I used to think that Amazon was nuts, going from book sales to ... well, to everything else! I thought they would crater, because who would go to Amazon to buy clothes or electronics or barbeques or cameras?
The jury is in and I have been found to be phenomenally ignorant on the topic! But, never accuse me of not jumping on a bandwagon once it gets going. I now buy so many different things (or at least a high percentage of the things I buy at all) on Amazon that it is ridiculous. Books are the start, for I have a Kindle. Why so many of the other things, though? Because they have made the shopping experience the easiest and most efficient on the planet.
With one click, I buy something that is automatically charged to my credit card which is on record and the item is mailed to my address, also on record. I love waffles for breakfast, so I have a subscription to a waffle mix called Kodiak Cakes, 6 boxes of which automatically ship to me once every three months. Once every two months, decaf coffee for our Keurig coffemaker automatically ships. It is easy and the prices are usually very competitive.
Of course, there are a few downsides. It, like Walmart stores, is killing the neighborhood shopping experience. Killing the neighborhood shopping experience is to some extent killing the sense of community. Killing the sense of community is making us more isolated and leading to less employment. Shopping for a book online has none of the warmth of shopping for one in the neighborhood bookstore.
Who would have thought you could do all of that with one click??
I buy a lot of stuff online apart from books. I am just too lazy to go shopping and face the prospect of being pushed around!
ReplyDeleteNeighborhood bookstore is pretty much an oxymoron these days as ,ost were killed off by large chain stores which are in turn being vanquished by online shopping. I used tyo grocery shop exclusively online too until Albertson's spun off the DFW stores - apparently the DFW Metroplex is the most competitive grocery market in the country but we just got our first Trader Joes. Now there's an example of a "neighborhood" store taking on the behemoths of the industry and succeeding.
ReplyDeleteAmazon still gets most of my online business because of Amazon Prime. Free movies, TV streaming and 2-day shipping. But I love to seek out coffee sources - my current fave being Raven's Brew. Now ig Caspers would ship hot dogs online I'd be in heaven - I'd have a weekly 2 caspers and a polish & swiss with sauerkraut. Sigh. Can you tell I just heard California Bloodlines again? LOLLOL
@Rummuser
ReplyDeleteI do, too. Also, it is easier to get information on the items I am shopping for. Still, for many things, I prefer seeing it live and I also sometimes just enjoy getting out.
Seeing it live? I don't have to buy it!
DeleteThere is one thing or two you can't buy online: Shoes. And clothes.
ReplyDeleteCould have, and maybe should have, left this comment on Shackman's take:
There is a morally/ethically NOT easy conflict between online and off line. As evidenced by the Angel the other day. He needed strings for his guitar. He googled. As one does. And found that he could save himself fair whack instead of going to his favourite shop up the high street (privately owned, not a chain). Let's forget that the Angel will make an excellent accountant in another life: He is a saver. Not a spender. However, he does have ethics. He wanted to give the business to the local shop. So he went up there and said: Meet me half way. I'll pay you less than you ask but more than if I order on line.
It was a deal.
U
Ursula I agree with your ethical dilemma. My response is simply that little if anything I buy can be purchased at a small local business. I can - for example - purchase Raven's Brew coffee from Amazon - I choose to purchase it direct from Raven's Brew. 25 or 30 years ago when I was active in softball I made my purchases at local sporting goods shops and would still. I wholeheartedly agree with what your son did. These days there are many entrepreneurial types on EBAY. In fact my friend Ron Ryan - a holdover from the British Invasion music scene - still buys and sells guitars on EBAY. My point? not all small businesses are brick & mortar. Seems to me EBAY is something of a hybrid.
Delete@Ursula
ReplyDeleteI REALLY like what your son did!
@Rummuser
ReplyDeleteIf you got your books all locally, you would be out most of the day, then home reading the rest of the day. What a marvelous habit you have!
Odd that you re-respond, but it falls into place with what I have just been told by a friend. Synchronicity? He suggests that I go to the largest bookshop in Pune every now and then and browse and have some coffee at the very nice coffee corner that they have there. He suggests that I may just meet interesting people there. What better way to start a conversation than enquire about a book some stranger is browsing? Interesting thought. Must try one of these days. If nothing else comes out it, at least a blog post will.
DeleteMy re-response is a funny artifact produced by the intersection of being on-the-go in multiple places, using multiple devices and an aging memory! Perfect fodder for synchronicity! LOL
Delete@shackman
ReplyDeleteMan ... you gotta get back here and satisfy that CA Jones of yours!!!
I regularly have packages from Amazon delivered to my door. They are usually for Elly. If it is something that is not urgent then it is sent to me. Why? The high postage rate she has to pay for delivery in the South of Ireland - for years many items were not offered for delivery at all down there. The same items are delivered to me, with no or minimal postage
ReplyDeleteI love learning about different situations like yours and Elly's and the strategies used to deal with them!
Delete@shackman
ReplyDeleteI think you are exactly right. And, honestly, I can see Amazon squeezing a lot of the little guys whose products it sells online. Your insight of buying direct from the company online is an excellent one.
have you ordered any Red Top Wines yet? I hear the shipping is a little slow.
ReplyDelete@Mayo
ReplyDeleteI have heard the same thing about the shipment speed, but I heard it is because the demand is so high. The quality is, of course, the best in the world, but the guy took up quail farming as a hobby and that has reduced production.
It is worth the wait!