Amazon vs Brick and Mortar

[redhawker]

I try to buy most things local but after I can't find it locally then it seems that either eBay or Amazon will have the item. Case in point, I was tasked by my warden to go to Target and get 3 specific items. I found one of them and then asked an "associate" to help me locate the other two. She checked her handy, dandy computer and it told her that one of the items was out of stock and the other, there was one left on isle 25. We went to isle 25 and no item there, apparently the computer was "inaccurate" on the inventory. I asked if any of their other nearby stores had the items and she said that the same handy dandy computer said they had one at a store 7 miles away and the other item was in stock (supposedly) at another store about 10 miles in the other direction. Rather than drive all over I decided I'd go home and order both items from Target online and then pick them up from the same Target store in a day or two when they had them in. Went online and the first item says "not for store pick up". Ok, so I can't depend on their stated inventory and I can't order them for pick up online and I'm not going to drive all over to their different stores to find out their inventory computer is "inaccurate" at the other stores too. Next step, Amazon. Both items in stock, both items ordered, both items will be here Wednesday. This is why people use Amazon.

 

[Chief 101]

I have only purchased a couple of items on Amazon and they have turned out to be counterfeit...no amazon for me

 

[Pat-inCO]

Both items in stock, both items ordered, both items will be here Wednesday.
This is why people use Amazon.

I've had similar experiences. I also spend some time on the interweb looking at the
prices from other places and most . . . far from all . . . are as good a price, and
many times better.

I went for "Prime" back when it was $40/yr. Since then it has crept up to a point
where it is around $100. I also have the credit card from Amazon (NO yearly cost)
that gets paid off every month, but having that I get 5% rebate on ALL purchases
from Amazon. That 5% shows up as "points" you can apply to a purchase. In fact,
I have paid for many small purchases that way (no charge on the credit card AND
no shipping cost).

Is it the best thing since sliced bread? (BLEEP) NO! That said and for me, it is
convenient and cost effective. YMMV.
(I received five packages today. NO shipping cost and a total purchase price less
than I found them for elsewhere.)

As to the knock-offs . . . YES there are a bunch, but most of those are WAY lower
price than they should be and if you read the web page closely, you find details
that will tell you it is a knock-off.

The main difference, to me, is that I spend my time at home, rather than in the
mob scenes we are experiencing this time of year, PLUS it is delivered to my
door. I'll also note that I live a ways out of town, so we do not have near the
instances of porch pirates.

YMMV! Do what works best for you! :roll:

 

[Fox Mike]

I have used Amazon many times without any problems. Prior to placing an order I do a little research. I have seen the same item listed numerous times at different prices. Amazon doesn't manufacturer anything. They just acquire it and ship it. If it is counterfeit then that is what you ordered. Take the time and look before buying.

 

[exavid]

So far so good with Amazon. Been using it for several years now and haven't had any problems.

 

[arfmel]

Amazon’s return program has been very good to deal with, in my experience. If you bought a counterfeit item from them, you can send it back at no cost to you, and get a refund.

 

[gramps]

My problem with Amazon is there “bait and switch” program. I dumped Prime, because I don’t use it that much. I order a small item that will go in a $5 postal package, and says shipping is FREE! So I order it, and at check out there appears an $11.47 shipping charge. I didn’t buy it, and the Amazon lady was worthless!
gramps

 

[blume357]

that's why it's better to just go the prime route... Amazon is just too easy... sometimes when you order from a 2nd party there is a glitch or takes longer...

the only item I've had a problem with was i ordered some non factory batteries for my 18 volt Milwaukee tools... dern things you had to jiggle them to get a connection...

 

[Kevin]

I do like shopping at local mom and pop stores, however I’m finding more and more, Amazon stocks what Wal Mart, or other brink and mortar stores don’t. Take photographic equipment. I don’t know of a single camera store left in DFW. There was one when we moved here, not anymore. And yes, I did shop there until they went out of business.

 

[Bull Barrel]

Amazon IS a brick and mortar store.
If its not, then I wonder what that HUUUUUGE building is they just opened about two miles from here.
If an item purchased from them is counterfeit did they advertise it as genuine?
If so that's a no no.

 

[Mobuck]

I'm a star customer of USPS, UPS, and FedEx because they come here a LOT. Keep in mind it's 40 miles to a town big enough to have a store with more than the basic items on the shelf.
I do my research and calculate the price + shipping vs driving to town and paying retail plus 8.75% sales tax and take the cheaper route. The only time I don't is when there's a time crunch or the possibility that I may have to return the item.
Here's a "for instance": I bought a used trailer cheap only to find that it had issues with the brakes(probably why it was cheap). I already knew some approximate costs for the parts required but found I could buy COMPLETE brake/hub/bearing/seal sets delivered from an online source for about the same price as just the brake parts would cost locally.
Finding "vintage" parts is a difficult task over the counter but some searching on ebay may result in NIB parts at a reasonable price.

