No wonder Amazon is so big

[Quicksilver]

Yesterday afternoon around 2:30 my son Adam ordered a Firestick for my T.V. so that I can watch the Grand Tour (on Amazon Prime, of course).
11:00 this morning !! the courier knocks on my door. Here it is. Competitive price and free shipping. How can you beat that?

[Scrape]

Amazon Prime is awesome stuff.

[92redragtop]

Yup, ordered a Bosch O2 sensor for the Volvo on Friday afternoon with free trial Amazon Prime, delivery showed as Sunday then got moved to Saturday by 8pm, and the part actually arrived at my door Saturday morning. Installed by Saturday afternoon.

On top of that, this part is to replace one I bought from Amazon in 2016 and it failed just past the 12 month mark - Amazon recommended I call Bosch to find out what the warranty period was, Bosch said it was now out of warranty so no coverage available (12 month warranty), I let Amazon know and they offered a refund if I sent it back (they're paying for return shipping). Cannot believe they did this as i was not demanding a refund or warranty coverage or anything - just contacted them to find out the warranty term (which wasn't on the original packaging) and said I was disappointed that the Bosch part failed.

[NickD]

I agree, love Amazon Prime, sat and Sunday delivery, ordering 7pm and it's on the porch before I leave for work the next morning.


Sent from my Pixel 2 XL using Tapatalk

[Rino]

me gots the prime aslso,love it.

[hsousa88]

My free trial ran out.. dunno if it’s worth the $80 per year they charge. Guess it comes down to how often you use it. Great service either way.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Laffs]

On the flip side, no wonder so many brick and mortar retailers are going under. Hard to compete.

[The Newmare]

ordered a Airaid CAI on Sunday and received it yesterday in Ajax.

[Boomer]

Pretty well anything you need these days you're able to get it on Amazon. Amazing how that company has grown. Heard the other day that Jeff Bezos is worth over 100 billion dollars...WOW!!!! My buddy ordered a pair of subwoofers and got them shipped in a few days...Unreal. Why would anybody go to a store these days?

[5.4MarkVIII]

On the flip side, no wonder so many brick and mortar retailers are going under. Hard to compete.


Yep.

Off shore knockoffs. That don’t pass our safety certifications. Sold pennies on the dollar. Forcing reputable company’s to cut corners so the people who are always demanding the cheapest price can instead complain about an inferior product and no jobs

[Slick_89_Hatch]

Amazon sells alot of the same products you would get in regular retail stores. Agreed alot of Off shore knock off stuff, but lots of great stuff as well.
Small example, my sister loves getting movies at Xmas, got 4 blu rays, exactly what I get at Walmart, for almost half the price and free shipping.....

[Laffs]

Never ending cycle. People complain there's no jobs to buy the things they want, buying things that don't add jobs to the economy.

[Biz]

The weekend before Christmas I ordered a last minute gift Friday evening late (11pm) not caring if it showed up in time or not.
Christmas eve (sunday) morning it was in my mailbox delivered from a courier I have never even heard of.
Not sure if it came on Saturday or that sunday morning.
Been a Prime member for almost a year now. Well worth it.

[bluetoy]

Don't complain when there are no stores left and no jobs left.

[hsousa88]

Don't complain when there are no stores left and no jobs left.

I mean.. its kind of inevitable.

You can't blame estores like Amazon either.. it started as a book store with a shitty html page. Technology > us.

Blame the baby boomers :D

[Quicksilver]

No disagreement with the number of jobs lost. However, Amazon still has lots of human workers. You have the packagers and the web writers and the stock boys and the actual couriers themselves, and the people who maintain the sites, and the buyers, and all those others

[92redragtop]

Yep.

Off shore knockoffs. That don’t pass our safety certifications. Sold pennies on the dollar. Forcing reputable company’s to cut corners so the people who are always demanding the cheapest price can instead complain about an inferior product and no jobs

I bought a Bosch product (made somewhere in Europe)....reputable company right? I first called a local Partsource store when Bosch said I had no warranty but the store only had some NGK version but Bosch is the OEM manufacturer for Volvo (and Amazon carries the Bosch). I did find a store who could order in the Bosch unit but it would have cost $130 more than what Amazon had it listed for....and I'd have to wait for it to be ordered in.

