Amazon and every major business in the USA don't want you to purchase anything from them

[alarmguy]

I use Amazon and Walmart for almost everything.

There are many like me.

Much the same for me, almost.
I hate all things Amazon but low price always wins. With that said when I buy a product that is higher cost item, I just do a search online with the model number.
Way more often than not Amazon is not the lowest cost or it can be among the lowest cost but Ill have the option of buying it on line like at Walmart or BestBuy, Lowes or Home Depot, Sam's Club or Costco (all near where I live)

But like you, it's all about lowest price and return policy.

 

[SC Maintenance]

Much the same for me, almost.
I hate all things Amazon but low price always wins. With that said when I buy a product that is higher cost item, I just do a search online with the model number.
Way more often than not Amazon is not the lowest cost or it can be among the lowest cost but Ill have the option of buying it on line like at Walmart or BestBuy, Lowes or Home Depot, Sam's Club or Costco (all near where I live)

But like you, it's all about lowest price and return policy.

I love Amazon. I buy from them even if its not cheapest. It shows up on time. I don't have to pay shipping. Returns are easy. I don't have to waste my time at the store and I don't end up buying more junk I don't need.

I occasionally buy from Walmart online, but I could write a page on all the things they have screwed up. Walmart in the store is fine if you go when its not busy.

 

[fsdork]

I love Amazon. I buy from them even if its not cheapest. It shows up on time. I don't have to pay shipping. Returns are easy. I don't have to waste my time at the store and I don't end up buying more junk I don't need.

I occasionally buy from Walmart online, but I could write a page on all the things they have screwed up. Walmart in the store is fine if you go when its not busy.

Every once in a while, I will intentionally break out of my habit of buying things on Amazon by default and go to a brick and mortar store. Nearly every time I do, there is something about the experience (out of stock, poor service, etc.) that makes me ask myself why I bothered. Even when I try to circumvent inventory issues and delays in service by ordering in-store pickup, they often find a way to bottleneck the process by making me stand in line at customer service, explain to them what I'm there to pick up, and wait while they try to reach someone in the back to find my order and bring it out. It's painful.

There are of course exceptions, and I will continue to support places that truly earn my business. When it comes to retail, those places increasingly mirror the Amazon experience, except they're picking from their own big-box store (Canadian Tire) to put the product in an automated pick-up locker near the checkouts. No wasted trip to find something out of stock, and no delay waiting for someone to release my purchase to me.

 

[alarmguy]

One other thing, my wife and I sometimes are return queens, anyway, even corporations now sometimes compete with their own resellers. One tiny example is Bose.
I bought two sets of Bose earbuds last year at the same or better price than retail stores the good thing about it was the return policy. Bose gives you 90 days to try out a product (confirm before you buy that was late last year) I think also the same for their re-furb products.

 

[chrlsful]

if U buy frm amizone U already have a different standard. Unclear on the concept. Do not 'vote' w/ur $. Add to the "crush the mom'n pop", no interest in the locale of ur address, wanna send ur $ out'n away (not feed the neighbors).

'...find a way 2 bottle neck...make me stand in line..."
wow, gotta meet the neighbors, a peon among peons, eh? '...It's painful..." mmm,
dystopian world? (sorry to say it this way but ) Sounds like U need more screen time (no real human contact is just fine).
"...automated p/u locker..."
make sure to use self ck out @ groceries too. We need to lay off more cashiers'n use more machinery.

Yeah too big of chunk from our small margins, didn't work.

No, I dont C. Am tryin to figure 'the new economy'. I understand "F" the wrker (in short term it wrks, certainly not long term) example: I hate amizone & wally's world. Wrked for both. Bought frm both 1st, will never do either again. I understand Y food mrkts R consolidating. It's hard to transport goods, etc. Only 13% profit.
But how is it good national policy to not make anything? It aint. Y let industry dictate politics (outcome, national policy - by default). Shouldnt policy (admin, decisions, planning & coordinating)? Shouldnt need, interest, best outcome - dictate industry?

It's like zoning in my town. We have student gentrification; Corps snap up every house 4 sale B4 families can buy. Bring in student (we're collegetwn wid 3 of em) out in boonies. Inflated (out of area) incomes come in to stuff kids doubled up in bd rms that fams would not (U sleep w/ur kids?) @ higher rates. = huge profits that leave twn for parts unknown (dont circulate here) - inflates sales prices, bars families. YET we can not zone this out. (zoning = creating policy for local decision making on local land use). I thought that was democracy. No, Chad, rights of business trump human need. "That's illegal" they tell me. Y not put a simple sentence in there rather than all the complicated pro language: "No corps to buy up private homes till number of absentee landlord owned homes goes from 50% of town to 25% of private locally owner occupied homes"???
Same w/this issue. Grab the bull(chit) by the horns. State the obvious. Follow up for better merican out comes~

 

[loneryder]

A similar, but different case: Costco makes the majority of it's profit from membership fees, not selling merchandise. In this case though, the consumer benefits with lower prices (not everything) while the company of course makes a profit. The memberships encourage loyalty and the circle of success continues.

Their markups cover the operating costs.