 

[dad45]

Whenever possible I buy at local stores and Ma and Pa type places if possible, in fact I also refuse to use self check out because that is somebody's job being eliminated even though those jobs have been driven down to poverty level in many cases. When I was a kid and my family would drive to the cabin on weekends my folks would buy everything at home to take with us but as an adult I take very little along and buy in the local economy and yes it often costs more but usually not a significant amount, this is my little contribution to local economies.
The big box along with our need to have everything NOW! has decimated the little guy shop but I still try to help them make a go of it when I can
My Daughter is a huge online shopper ( I guess she offsets my efforts ) and has found many items online are indeed not the genuine article but fake's. I also often wonder about the safety of offshore products and every once in a while you hear about a product containing components that are actually banned or limited to certain levels here at home.

I could go on and on about the greed involved and all that but nobody has an hour to hear me complain
so with that
Have a Great day!

 

[Johnnu2]

I can't believe that a person as old as me LOVES buying 'on-line'.... Never been disappointed, delivery is usually much faster than I expected, the convenience of sitting home in a quiet environment would be worth extra money, but it's usually less expensive than buying outside the house. But most important to me is the fact that I don't have to deal with noisy, rude, fast-moving (did I say 'rude'?) people. And even though there isn't much traffic where I live, there is enough to tax these old reflexes. Stay HOME and be safe..... go out ONLY to go shooting...!!!!
IMHO of course,
J

 

[Tallbald]

In a town of only 140K people, it's difficult to find a store that stocks many items my wife and I need. Mom and Pop stores that stock what we need have become few and far between, or aren't dealers for what we want. Prices are not always better on Amazon, BUT they have the item usually. Case in point, the Metabo recip saw and Diablo blades I bought a couple weeks ago. No local store had the saw. I went to Lowe's, and they were out of stock despite what their online website said.Clerk had no idea when more would be in. And the cashier couldn't get the cash register to take my phone number to notify me when one I could go ahead and pay for comes "in stock". I asked the cashier "how will you contact me?" She replied "I dunno." I said "forget it I'll get it on Amazon". I went home, ordered on Amazon, had it in 2 days, got the 5% discount for using an Amazon card (that gets paid off EVERY month fully).
We don't subscribe to cable TV or satellite service. We have Amazon prime and a ROKU, and use internet. The Amazon Prime at $120 a year is a great deal for us for TV reasons as well as for the free shipping on a bazillion things we have to buy anyway.
I've received faulty products from Amazon before. Poorly stitched jeans, a no-good pressure washer nozzle, and a leaking (a little) can of leather cement. I received full refunds and was told in the case of the nozzle and cement to "please just keep the item with our apologies". No more trouble for me to deal with Amazon returns than returning to a local store. Amazon has even gifted me and my wife gift cards for our trouble in some cases over the 8 years we've been Amazon shoppers. Don't recall any fake items I've ever bought from Amazon. I wonder what sort of fakes are sold there?
An aside note: What's the difference between sending my money to Amazon, or sending it to a big national company like Lowe's, Home Depot, Target or Dollar General Store? The money goes outside my town in any case. And most of the big stores push "self checkout" or you get to wait for 10 minutes to have a cashier check you out. So I don't see shopping a local store as saving a low paid local job.
Don

 

[ronto]

I don't use Amazon anymore after they charged me for Amazon Prime when I didn't ask for it :x . My bank reversed the charge and said I wasn't the only bank customer that had this problem.

 

[Cholo]

Amazon IS a brick and mortar store.

Yeah, try walking into that brick and mortor store and buying something. But you knew that.

I wonder what sort of fakes are sold there?

Annin flags for one. I had one and wanted another. The reviews were horrible when I know Annin flags are top notch. I looked at the pics people posted and they were obviously not Annin. They were being sold by re-sellers.

I don't use Amazon anymore after they charged me for Amazon Prime when I didn't ask for it :x .

Well, I don't know what happened, but usually it's written by the Free Shipping that you're trying out a 2 week trial of free Prime. If you don't cancel, they bill. I've almost overlooked that one myself, but it was in writing and easy to see.

Yes, I do use Amazon. No, I don't have Prime. Yes, I do like Amazon. No, I don't own stock in the company

 

[Chief 101]

I don't use Amazon anymore after they charged me for Amazon Prime when I didn't ask for it :x . My bank reversed the charge and said I wasn't the only bank customer that had this problem.

that also happened to me...the bank and amazon both returned my hundred bucks...month or two later one of them took it back so it all came out even except for my counterfeit item that didn't cost much and didn't work well enough to use.

