THIS... is why retail stores are closing... and online sales are thriving.

[Mai72]

Definitely all of this. The first 10 years of my Amazon purchase history I lived in a state with no sales tax anyway so it made no difference whatsoever. Now I live in a same day region so if I notice I am running low on something in the morning it can be waiting on my porch when I get home from work. I will (and frequently do) pay MORE on Amazon to get something that I could get locally. Within reason of course, but a couple dollars of potential savings here and there are far outweighed by the overall convenience of having a single location (in your pocket no less!) for all of your shopping.

Combine reasonably comparable at worst pricing, 5% back on everything, far wider selection, and nearly equal access speed (in same day regions) and the argument to buy locally is basically reduced to 'those poor warehouse workers.' There is certainly a case to be made there and if/when Amazon bows to consumer or regulatory pressure to fix that and passes the cost on to me... I will still happily pay it.

Viper GTS

So true.

The one thing that no one here is going to get back is our precious time. Do you really want to spend a few hours a week in your car so you can buy sh*t you need. Or, would you rather use the Amazon app and spend 5 minutes a week. Add that up over a lifetime and it's a ton of hours that could had been better spent on other things.

I'm very careful with my time anymore. This is why I love Uber. I get out my smartphone, pick Uber and it's done. Compare that to how we traditionally hail a cab. Go outside, if you're lucky one will be waiting for you. If not, spend time finding one. That could because while if you're in a very busy area.

 

[Staples]

I find it interesting that no one mentions getting rid of all the god damn boxes from Amazon.
Still a lot faster than shopping retail but this is never mentioned.

 

[Geekbabe]

I find it interesting that no one mentions getting rid of all the god damn boxes from Amazon.
Still a lot faster than shopping retail but this is never mentioned.

Our cats love Amazon boxes After they finish we stack them in the mud room, break them down a couple times a month & put them in the recycling

 

[Carson Dyle]

I find it interesting that no one mentions getting rid of all the god damn boxes from Amazon. Still a lot faster than shopping retail but this is never mentioned.

They take corrugated boxes with our curbside recycling pickup. This likely isn't a problem for too many people.

 

[Red Squirrel]

I find it interesting that no one mentions getting rid of all the god damn boxes from Amazon.
Still a lot faster than shopping retail but this is never mentioned.

Omg I am bad for that. I always like keeping boxes around in case I need to ship something back as I hate the idea of PAYING for a box when I had a bunch of ones I just threw out, so I don't throw them out in case I need them. But it's crazy how fast they accumulate. I have enough boxes in my crawlspace to build an entire condominium complex for the homeless. Would also act as good kindling for a house fire... I really should do a cleanup.

 

[Svnla]

Disagree.

Most people aren't shopping at Amazon because they can avoid sales tax. They are shopping online because they can minimize time and energy.

I had said this early and I'll repeat it. Most people are busy and many are getting beat up every day. Kids, bills, 8-12 hour days working, stress, grocery shopping, tasks, family time, training, additional education, more bills, only 2 weeks off a year, etc. Most people are just f*ckin tired. Very tired. Also, with humans our biology tells us to minimize time and our energy output. Shopping online fulfills this.

1) Ordering on Amazon; I take out my smartphone, tap the Amazon app, tap the things I want to purchase, CC is charged, wait 2 days, it's over.
Time: 2-3 minutes.

2) Going to the B&M; Take time out of busy schedule, get in my car, fill the tank, drive 10-15 minutes. Maybe even longer. Go into the store. Search for the item. Interrupt the busy sales guy if I can't find it, Pick it up, wait in line, get into car, wait in traffic, etc..
Time: Anywhere from 20 minutes to 1 hour.

Did you even bother reading what I wrote? Did I say anything about saving time in my post? Nope, nada, zip. Why the hell did you start a mini novel about something that I did not claim?

What did I write? Amazon was not as huge difference in price as local stores as the OP claimed in the first post (over $60 local store vs. $20 online).

Goodness.

 

[Puffnstuff]

Recently I bought a new suit, something I do locally, but the shirts at J.C. Penny were way too over priced. I bought some at Amazon for a fraction of the price with two day delivery. The same can be said for Rogaine liquid which is $47 at my local Walmart but was much cheaper at Amazon. They jacked their price up since then to match so I just got the generic for $15. One thing to note though, since Amazon has started charging sales tax they're going to lose sales if a person can get the product locally at the same price.

 

[s0me0nesmind1]

They take corrugated boxes with our curbside recycling pickup. This likely isn't a problem for too many people.

Majority of the people likely don't recycle. I know most of the people that live in my neighborhood are too stupid to wrap their heads around what goes in the black trashcan vs. the green one.

