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As others have said, shopping habits have changed. So, yes, you might want to say Amazon is taking jobs away as your professors taught you in college. Of course that is the type of education our kids are getting. Blame big business: well it isn't just big business, it is what people want. With technology and the double income families traditional life has changed. If the average consumer didn't want to product the plan wouldn't be working so well. I think the starter of all this, is more EBay than Amazon. They introduced us to Online shopping even if it was in a slightly different way.
Let me add, there are a lot of benefits to on line shopping. One that comes to mind, people who are shut ins or not terribly mobile can shop and have products delivered in a day or so. Bargain shopping is easier due to the selection one can have via the net. Just decide you want a pair of tennis shoes, go on line, you have 100s of pairs, in every price range. You can't get that choice by walking into a mall or major dept store.
I don't necessarily like all the changes we are seeing but I do understand. It is the changing world we live in. I can't imagine what our parents or grandparents, depending on your age would think if they were to return to earth tomorrow.
smuninja: I disagree with you on price. I find most everything I want on Amazon at a much better price than I can get at our nearby store, regardless of what I am looking for. The exception is a great sale, at our near by shopping district and/or coupons. But it is still necessary to consider time and gas.
I generally do the same and I find the convenience of shopping online prevents the hassle of driving around to various retailers. I probably make 4 orders through Amazon, Target, Newegg, and Homedepot.com per week. There are a few downsides to not going to the shelf to pick your own merchandise; in same cases you're getting NOS (new old stock), and in the case of your brake fluid you'd want something that hasn't been sitting on the shelf for too long since brake fluid is hygroscopic. I've received dog treats and human snacks that were a month away from their "best before" date, something that doesn't happen to me at the brick and mortar stores.
I was wondering why the OP needed the 12 cans of brake fluid? Might be a mechanic? I can't buy most of Costco's items because they are in such large quantities.
Amazon is basically a flea market. My uncle bought an unlocked cell phone and the adapter was for the U.K. plug. I asked him why he did not return it and ask for one with the U.S. plug, but it's basically caveat emptor once it's shipped.
I checked the price for the Insignia HD radio online. Turns out some sellers on Amazon and other sites tried to charge 2x--even 3x--more than Best Buy's in-store price.
Those free shipping minimums also make online shopping uneconomical. Target.com has a $35 minimum for free shipping. Looks like they are compelling you to spend more, especially if you buy an item just to make your cart go from $34.99 to $36.00 in order to meet the $35 threshold. Might as well drive to the store, especially if it's only a 5-minute drive away (such as in my case). If it's a niche item, I can find a workaround or just do without.
And don't forget about the ecological damages of all that packaging, especially in unnecessary sizes or quantities.
@nmnita look at this article https://www.forbes.com/sites/laurahe.../#427cf92dcbc3 ,i have shifted my shopping to ebay,mostly for me its electronics /mattress,i had $250 credit on amazon for almost 2 years,waiting for me to spend,ebay with $15 of 75 and other coupons is taking my business.
other thing i dont like is pay shipping since i dont have amazon prime.
Good analogy. Amazon has gone downhill a bit. The way they have redefined what "Prime" and "Two Day Shipping" mean is disgusting and one of the reasons I tell EVERYONE to demand that they credit you 25 to 50% off of your order if things do not arrive in 2 ABSOLUTE days.'
PS The e-mail "Contact us" feature usually results in a canned reply. Ignore this and call. They are banking on the fact that most will not do so. Make the CSR pay you for the disruption. Also, only buy "Like New" items from there. They are not always the cheapest as others have noted.
Key point is, use them for what they are, but don't fall for the okie-doke. They are BRILLIANT manipulators. Amazon "Prime"...gtfoh, with that psychology.
One issue with Amazon is the lack of quality control for items sold via their marketplace. There are so many knockoffs now sold as real brands it's not even funny. And if you buy from one of these sellers it's a huge hassle getting a refund. I bought my son a Nike hoodie that after one washing showed it was not authentic as it faded and shrank a ton and looked nothing like the ones I bought at Macy's. I've heard that almost all Birkenstock shoes sold on Amazon are also fakes. Because of this I will not buy popular brand names via Amazon anymore unless it's sold from the actual brand company.
There are many similiarities between amazon and walmart. The economies of scale, the lower prices to draw in the customers. Amazon's advantage is people don't *SEE* their impact to the local stores. It's easy to observe the giant walmart and experience the crowds and see the smaller business dry up and whither away, but the reality is they could not get the same economies of scale that the larger store was able to command.
Amazon's advantage was the ability to quickly expand without the negative public opinion and local push back but as they move into more locations their expenses will be forced to go up and the regulatory exposure will also increase.
Today, walmart has the misfortune of 10-20 years of negative documentaries that are most all still accessible for people/consumers to renew their hatred of the company while people go online and shop, oblivious to the fact that Amazon is also hurting the local businesses with improved economies of scale. Ultimately nobody is twisting people's arms to shop at one or the other. Low price wins.
The battle for fresh groceries should be fascinating to watch since walmart has spent the better part of 40 years building out their infrastructure and working out the kinks of that business but Amazon brings fresh thinking and new technology and ideas.