 

[vito]

I use Amazon for all sorts of things, all of the time. Overwhelmingly the item and the service is outstanding. When I have had a problem, their return policy is amazingly simple and generous. My wife wanted to try using an air fryer. We ordered one, had it the next day, and then used it. It worked well but could not hold enough food for our needs, so I returned it and ordered a second one. That one didn't deliver as good a cooked product as the first, so I returned that as well. Never a problem from Amazon as there might have been from a local store had I bought and returned two similar items. I have bought hard to find items on Amazon rather than endlessly searching local stores. I have a generous waist and a short inseam. The size jeans that I need are NEVER on the shelves of any local stores, including Walmart. Took me 10 seconds to locate Wranglers of the style and size I want, on Amazon, and received them the next day, and at a better price than buying local. Between Amazon and Costco I get pretty much everything I need or want.

 

[Kevin]

and at a better price than buying local

We are seeing this as well. Many items online, not just Amazon, but other places as well, have better prices online than the competition at local stores.

 

[Rook]

Amazon doesn't manufacturer anything. They just acquire it and ship it. If it is counterfeit then that is what you ordered. Take the time and look before buying.

Exactly. If someone goes into a store and purchases something they'll pick it up and read the label. Same thing needs to be done when buying on line. Research it and if after you purchase it and if you have a problem with it Amazon will make a refund almost instantly.

 

[redhawker]

Another aspect of Amazon, at least in my area, they now have several locations with Amazon lockers. If I order something that I don't want sitting on my porch for the porch pirates to get I can have it delivered to the local Amazon locker down the street at the 7-11 store. I get an email when it arrives with a code number. Just go down to the locker, put the code in and the door pops open. Also, returns are super easy. Example: just received an item my wife ordered. It was a hair product and the pump dispenser top was broken off in shipping. Went online and after three or four clicks had a return approved and a new one on the way. The really easy part is that I don't even have to pack up or mail the return. I just go down to the local Kohls Store with the item and the paper I printed with the return info and give it to them. They pack it up and ship it back for you.

 

[JackpineWillie]

I do my best to buy locally. I do live out in the sticks so a trip to town takes a good chunk out of my day. in my travels I checked a bunch of stores looking for old fashioned double edge razor blades. found nothing but plastic throwaways and high priced units with replaceable heads. Bought an assortment of 100 blades on Amazon for $10 in my mail box two days later.

 

[Bull Barrel]

Yeah, try walking into that brick and mortor store and buying something. But you knew that.

The point is people think outfits like Amazon are inexpensive because they have no building to maintain.

 

[Gator89]

I use Amazon a bunch, for both personal and to purchase items used at the facility I manage.

From tools to toilet paper.

 

[exavid]

We order quite a bit from Amazon with a Prime account. It's been good for us, no problems and easy to find things we can't find otherwise. Amazon is to this era as Sears and Montgomery Wards was to our grandparents. I won't be surprised to see Amazon get some competition with similar services show up pretty soon. Especially now that many cities aren't fit for people to shop in for items they need. Local stores in smaller towns are likely to survive and I doubt supermarkets will disappear but the times they are a-changing.

I don't think we've seen all the benefits and pitfalls the Internet will result in but it's changing all our lives as did the internal combustion engine did in the early twentieth century. It's hard to believe but the Internet as we know it only began in 1992. Amazing what's happened with it in just a bit over twenty years. If I live that long I hope to see what happens with it in the next 10 years.

It's always been this way. Warfare seems to be the driving force of change for the human critters. The firearm was invented for war and the internet was developed for war.

 

[rugerguy211]

Amazon works for us because they have access to everything.
For example, no traditional brick and mortar store can stock every Lego set. Amazon has them all.
Returns, as has already been stated, are very simple and free.

 

[redhawker]

Yeah, try walking into that brick and mortor store and buying something. But you knew that.

The point is people think outfits like Amazon are inexpensive because they have no building to maintain.

No, I think Amazon is so efficient (not necessarily inexpensive but they are much of the time) because they have buildings the size of several football fields.

 

[blackhawknj]

Amazon IS brick and mortar, what they are NOT is retail.

 

[Rook]

It's a shame that Sears is not doing the business that Amazon is. They were the godfather of the mail order business and passed up a golden opportunity to be the lead in the Internet sales business with bad management.

Sears was even selling houses by mail order at one time. That was back when they knew how to run a business.

 

[Ale-8(1)]

Yeah, try walking into that brick and mortor store and buying something. But you knew that.

The point is people think outfits like Amazon are inexpensive because they have no building to maintain.

No, I think Amazon is so efficient (not necessarily inexpensive but they are much of the time) because they have buildings the size of several football fields.

They are just completing a FIFTEEN-ACRE distribution center about a mile from our home. There are several similar centers in our area.

:shock: :shock: :shock: