Ever Wonder Why Amazon Thrives?

[Joe13]

Needed a specific outfit for being part of 'the wedding party' (I'd rather run naked backward thru a corn field but whaddya gonna do for a buddy)...

Big and Tall is about the closest I can get for shirts that fit my chest and shoulders but don't hang like a circus tent around my middle. They charge a premium for clothing.

Amazon. Got the exact sizes I needed, arrived the next day for free and $20 each for the pants and the shirt.

This is a one time outfit and I can't justify the time, money and effort to shop for quality clothing - especially since I was given literally last min notice.

I shop local when I can but there is so much you can get on Amazon that is near impossible to find local or at the least not have to hit 10 different stores and spend the day shopping when I can click a few buttons and be done with it in 5 min.

Gotta be aware of what might be a scam or china junk but other then that I've had a great experience for a lot of years.

 

[RicInOR]

I can use bokeh like the best of them.

But can you pronounce bokeh ? < for those who don't follow photography, how you say bokeh, (or Nikon for that matter) is akin to Glock -v- 1911 discussion >


A business has to know how they compete. If you are a small guy, you may want to compete on price, but you will be beaten, bloodied and left for dead.
- are you able to offer limited items?
- better service ?
- customization ?
- advice / training ?

I do get the idea of buying from a small local guy, to help keep them around. But only if the are a viable business.

Ask yourself this, where can you get a Transfer completed on a gun sale? I would have never guessed my goto place would be a pawn shop. But the small local gun shop didn't want that segment of the market, and priced themselves out.



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[gmerkt]

We use Amazon sometimes. Traffic around here has gotten so bad, to be able to get something delivered at a low price is preferred.

I like Amazon for returns. Very easy. So what if you get a cheap, Made in China piece-0-krap that disappoints. You can easily send it back for a refund. Around here they have this deal now where you take the item to a UPS store, which will package and return it for free. That's if you just changed your mind about it. If the item is defective, they will send you a pre-paid return label, you don't even have to take it to the UPS Store, it will be picked up. So send back that extra V-belt that you didn't use, let Amazon be the warehouse.

As someone else observed, Amazon is great for product research even if you don't buy from them. Which I sometimes haven't. As ever, you must be a careful shopper to get the best deal.

The cyber revolution has created this race to the bottom in retail. I don't see an end to it until the giant EMP bomb in the sky goes off and electricity (and electronics) go away, then we are back to barter. The small biz world will thrive. But the likelihood of that happening is very slight indeed.

Sometimes I just shake my head at Amazon and enjoy the savings. The money they spend on redundant cardboard boxes alone would bankrupt middle sized countries. Knowing a bit about the shipping business, these days those prices retail are up there. But Amazon has gotten those way down by hard-nosed contracting and subsidy from other parts of their business. Their goal is market share and they are surely achieving it. We'll see how that goes later.

Buying auto parts from a brick and mortar retailer. Used to be, counter men at parts houses knew their business. They actually knew something about vehicles. These days, my feeling is people working there don't know the business. They could be working anywhere. In general, of course, not always. Rock Auto online is usually a better bet. But be wary of their shipping practices; those aren't Amazon-like. Today the vast array of makes, models, power trains, emissions systems, etc., makes stocking auto parts interesting.

Brick and mortar. Businesses with a physical presence have that part of the overhead as a big millstone around their neck, and a major factor in prices charged. Just like buying property, renting it has gotten very expensive.

About business relationships. I've found that retail expertise, in general, at physical presence stores has deteriorated in recent times. That advantage is going away. Included in "expertise" is courtesy.

 

[ZigZagZeke]

You also get their video streaming service with Prime. Just got done watching a few episodes of "Jack Ryan".

They also have "Vikings" on Amazon Prime.

 

[ZigZagZeke]

On the flip side of the coin, I stopped by a family owned little hole in the wall parts house that specializes in odd ball fasteners.
The owner is a little eccentric, but he always manages to find exactly what I'm looking for.
I was explaining to him that I was repairing a locally made 1949 floor loom for my wife and after he counted out fifty little brass screws from his stock, which were so old they had tarnished and would match all the other screws perfectly, he then told me that he had a table loom stored above his office and insisted that I take it home for free.
I had to turn the car around after loading up the loom, as I forgot to pay him for the brass screws.
The place is called General Threaded Products and it's nothing like going to Fastenal Inc.

2318 SE 10th Ave
Portland, OR 97214

There's a place like that for RV parts in Eugene. Any RV part you could possibly want is on the shelf, and they let you browse through the warehouse yourself. Northwest RV Supply, right next to Northwest Arsenal.

 

[jbett98]

When you walk into their business, there is a huge old church bell mounted in a cradle right behind the counter with a rope next to a "ring the bell for faster service" sign.

 

[ZigZagZeke]

OMG v-belts are numbered by length, they couldnt figure that out?
( been a parts guy for 26 years....thats embarrasing )

In this case the stock belt number was 25-7465 - 47.07", 25-7460 is 46.57", 25-7455 is 46.07", 25-7450 is 45.57".

Modern day parts guys can't find their own behinds with both hands. They want a make, model, and options, or they need a proprietary part number. Tell them you need a set of rings for a 350 small block chevy and you get a blank stare.

