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The city I live in doesn't have much choice for shopping. I find that the malls are mostly for the younger crowd or so overpriced for cheaply made items, that I walk in, check the prices, and walk right back out.
I was recently b*tching on another thread how I hate standing in lines at WalMart now that they're putting in more self-checkouts to eliminate paying cashiers. (which I stubbornly refuse to use)
Amazon.com often has what I need and I find it easy and convenient.
What really peeves me off is shopping on amazon.ca! With our dollar so low in Canada, you'd think many things would be cheaper to buy on the Canadian site, but they aren't. Some articles are so ridiculously priced, I can't believe anyone would even buy them on .ca (I'm talking about the SAME brand, same article)
Even with having to take a trip to cross the border and pick up our .com items in the states at a shipping and freight business, many items are still cheaper for me.
A $15 minimum wage will inflate the price of everything, meaning I am getting robbed to pay for monopolistic price fixing.
I find it hilarious that a real estate agent is complaining about being robbed by monopolistic price fixing since that is the basis for how you're paid. (And please don't insult my intelligence with the preposterous reply that realtor fees are negotiable.)
In my neck of the woods, the only places that can routinely beat Amazon on price on potentially Walmart and Sam's Club. Amazon literally opens up products from all over the world - comparatively speaking, the selection at Walmart and Sam's is thin.
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.
Minimum wage laws are a tough one -- Warren Buffett of all people says he has thought about the issue for 50 years and still doesn't know what the right answer is.
I've never assumed Amazon was always the best deal. You have to comparison shop to make sure you are getting a good deal, including calculating shipping. I also include time as well, because knowing I can get something in 2 days is often a factor and if the price difference is minimal, it's frequently worth it to get something sooner. But when there is a big price difference, then I go with someplace besides Amazon.
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.
There are more 3rd party sellers on Amazon using it like people use EBay to sell products that Amazon might be offering on its own
The growth of these sellers are what should make people consider the "other sellers"
It all depends
Mindless shopping is not usually beneficial wherever you shop
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.
Amazon pays $15 an hour even in states that don't have $15 min wage laws. Min wage in NJ is $8 and change, but my nephew gets $15 at an Amazon warehouse.
I disagree that this is new. There have always been some odd items that cost a ton on Amazon for whatever reason. I never buy chewing gum there for instance, because it's very over-inflated. Same with food items, like jelly. I wanted to send sugar free smuckers to my mom because I forgot to get it when I did her shopping, but it was $9.00. This isn't new though. I have also often found Prime items cost a bit more.
I like to find my items on Amazon, but then I price compare.
This might not be just Amazon btw. I have noticed my razor blades went up a lot, and I blame the Chinese steel tariffs for that. There are probably a lot of everyday things that went up due to the tariffs being raised that people are not connecting to it.
amazon might not be as cheap as they once were. but i'll tell you id'e rather shop with a few mouse clicks than standing in lines when they have 200 employee's and only two lanes open!!! not to mention i don't have to put up with ahole parents and kids screaming and throwing **** all over the place
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..
I've been saying this for a long time. There are too many third party sellers on amazon doing all kinds of crazy things to turn a profit. One poster on CD even said he goes and buys stuff at Wal Mart, marks it up to double the price, and if it doesn't sell he returns it to Wal Mart for a full refund. My spouse and I will even go on amazon or ebay just for kicks and laugh at the prices that people are trying to sell things for. About 90% of that stuff is available at our local stores for less money.
I agree, the prices are not competitive anymore, but the business in now based on convenience. Instead to log in several websites and put your billing info there, you can get the same stuff (even if more expensive) at one place with combined shipping. I guess lots of people rather do that. And Amazon knows it.
Not competitive? I can see saying not guaranteed lowest price but saying they are not competitive is ridiculous.
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