What happens after Amazon dominates?

[kwillia]

I've been saying this out loud for the past couple of years after receiving products that 'look' like what I ordered by appearance, but do not quite seem right. This article confirms my suspicion. During my road trip adventures this past weekend, I noticed a lot of brick and mortar malls, shopping strips and stores either closed down or barely hanging on. I said to my travel companions, "You know... once Amazon achieves their goal of cutting out the ability to walk in, compare, select and purchase, we will be completely at Amazon's mercy. Amazon is already steadily increasing our prime membership costs while no longer guaranteeing 2-day shipping when using prime and if you pay attention to the comments being left for a vast variety of products, you can see the uptick in inferior products flooding their online market. These brick and mortar stores are not going to come back."

“The Sanford Guide to Antimicrobial Therapy” is a medical handbook that recommends the right amount of the right drug for treating ailments from bacterial pneumonia to infected wounds. Lives depend on it.

It is not the sort of book a doctor should puzzle over, wondering, “Is that a ‘1’ or a ‘7’ in the recommended dosage?” But that is exactly the possibility that has haunted the guide’s publisher, Antimicrobial Therapy, for the past two years as it confronted a flood of counterfeits — many of which were poorly printed and hard to read — in Amazon’s vast bookstore.

What Happens After Amazon's Domination Is Complete? Its Bookstore Offers Clues

 

[MiddleGround]

You state above that the costs are increasing for a service that Amazon is not providing. The only logical reason that you continue to use this service is because it is the only service that is available to you in order to receive a product that you cannot get in a brick and mortar store. So, I guess my question is...

Why do you continue to use their service?

If Chic Fil A kept under cooking their chicken sandwich and each time you ordered one they made you wait 5 minutes longer... after a while you wouldn't order it or you wouldn't go there anymore.... right?

 

[kwillia]

You state above that the costs are increasing for a service that Amazon is not providing. The only logical reason that you continue to use this service is because it is the only service that is available to you in order to receive a product that you cannot get in a brick and mortar store. So, I guess my question is...

Why do you continue to use their service?

You are totally missing my point. Let me try again. Amazon has been discreetly decreasing the positives of why we joined Amazon Prime and the uptick in negative aspects is equating to the lessening of their competition. I speculate that at some point in the near future we'll wake up and regret not paying a little bit extra to keep the ability to have "hands on" inspection and selection alive.

 

[MiddleGround]

Amazon has been discreetly decreasing the positives of why we joined Amazon Prime and the uptick in negative aspects is equating to the lessening of their competition.

I understand what you are trying to say. Let me try again....

If amazon is not delivering on what you are paying for, then STOP paying for it. Go out to a brick and mortar store and buy from there. The only way these brick and mortar stores will stay in business (and in competition with the likes of Amazon) is if you spend money there and not keep paying increasing costs for diminishing services through Amazon.

 

[Auntie Biache']

I understand what you are trying to say. Let me try again....

If amazon is not delivering on what you are paying for, then STOP paying for it. Go out to a brick and mortar store and buy from there. The only way these brick and mortar stores will stay in business (and in competition with the likes of Amazon) is if you spend money there and not keep paying increasing costs for diminishing services through Amazon.

whoosh

 

[kwillia]

whoosh

 

[GURPS]

But that is exactly the possibility that has haunted the guide’s publisher, Antimicrobial Therapy, for the past two years as it confronted a flood of counterfeits — many of which were poorly printed and hard to read — in Amazon’s vast bookstore.

NOT Amazon's Fault per se .... if the item is not being sold as Amazon 'Prime' it is most likely being sold by a 3rd party

and yes there is a lot of cheap Chinese knock offs sold on line

 

[frequentflier]

I've been saying this out loud for the past couple of years after receiving products that 'look' like what I ordered by appearance, but do not quite seem right. This article confirms my suspicion. During my road trip adventures this past weekend, I noticed a lot of brick and mortar malls, shopping strips and stores either closed down or barely hanging on. I said to my travel companions, "You know... once Amazon achieves their goal of cutting out the ability to walk in, compare, select and purchase, we will be completely at Amazon's mercy. Amazon is already steadily increasing our prime membership costs while no longer guaranteeing 2-day shipping when using prime and if you pay attention to the comments being left for a vast variety of products, you can see the uptick in inferior products flooding their online market. These brick and mortar stores are not going to come back."

“The Sanford Guide to Antimicrobial Therapy” is a medical handbook that recommends the right amount of the right drug for treating ailments from bacterial pneumonia to infected wounds. Lives depend on it.

It is not the sort of book a doctor should puzzle over, wondering, “Is that a ‘1’ or a ‘7’ in the recommended dosage?” But that is exactly the possibility that has haunted the guide’s publisher, Antimicrobial Therapy, for the past two years as it confronted a flood of counterfeits — many of which were poorly printed and hard to read — in Amazon’s vast bookstore.

What Happens After Amazon's Domination Is Complete? Its Bookstore Offers Clues

People come in my B&M store often and ask if we will price match amazon, chewy, wal mart. That would not be possible unless of course, I want to lose money (instead of actually making a small profit). Case in point, guy wants a product to fatten up his pups, sees we have a small container on the shelf. "Can you get the larger container- I'd rather buy from you than amazon"? Turns out, "I" should buy product from amazon because it is $10 cheaper than I can buy it wholesale! I have run into this before and it angers me. We called the guy and told him to buy it on amazon.
And yes, B&M stores will be a thing of the past in the next 3 to 5 years. Take my word for it.