Furthermore, cities like mine have become cheap asses and they no longer allow recycling glass.

 

[s0me0nesmind1]

Omg I am bad for that. I always like keeping boxes around in case I need to ship something back as I hate the idea of PAYING for a box when I had a bunch of ones I just threw out, so I don't throw them out in case I need them. But it's crazy how fast they accumulate. I have enough boxes in my crawlspace to build an entire condominium complex for the homeless. Would also act as good kindling for a house fire... I really should do a cleanup.

I don't ever keep the small boxes - but what I DO keep are the durable and large to extra-large sized boxes... I already know I'm going to move to another house at some point in the near future (less than 5 years), so I figure I can save all these boxes and shove them in the attic until they are needed.

I know how much it sucks to buy boxes - especially moving boxes at $3 a pop and needing 20-50 for everything in a home.

 

[drnickriviera]

Started keeping a closer eye on Amazon prices. Wireless keyboard Az $27, Walmart $20. Grill brush. Az $15, Lowes $10 Maybe some B&M stores will get smart and put some Compare to Amazon price stickers out.

 

[gsethi]

Couple of weeks ago, I needed a new Toner for work printer on same day. I checked staples.com and they had the toner for $45.xx (same price as Amazon). Went to local staples store that showed the toner in stock. Shelf tag had the price of the toner at $63.xx. I thought it was a pricing error and went to check out. The cashier scans the toner and it rings up at $63.xx. Had to show the cashier staples.com webpage and cashier matched the price.

This weekend, we were out shopping for the kids car seat at Toys r us. They had a promotion online (and on their own app) for 15% off using a coupon code advertised on toys r us website. I went to check out line and asked the cashier to apply the coupon, and I got a "No, we do not apply online coupons". Ended up placing the order online for the same car seat in front of cashier, with free delivery to home. (I could have ordered for in-store pickup at the same store, but did not want to wait ~20-30min for pickup confirmation email). Cashier did not care. Store lost a ~$100 sale that went to their e-commerce department.

Couple of months ago, I needed a hard drive on same day for a work computer. Best Buy was the nearest store and had the hard drive at the same price as Amazon. Wife was in the area, so I told her to pickup the hard drive (gave her item number and price). At checkout, she calls me that the price is higher than what I told her. She had to ask Best Buy cashier to price match their own website.

Its policies like these by the local store management that are driving people away. Local stores are counting on customers not checking their own websites (or amazon). Almost all of our supplies come from amazon now. Lately, walmart is getting better and occasionally some items are cheaper at walmart.com.

 

[XSoldier77X]

Online stores are still preoccupied with their glory days. B&M on the other hand, don't need excessive costs to store and manage stuff, that includes human workforce too. consequentially, that's also why fewer humans are now needed

 

[IHateMyJob2004]

Does everyone here go to work and go home and do nothing else with their lives? I'd rather pay the extra $5 for an item and get out of my dammed house. To an extent it is about the entertainment in going out shopping. Regarding cables and wires specifically, I go to Lowes or Home Depot since the tend to have the lowest B&M prices for that stuff. It's cheap enough that I don't save $1 by going online to buy the stuff unless I need something special.

People worried about this:
1) don't drink
2) don' smoke
3) don't gamble
4) don't go to movie theater (red box is cheaper, right)
5) go to bars (alcohol from liquor stores are cheaper)
6) buy sporting goods online instead of supporting local businesses (think road/mountain bikes)
7) go out to dinner (cheaper to buy online from the grocery store or order Dominos)

The whole thesis is wrong. B&M will be hurt but they won't die. What will happen is most B&M stores will get bigger over time to reduce costs. Wal-Mart will eventually look more like a mall or a new company will emerge that will. It's just a matter of time till some company starts a concept that is 3-4x bigger than a mall and sells high end mountain bikes, hobby grade RC cars, cheap cables, TVs, food, diapers, clothes, hot pretzels, etc.

B&M is being killed by competition in a world where cutting costs wins customers. What is going on with the internet is no different than what big box concepts did to small local businesses. Eventually, something will displace internet store fronts as the low cost provider. If enough B&M stores get hurt in such a way that jobs are being destroyed, the government may even step in eventually.

Then again, this can spiral into a living wage discussion as automation and other efficiencies are created and jobs are destroyed. When no one has a job anymore, who will have money to buy goods? I mean if the goal of business is to reduce costs to zero in theory, at what point are humans required and if humans are not required in year 2050, who will be buying goods? Thus the need for a living wage. What we will have is a lot of bored people with drug problems.