[Ghost Rider]

Well I guess the company is doing something right, when the owner surpasses bill gates to become the richest man in the world


and to think, early on, he was considering naming the site MakeItSo.com to reflect his love for Star Trek TNG

[hsousa88]

^ People called him crazy and said no one will buy books in the interwebs.

[5.4MarkVIII]

I bought a Bosch product (made somewhere in Europe)....reputable company right? I first called a local Partsource store when Bosch said I had no warranty but the store only had some NGK version but Bosch is the OEM manufacturer for Volvo (and Amazon carries the Bosch). I did find a store who could order in the Bosch unit but it would have cost $130 more than what Amazon had it listed for....and I'd have to wait for it to be ordered in.

Saw a video online of a guy who purchased a power switch thing from an actuall store. Some thing like 150bucks
Bought the same thing from amazon (might have been ally express) looked the same very simpler badging. And even the exact same part number. But was like 40 bucks.

He opened them up and they were not even close. Online one was as cheap as possible with not safety’s built in and said if it fails it will burn down your house.


Big give away on stuff is no certification badging. Remember CE is for China export not an electrical certification.

Be careful is all. There are deals to be had. But also a lot of less than reputable places looking to make a buck at no risk.

[Biz]

Don't complain when there are no stores left and no jobs left.

Wont happen in our lifetime but yes it is coming.

[92redragtop]

Saw a video online of a guy who purchased a power switch thing from an actuall store. Some thing like 150bucks
Bought the same thing from amazon (might have been ally express) looked the same very simpler badging. And even the exact same part number. But was like 40 bucks.

He opened them up and they were not even close. Online one was as cheap as possible with not safety’s built in and said if it fails it will burn down your house.


Big give away on stuff is no certification badging. Remember CE is for China export not an electrical certification.

Be careful is all. There are deals to be had. But also a lot of less than reputable places looking to make a buck at no risk.

Aliexpress is cheap and a gamble as you're likely getting knock-offs or close cheap copies since much of it is coming from China. It can happen with Amazon depending on whether the seller is just a third party vendor on the site versus the item being sold by Amazon (less likely to get knock-offs but not impossible). The whole issue of counterfeit product can even occur through normal wholesale/retail channels so you're not guaranteed to get legit products by strictly buying from a retail store and paying twice the Amazon price.

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[92redragtop]

I take it some folks don't know about this? Success at capitalism.

[92redragtop]

Pretty common knowledge though?

[5.4MarkVIII]

informed consumers make informed choices, let the market decide.

I agree with this sentiment but I find the vast majority sadly ill informed.

[RedSN]

Pretty well anything you need these days you're able to get it on Amazon. Amazing how that company has grown. Heard the other day that Jeff Bezos is worth over 100 billion dollars...WOW!!!! My buddy ordered a pair of subwoofers and got them shipped in a few days...Unreal. Why would anybody go to a store these days?
Not only will you find pretty much anything on Amazon, I find many times it's the ONLY place I can find an item, especially without going WAY out of my way to get it. And cheaper. And delivered to my door quickly.

Sorry mom and pop shops: your business model is outdated and obsolete.

[5.4MarkVIII]

I also agree. Cheap Chinese goods killed domestic manufacturing for the most part. Amazon versus local buying will kill local economies, which will eventually gut your neighborhood/city.

I’m not sure what the market correction for this will be, but I still feel it should be a free market decision/correction.

Free market yes. But I can’t sell a stove from my store unless it meats all Canadian safety standards. Same for any product sold in stores in Canada.

Places like amazon don’t adhere to these laws.
Yes you can find some less that savoury places that will sell uncertified products but there are suppose to be laws and government entities to prevent and punish when this happens.

They don’t care about amazon for some reason.
People will die then maybe they will reign them in.

[5.4MarkVIII]

Not only will you find pretty much anything on Amazon, I find many times it's the ONLY place I can find an item, especially without going WAY out of my way to get it. And cheaper. And delivered to my door quickly.

Sorry mom and pop shops: your business model is outdated and obsolete.

this additude is why small community’s are hurting and why we have large corporations paying shit wages.

