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This is literally my nephews whole business model he buys at target or walmart or home depot if there is enough profit in it and ships it off to sell on amazon.
I am not interested in paying more for goods as part of a price-fixing scheme initiated by the State and backed with the threat of violence. The minimum wage is a ghastly overreach and should be abolished. Same with rent control and other price fixing schemes. The free market should determine wages, not the State.
I am fine with prices going up for business reasons, and I can shop elsewhere if I want to. But rising prices caused by State price fixing of labor costs is not something I can support or rationalize.
Translation: let them work for $5 an hour, and 7 days a week - whatever it takes to put instant rice on the table.....
I'm with you on the free market most of the time but there has to be a happy medium.
Several years ago, the prices on Amazon were really, really low. Now, the prices are just a bit lower than other retailers but I believe it still has the best prices on many items. I just put the items on the "wish list" and eventually it will go lower.
On the must have items, if the prices are roughly the same, the question I asked myself is "How much time and gas money will this cost me to drive to the store?"
Several years ago, the prices on Amazon were really, really low. Now, the prices are just a bit lower than other retailers but I believe it still has the best prices on many items. I just put the items on the "wish list" and eventually it will go lower.
On the must have items, if the prices are roughly the same, the question I asked myself is "How much time and gas money will this cost me to drive to the store?"
There is no way Amazon can be the lowest if people buy from walmart and target and sell to Amazon. I've honestly not heard of such a business model and have no idea how anyone could even supply enough stock to satisfy Amazon, but you would be paying walmart/target's markup, then the middle man's markup and finally Amazon's markup
My biggest problem with Amazon is the proliferation of counterfeit goods. I may purchase our bath soaps there when Costco runs dry (my preference is the elusive Olay bar, not Dove, his is Dial or Irish Spring) but I was buying other cosmetics and started receiving fakes.
Not cool. I’d rather deal with other places, and get the real goods.
I dont see it as Amazon getting more expensive, but rather as other large retailers getting cheaper to compete with Amazon. Big companies like Wallmart are streamlining their distribution networks and cutting prices.
Been seeing this over and over. Prices on Amazon are no longer the best deal at all, and they are often forcing you to buy multiple quantities of anything that is too cheap.
Shop more carefully. There was a time when you could just log on, use Prime, pick what you want, and “add to cart” knowing that you were getting a good deal. NO MORE. Most prices are average at best. Check other sites. Amazon is maturing as a company, starting to overpay and overfringe middle management, and opening physical plant in many different areas, all of which takes overhead and begins to narrow the unit cost gap between brick and mortar retailers and Amazon. Plus these stupid $15 minimum wage state monopoly labor price fixing laws are starting to have the expected adverse effect on consumers. There’s no free lunch. Overpaying low level labor means we all get ripped off.
Anyway, Amazon is no longer the great deal it once was. If this continues, I will consider dropping Prime and looking for other options.
The best deal for me is the item that is delivered to my doorstep.
My biggest problem with Amazon is the proliferation of counterfeit goods. I may purchase our bath soaps there when Costco runs dry (my preference is the elusive Olay bar, not Dove, his is Dial or Irish Spring) but I was buying other cosmetics and started receiving fakes.
Not cool. I’d rather deal with other places, and get the real goods.
I agree this is a problem in the beauty/bath product section at Amazon.
As for best prices, it really depends. Sometimes Amazon has cheapest, but often I find better prices elsewhere. Just depends on what you are looking for. Comparison shopping takes seconds on-line so I personally don't find it a burden to compare a few places before I buy something.
One example- I found a certain product for 1/3 the cost of Amazon at Walgreens.com. They have free ship-to-store so I had it delivered to my local Walgreen's.
Then there is Target's in-store pick-up service. I personally love this. I think its gaining a lot of traction as there are now tv ads featuring it. Last time I went in to pick up my order there were easily over 100 order bags hanging in the customer service section.
Another factor for me personally is I don't like the environmental impact of all the Amazon boxes and packaging material. That is one reason I like the Target store pick-up, and I also don't mind having to buy a few products at the same time to get free shipping. Its not a problem to wait until I have a short list of things I can order at the same time. I prefer to have less packaging to recycle.
Translation: let them work for $5 an hour, and 7 days a week - whatever it takes to put instant rice on the table.....
I'm with you on the free market most of the time but there has to be a happy medium.
If someone is willing to work for $5/hour and 7 days a week, I’m fine with it also. That’s freedom. Let people do what they want. If someone doesn’t want to settle for $5/hour, they are obligated to make themselves more valuable to others to make more money and satisfy their wants. I’m good with that also. I am not good with governments fixing labor prices and stealing the money to pay people more than they are worth. A $15 minimum wage will inflate the price of everything, meaning I am getting robbed to pay for monopolistic price fixing. And after all that, the wage increase erases itself in the form of a higher cost of living. But what doesn’t get erased? Higher income taxes from the higher nominal income. So the government is all for this monopolistic police-state enforced labor price fixing. The leftist politicians get more votes from the brainless low level people who are “thankful” for their state provided higher minimum wages. Wages which buy less and less due to the inflation they caused. And the State collects more in payroll taxes. Great deal for everyone except the virtuous people who pay all the bills.
If someone is willing to work for $5/hour and 7 days a week, I’m fine with it also. That’s freedom. Let people do what they want. If someone doesn’t want to settle for $5/hour, they are obligated to make themselves more valuable to others to make more money and satisfy their wants. I’m good with that also. I am not good with governments fixing labor prices and stealing the money to pay people more than they are worth. A $15 minimum wage will inflate the price of everything, meaning I am getting robbed to pay for monopolistic price fixing. And after all that, the wage increase erases itself in the form of a higher cost of living. But what doesn’t get erased? Higher income taxes from the higher nominal income. So the government is all for this monopolistic police-state enforced labor price fixing. The leftist politicians get more votes from the brainless low level people who are “thankful” for their state provided higher minimum wages. Wages which buy less and less due to the inflation they caused. And the State collects more in payroll taxes. Great deal for everyone except the virtuous people who pay all the bills.
So it’s okay for me to make you take 1% total to split four ways for a house sale? It’ll lower my house price by 5%.
__________________ Solly says — Be nice!
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Solly says — Be nice!