 

[Alexx1401]

Amazon seems to take almost as much heat as High Point and Kel-Tec
I have for years just automatically look to Amazon for almost everything I need. I never did like going to stores, searching for what I need, getting help that has no clue, going home empty handed. Many seem to hate Amazon and means nothing to me. I love it and the guy is filthy rich now because he came up with a great idea. Most stuff now is one day for free. A few times when I needed something now, I would pay the few bucks to get the same day. Sill beat getting in the damn car and looking all over.

 

[MannyGlocks]

Convenience is king.

I went shopping this morning. Brick and mortar store it was. OK, Walmart. I like Walmart and it's eccentric clientele...and atmosphere. Yeah, my background is less than stellar, so...I'm as comfortable at Walmart as I am rubbing elbows with big-shots.

Had to drive 20 miles round trip.

I've gotten to where I dislike leaving to go anywhere...

Onset agoraphobia?

Nah, just can't speak any longer (as in, I'm now a fricken mute) and most people act stricken when I do the 'point to my throat and do a thumbs down gesture'.

I'm not embarrassed with my affliction, just annoyed at people's response, so I've become voluntarily/socially isolated for the most part. For the most part, this status doesn't bother me in the least...

Lucky me though, I live in and on a most gorgeous place. A friend, the surgeon/gyno Doctor that delivered my Grandchildren and is now a close friend calls it an estate. Sounds rather grandiose, but maybe it is. It's big and beautiful and if I never had to go anywhere I'd be contented...

I digress. Amazon makes life easier. That it's often less costly is one thing, but it's convenience is quite another...

 

[Hueco]

But can you pronounce bokeh ?

Depends who I'm talking to and whether or not I'm trying to eff with them .

 

[CountryGent]

They also have "Vikings" on Amazon Prime.

Also, The Man in the High Castle, which is a real treat for alternative history fans.

 

[Jcon268]

Going to Walmart is a field study in Human Anthropology. I can't be there less than an hour because I lose so much time rubbernecking at all the oddities and also because I can't get real help in there. I get it, the kids want to have a job. But it's distressing that one could be getting paid for doing such a poor job.

 

[WAYNO]

Amazon thrives, because folks like me can immediately find what they're looking for, and not have to deal with the new model of retail sales professionals.

I resisted Amazon for a long time, because they put other businesses, out of business. So when a retail store should be stepping up to the plate to please folks like me who'd rather buy from a store, is now when these same stores are making it painfully obvious they have no interest in earning or keeping my business.

 

[ZigZagZeke]

Amazon thrives, because folks like me can immediately find what they're looking for, and not have to deal with the new model of retail sales professionals.

I resisted Amazon for a long time, because they put other businesses, out of business. So when a retail store should be stepping up to the plate to please folks like me who'd rather buy from a store, is now when these same stores are making it painfully obvious they have no interest in earning or keeping my business.

And the self-check-out stations don't help. I don't remember applying to be a checker at Fred Meyer, Home Depot, or Lowe's.

 

[clearconscience]

My last HVAC guy said he orders most his parts from amazon instead of suppliers anymore.
only place he can get the older parts.

funny, before I buy almost anything I check with amazon

 

[Certaindeaf]

More than shady, it's fraud. People justify stuff like this by thinking thinking they're not hurting anyone, but it's still fraud.

A few years back a former coworker was bragging about how he went down to Costco and bought the biggest TV they made, the day before his Superbowl party. The day after he returned it. He didn't see anything wrong with it at all., but I never trusted him after that.

I seen some scumbag return a filthy old vacuum bagger at bimart recently, he said it stopped working for some reason, maybe his running out of the included bags in 1970 was a factor.
They gave him a brand new unit right then and there.

 

[CLT65]

A relative of mine was talking about their vacation a few years ago. The weather ended up being unseasonably cold where they stayed, and they hadn't brought any warm coats for the kids. They bragged about going to Walmart and buying some coats, then returning them for a refund on the day they left for home. I was surprised that they honestly saw no ethical problem with doing that.

I buy a lot of stuff at work through Amazon. We're kind of supposed to go through Grainger, but I've found that Amazon is usually significantly cheaper. I know I shouldn't care since it's not my money, but it just feels wrong to overpay.

 

[Tarawa86]

Because Amazon totally enables you to order spider-suits for yourself and the wife

 

[Alexx1401]

And the self-check-out stations don't help. I don't remember applying to be a checker at Fred Meyer, Home Depot, or Lowe's.

Those I do use a LOT. I did not like having to at first but nothing gets my blood pressure up faster than people in front of me holding me up. People that bend the ear of the cashier then when all is rang up start looking for the checkbook. I always wanted to lean over and say "so you forgot you had to pay?" So once I got used to the self check I now seek them out at all stores.

 

[Alexx1401]

A relative of mine was talking about their vacation a few years ago. The weather ended up being unseasonably cold where they stayed, and they hadn't brought any warm coats for the kids. They bragged about going to Walmart and buying some coats, then returning them for a refund on the day they left for home. I was surprised that they honestly saw no ethical problem with doing that.

Crap like that is what sooner or later makes stores change policies. People who do that are making everyone else pay more since those clothes had to be disposed of. I guess part of the "it's all about me" generation.