Where I live, we have a walmart which is basically a food store with limited range of other things. There's a couple other grocery stores. If you want to go into a store for most every other thing, then you have a drive. I don't drive, and have a ride but usually its when they're ready. I do my shopping except for milk and bread and fresh veggies and fruits from either walmart or amazon, but lately it mostly been amazon. If they built a store with all the stuff here, I'd stick to putting in orders online.
For me, amazon is a blessing since I can look at various prices, and various versions of non foods. I can get either the fancy more expensive one, or the cheaper less expensive one. Walmart usually has just one, IF they have it. I do buy stuff from them, but then most of that is online too.
What I really like is that I can keep much closer cost watch on a shopping. I set a limit. I do the most important things first, then on down. But I can check the actual cost as it adds up. I can decide to get the smaller size which will not last the month, or the bigger, more expensive which will end up cheaper. If at the end I'm 30 dollars over, I can look over the orders and downsize or not get. In the store I have tried, but you have to keep a running total while pushing a cart and with distractions. And you miss things since your looking at the phone and the list but not the cart.
At this point, ordering as much as I can is a very important part of keeping to the budget. It also offers a variety of choices with many things, so you can get the small package and not have unwanted extra or the supersized one so you don't have to buy two or three, and also choose the cheaper versions or the better more costly one depending on your use. Most stores may have only one.
At this point the only things I can get by ordering are fresh fruit and vegies and milk. I'd get the veggies myself if I can, but am very interested in if Walmart gets their new delivery of fresh stuff up and running and will be happy to give them a try. The new pantry service with amazon helped a lot as I could get not only bread but the heavy dark bread I like, and for a very good price.
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Today, walmart has the misfortune of 10-20 years of negative documentaries that are most all still accessible for people/consumers to renew their hatred of the company while people go online and shop, oblivious to the fact that Amazon is also hurting the local businesses with improved economies of scale. Ultimately nobody is twisting people's arms to shop at one or the other. Low price wins.
........
Maybe some store clerks hate WalMart. Otherwise I see no evidence of this hatred. Quite the contrary WalMart stores seem to be full of shoppers. In many rural and semi-rural areas shopping was very limited before WalMart. The WalMart stores greatly reduced prices and expanded the shopping convenience and choices.
I remember my economics teachers and several sociology professors studying the effects of Walmart to the US job sector, consumer behaviors, and the social impact of rural counties were Walmart moved in and subsequently disrupted local business and the job market. Walmart was vilified for the negative consequences but economists touted the efficiency that Walmart was producing. There were literal ghost towns made out of a handful of counties because local businesses couldn't compete and in some cases, Walmart folded the store due to shrinking revenue. A number of other big box competitors also saw their lunch being taken (Circuit City, Fedco, Sears, Kmart, etc).
Fast-forward today and the argument can be made that Amazon.com is having a similar effect. They undercut in pricing, streamlined their logistics, and took advantage of online/mobile sales. It is probably the most convenient, cost-effective, and consumer reviewed way to shop and buy goods and services. However, we're seeing the collapse of the mall and retail as a sector is really taking it on the chin. Yet we do not see the backlash of Amazon; instead we champion them as disruptors and innovators. The only negative press I see on Amazon is the treatment of their warehouse workers and how the conditions inside can be near deadly. I'm not seeing much analysis on the macroeconomic effect or the sociological effect on job displacement/efficiencies.
Do you see Amazon analogous to the 1990's Walmart? Do you think the demonization of Walmart was unfair or misplaced (they are the nation's largest employer after all and they aren't afraid to raise wages)? Do you think Amazon is doing a good thing or do you think the consequences are damaging to society and/or the economy? What are your thoughts?
Great Questions, OP.
The simple answers are Yes, Amazon is analogous to 1990s Walmart in some ways. Yes Amazon is doing good things. And Yes the demonization of Walmart was misguided.
Walmart and I have had our differences over the years, but ultimately I don't believe there was ever any concrete evidence they did anything illegal in their pursuit of market dominance. Plus the answer to whether they even did anything unethical is highly subjective (since theoretically one could argue most effective business practices are unethical on some level).
Yes they put a lot of people out of business, but they did it by better offering what customers wanted.
And Yes their presence may have contributed to declining local wages in many cases, but that impact was balanced out by their contribution to the lowering of the price of goods in those same areas.
Like other posters have suggested, Amazon is succeeding and doing many of the things that Walmart did, but they're less vilified because there's not as visible a connection between Amazon's presence and the alternative businesses that are failing. In other words it's not easy for many of the shopping malls that are failing to whip their customers into a frenzy by telling them the mall can't stay open due to those customers' utilizing the ease and convenience of online shopping.
Like Walmart before them, Amazon is wreaking havoc on the marketplace, but they're also providing arguably comparable benefits. So as we've seen with Walmart before them, lobbing unsubstantiated ethical accusations against Amazon won't bring them down to size, but finding innovative ways to compete against them will.
Maybe some store clerks hate WalMart. Otherwise I see no evidence of this hatred. Quite the contrary WalMart stores seem to be full of shoppers. In many rural and semi-rural areas shopping was very limited before WalMart. The WalMart stores greatly reduced prices and expanded the shopping convenience and choices.
For every five towns, one gets the walmart and the other have much of their retail killed off. The first one also has much of its other retail killed off. This was started with other chains but ramped up with walmart.
Their other crime (not illegal) is a relentless pursuit of cheapness that's resulted in ever-more offshoring and crappier products.
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