years to dominate the market and eliminate brick and mortar competition. Internet retailing had 20 years to get started, and Amazon beat out other internet retailers.
Amazon innovated, cut shipping time and innovated some more. Competitors fell by the wayside because they could not keep up.
Amazon has done a lot of good. I retired to a rural area, but have access to the same goods as if I lived in a major city. And at reasonable prices.
Plus, and the real advantage for me is that I can avoid the time I spend looking for what I want in brick and mortar stores. And get fast shipping.
Amazon has not done anything unfairly, just better, faster and cheaper than the competition. Just what is wrong with this in a capitalist society?
At Christmas I wanted to buy a new smart watch for my wife. I went to the 3 local retailers that would carry it and none of them had it.
Ordered from Amazon and had it in 36 hours to my door.
Last week I needed a couple of bike inner tubes with presta valves (not uncommon). Went to 2 Walmarts, Dick’s, and the local bike shop. None had it.
Ordered from Amazon.
Although anecdotal, I’m pretty much done driving around town and wasting 2 hours to find what I need when I can order it at work and have it delivered to my house.