The only thing I really dislike buying on line is clothing, and that is because it is incredibly difficult to buy something that fits. There are no standard sizes, and even clothes that nominally are the same size have different cuts that drastically affect how they fit.
I have not seen any sources of fresh produce and meats on-line, and probably would not buy those, either. That is because I like to inspect these products.
Outside of those two categories, there are plenty of things I buy on-line. Many retailers will deliver your purchase to their nearest brick-and-mortar store, which saves on shipping costs. I need to make another on-line purchase very soon.
What goes around....
“bringing new growth where there was none and offering new possibilities for workers”
Lost count how many times I heard that statement from Plant Managers and VP’s and then my job was offshored. Fact is Amazon is just a Warehouse distributor. FIFO, stick it on a UPS truck. Not much opportunity other than for a younger guy with a healthy back. Definitely Women and and older folks affected.
it is worth watching the movie, “Obsolete” free on Amazon.
It is contradictory that Amazon carries it...however, it may encourage us to us less self checkout lines...less Amazon...maybe...it is worth viewing and will make you think.
have you been to a mall lately? since the push for inner city blacks to move out to suburbs things have changed in some peoples minds...
The company behind the clothing store The Limited has closed all of its brick and mortar stores and has gone exclusively online. Not sure how that’s going to work.
Sears sells Craftsman brand to Stanley Black & Decker for about $900 million
Just got Amazon Prime.
Not sure I’ll ever leave the house again to shop.
Against my better judgement, I went to Fry’s Electronics in Palo Alto yesterday to pick up an external hard drive.
1. The store is filthy.
2. The interior hasn’t been refreshed since they opened 30 years ago
3. They cut their shelf heights by half a couple years ago
4. A lot of product spots,on shelves and racks are devoid of product. Not restocking inventory is always a sign of trouble in retail
I found a Harmony universal remote I wanted as well as a $50 1TB drive. The Harmony remote didn’t have a price tag and there was no price on the shelf, but I knew it was being sold for $50 off the normal price online of $350.
A nice young guy on the store floor took the product, entered it into the computer and gave me a big sheet of paper which indicates he gets the commission. That approach is so outdated — printing paper, giving it to the customer, and making him wait.
Got to checkout. There are about 40 checkout stations these days, but only 2 or 3 are open. The Harmony rang up at full price, $350. I told her it should be $300 as it is everywhere else. They have an Internet price match policy and I found a store online selling it for $272. She said “No, we don’t match them. We only match this list.” which had Best Buy, Target, and Wal-Mart. She couldn’t look up the price — I was supposed to do that for her on my phone. I said “Forget it, I don’t want the Harmony. I’ll just take the drive.”
Her response was “You can’t do that. The salesman already printed the paper for his commission You should have told him about the discount first before he printed the paper. You cannot take that product off your purchase.”
At this point I was boiling mad, said “Forget it! I’m going to Amazon where I should have started!” and walked out with nothing.
Moral: brick & mortar deserves to die.
Amazon is eating everybody. I keep thinking retail will do something to arrest the decline, but it just gets worse and worse each passing year.
Every mall shooting, group of kids gathering to have a mass fight like those that occurred across the nation on 12/26, is a ringing endorsement for Amazon Prime.
Macy's took the regional names off the stores, made Conservatives mad when they support left wing causes and did ads featuring nontraditional (read gay, lesbian, TG) families.
I have a question for those with retail expertise. Sears and Montgomery Ward were well-known catalog stores. If you think of the internet as a catalog, amazon is also a catalog store.
Why couldn’t Sears and Wards compete in this space? Did they recognize it too late? Were their facility and personnel costs too high?
I buy almost everything from amazon and walmart.com. But I’m not store loyal; I buy from online merchants that have what I want. If Sears had something I wanted (and that might be the key right there), I’d online shop with Sears, too.
So, thoughts as to why the big catalog stores couldn’t compete with amazon?