People can’t look to the big picture.

In time people will regret this stance.

[Armen]

It's not just mom and pop, small town shops tho.

Eaton's, Sears and even giants like Walmart are taking a hit. Walmart has is closing down a bunch of Sam's Club stores. I wonder how much longer The Bay will be around too. Same with places like Best Buy. And as Amazon and the likes become even more efficient and expand into other areas, you will likely see physical grocery stores taking a dive. This is not something that's been happening overnight tho. The writing has been on the wall for a long, long time. Amazon, for example, has been around since 1994. That's 24 years!

In just over 100 years, we've gone from horse and buggy to cars that are literally driving themselves. Now I'm sure there were probably more farriers and people who repaired buggies back then. But as times changed, so did the jobs. Technology moved on and so did the people with it.

[Blackmare]

It's not just mom and pop, small town shops tho.

Eaton's, Sears and even giants like Walmart are taking a hit. Walmart has is closing down a bunch of Sam's Club stores. I wonder how much longer The Bay will be around too. Same with places like Best Buy. And as Amazon and the likes become even more efficient and expand into other areas, you will likely see physical grocery stores taking a dive. This is not something that's been happening overnight tho. The writing has been on the wall for a long, long time. Amazon, for example, has been around since 1994. That's 24 years!

In just over 100 years, we've gone from horse and buggy to cars that are literally driving themselves. Now I'm sure there were probably more farriers and people who repaired buggies back then. But as times changed, so did the jobs. Technology moved on and so did the people with it.Your last paragraph was going to be my point. We all have to change with the times. Change isn't always a bad thing.

[MUSTANGWOP]

It's not just mom and pop, small town shops tho.

Eaton's, Sears and even giants like Walmart are taking a hit. Walmart has is closing down a bunch of Sam's Club stores. I wonder how much longer The Bay will be around too. Same with places like Best Buy. And as Amazon and the likes become even more efficient and expand into other areas, you will likely see physical grocery stores taking a dive. This is not something that's been happening overnight tho. The writing has been on the wall for a long, long time. Amazon, for example, has been around since 1994. That's 24 years!

In just over 100 years, we've gone from horse and buggy to cars that are literally driving themselves. Now I'm sure there were probably more farriers and people who repaired buggies back then. But as times changed, so did the jobs. Technology moved on and so did the people with it.
The ironic part about Wal-mart is they did the same to the small independents and now they are suffering from other giants poking at their business.

[MUSTANGWOP]

It's not just mom and pop, small town shops tho.

Eaton's, Sears and even giants like Walmart are taking a hit. Walmart has is closing down a bunch of Sam's Club stores. I wonder how much longer The Bay will be around too. Same with places like Best Buy. And as Amazon and the likes become even more efficient and expand into other areas, you will likely see physical grocery stores taking a dive. This is not something that's been happening overnight tho. The writing has been on the wall for a long, long time. Amazon, for example, has been around since 1994. That's 24 years!

In just over 100 years, we've gone from horse and buggy to cars that are literally driving themselves. Now I'm sure there were probably more farriers and people who repaired buggies back then. But as times changed, so did the jobs. Technology moved on and so did the people with it.
The ironic part about Wal-mart is they did the same to the small independents and now they are suffering from other giants poking at their business.

[RedSN]

How much different is Amazon than the catalogs from Sears, Eaton's or Consumers Distributing?

[Armen]

No short pencils.

[Boomer]

How much different is Amazon than the catalogs from Sears, Eaton's or Consumers Distributing?

OMG...I remember Consumers Distributing in the 70's & 80's. They didn't last much more than a decade IIRC.

[5.4MarkVIII]

Your last paragraph was going to be my point. We all have to change with the times. Change isn't always a bad thing.

True but we aren’t talking about changes that effect thousands of people. We are not talking changes that will affect hundreds of thousands.

Along the same lines as self driving cars. If and when that becomes a thing some experts predict it will amount to the single larges amount of job losses in history. The effects could be catastrophic to our economy’s.


Change with the times Is always a nice saying unless your the one loosing everything

[Blackmare]

True but we aren’t talking about changes that effect thousands of people. We are not talking changes that will affect hundreds of thousands.

Along the same lines as self driving cars. If and when that becomes a thing some experts predict it will amount to the single larges amount of job losses in history. The effects could be catastrophic to our economy’s.


Change with the times Is always a nice saying unless your the one loosing everything

Some experts might say that, but do they address the huge amount of new jobs that will be created by this new tech? Did the blacksmith think that the sky was falling when the automobile came out? Probably. Are we glad they did anyway? Hell yes. Jobs that we can't even imagine right now will come about and people will shift into them.

Change can be difficult, and yes, some people may not be able to move with the times. Yes, some may lose everything, but that is a sad fact of life. People can change careers; and do so all the time.

Anyway, I'm just saying that the consumers are going to dictate how they want to shop and the coming changes are going to reflect the want of the masses and it isn't always a bad thing. I personally don't love using Amazon or similar sites. I like to touch, try on etc. and buy from a brick and mortar location.

[92redragtop]

Just attended a presentation that covered some of this stuff today (AI>Machine Learning>Deep Learning, other disruptions, pace of change in the past/current/future (compression), enablers, how Walmart was pretty much written off 5 years ago and how they responded to the Amazon threat in terms of infrastructure and where they are today), why Tesla grew the way they did when electric car technology is older than combustion engine technology (capital market changes), 730 day forward view...all really interesting stuff. I'll see if I can find a recorded presentation of the speaker somewhere.

[Armen]

I like to touch, try on etc....

TMI, dude. TMI.

[WTF]

my awesome little wife....who will never stop in her quest to have a different outfit for every day of the decade....will never shop online for the most part

when it comes to clothes and shoes and fashion and women.....online shopping just doesn't fucking work

she wants to see it, feel it, smell it...try it on to see if it fits right...see if it looks right etc

online shopping does not stand a chance vs brick and mortar with her

and I'm more than cool with that

having a nice day out with my wife cruising in a nice ride....stopping at a few shops where she picks up a few things........stopping for lunch at a nice mom and pop place that does a nice clubhouse with fries and gravy.....or maybe a spectacular BLT.....it doesn't get any better

seriously folks?

you wanna sit in front of a fucking screen for the rest of your life telling everyone how fucking awesome the life experience was when you went "click, click, click...done"?

be careful what you wish for....cause you will never know how good you've got it til it's gone

[92redragtop]

This was the guy who came in to do the presentation to us today (if you have the time to watch) - Leonard Brody. These are a little old (2016) because he's got new content in his current presentation and he presented content for over an hour versus these short videos.

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[83 5.0]

I use amazon ocassionally,and recently purchased a battery charger for AA, C Cells etc. ordered it on saturday, was delivered monday afternoon. The kicker is no taxes are charged, but it had to be shipped from somewhere local for that time frame.
The government is missing out on a lot of dough, and this maybe where Amazon (like Uber) has a show down with the government.

[juvehab]

I use amazon ocassionally,and recently purchased a battery charger for AA, C Cells etc. ordered it on saturday, was delivered monday afternoon. The kicker is no taxes are charged, but it had to be shipped from somewhere local for that time frame.
The government is missing out on a lot of dough, and this maybe where Amazon (like Uber) has a show down with the government.

if there was no taxes it is coming from china.

[Quicksilver]

I tend to agree with WTF. Not that I'm so far out of the ordinary, but my body is, well, bigger, and often certain sizes are incorrect. I much prefer to try on clothes and shoes. I'd probably never order them on line. Two weeks ago I bought a coat at Vaughan Mills. I tried on a number of coats, and from store to store L (Large), XL and XXL differed substantially. One place's XXL was smaller than L in another. Ordering on line I'd have had to send them back. Ditto with food, paint, most hardware, etc. This is the stuff you really have to see, feel, smell, try on, whatever, to get the right product.
I enjoy walking through Princess Auto, Home Depot, Canadian Tire, and such, looking for ...stuff. On the other hand, certain items, such as car parts, tools, electronics, are often much easier to compare on line, and definitely cheaper to buy.

[83 5.0]

if there was no taxes it is coming from china.
I am suspicious given the time frame, no customs declarations, just my address.