 

[kwillia]

People come in my B&M store often and ask if we will price match amazon, chewy, wal mart. That would not be possible unless of course, I want to lose money (instead of actually making a small profit). Case in point, guy wants a product to fatten up his pups, sees we have a small container on the shelf. "Can you get the larger container- I'd rather buy from you than amazon"? Turns out, "I" should buy product from amazon because it is $10 cheaper than I can buy it wholesale! I have run into this before and it angers me. We called the guy and told him to buy it on amazon.
And yes, B&M stores will be a thing of the past in the next 3 to 5 years. Take my word for it.

And once you are forced to shut your doors, the online price will most likely be more than what you were charging. And we'll pay it because we won't have much choice.

 

[frequentflier]

And once you are forced to shut your doors, the online price will most likely be more than what you were charging. And we'll pay it because we won't have much choice.

Having been in the pet industry since 2002, I have seen a lot of changes. Currently, distributors are getting "exclusive" deals with manufacturers so that they will be the only ones selling their products. It is happening a lot with pet foods and currently three of the foods I sell are going to be affected. New distributor is already more expensive; when their competition is out of food, they will jack prices up even higher. I am stocking heavily on these foods since I HATE having to raise prices (and it's not like there is much of a profit on food anyways.)

 

[kwillia]

Having been in the pet industry since 2002, I have seen a lot of changes. Currently, distributors are getting "exclusive" deals with manufacturers so that they will be the only ones selling their products. It is happening a lot with pet foods and currently three of the foods I sell are going to be affected. New distributor is already more expensive; when their competition is out of food, they will jack prices up even higher. I am stocking heavily on these foods since I HATE having to raise prices (and it's not like there is much of a profit on food anyways.)

Is Merrick one of them? I got two new pups a few months ago and they like the Merrick no-grain puppy food. I've been going to my local Pet Valu to get my pet supplies but they recently marked it 'discontinued'. Now I have to get it from Petco... or order it online from Chewy.

 

[MiddleGround]

So... are you complaining that Amazon is providing crappy product while charging more -OR- that the quality of goods is declining? Those seem to be the 2 major points of your OP and I believe that I covered both in my reply.

 

[frequentflier]

Is Merrick one of them? I got two new pups a few months ago and they like the Merrick no-grain puppy food. I've been going to my local Pet Valu to get my pet supplies but they recently marked it 'discontinued'. Now I have to get it from Petco... or order it online from Chewy.

No, Merrick is not. We don't carry and only special order Merrick (since Petco seems to have the major market on it) plus they do not offer a freq buyer rewards program. A majority of the foods I sell have buy 8, 10 or 12, get one free.
I am not sure why pet valu (a Canadian chain) discontinued it.

 

[vraiblonde]

I only buy from Amazon if it's something I can't get locally or if I have points and can get it for free. I'm not sure why someone would buy pet food online and wait for it to be delivered just to save a buck or two, but I know they do it.

People are heavily influenced by advertising and marketing, and will buy what they're told to buy whether it's a good product/service or not.

 

[transporter]

You are totally missing my point. Let me try again. Amazon has been discreetly decreasing the positives of why we joined Amazon Prime and the uptick in negative aspects is equating to the lessening of their competition. I speculate that at some point in the near future we'll wake up and regret not paying a little bit extra to keep the ability to have "hands on" inspection and selection alive.

MG completely understood what you typed. Which was that you amazon experience is not what it used to be. If you meant something else, then maybe you should reword instead of just cutting and pasting the same lines.

MG's response was completely on point: WTF are you still buying from Amazon then?

BTW: I don't think anyone has any idea what "the uptick in negative aspects is equating to the lessening of their competition" means. If the amazon experience is increasingly negative, then smart consumers would shop elsewhere...thereby increasing amazon's competition...not lessening it.

BTW2: Amazon sucks. Amazon is the epitome of what is wrong with this country.

 

[black dog]

This all started long before Amazon, it started with Super Lowes, Home Depot and a Super Walmart in every county in America.

 

[GURPS]

Actually it started with Atlantic and Pacific



How The A&P Changed The Way We Shop

Walk into any big-box grocery store today and you'll likely push your shopping cart past 30 varieties of condiments, 50 different cereals and a plethora of produce options. All of the items are clearly priced — and anything you might need for dinner, dessert or a snack is likely located in one of the aisles.

But this wasn't always the case. In the early 20th century, a typical corner grocery store fit into the size of a large living room. Canned goods lined the walls, while a small number of root vegetables may have been available behind the counter. Instead of putting groceries into your own cart, you'd ask the shopkeeper to retrieve them for you — and those items didn't include bread or meat, which would have required a separate trip to the baker and the butcher. Most kitchen staples — things like flour and sugar and wheat — were kept in large barrels and then measured out by the grocer himself.

"You'd ask for a certain weight of cheese, you'd ask for vinegar," says economic historian Marc Levinson. "The vinegar was not bottled; it was in a barrel and the shopkeeper would pump it out into a small jar for you. If you wanted some pickles, they'd be in a barrel, too. A lot of things would be in bulk, and the shopkeeper was responsible for giving you the quantity you wanted — or the quantity he'd feel like giving you. Because every store had a scale and the scale might or might not be accurate."

 

[MiddleGround]

People are heavily influenced by advertising and marketing, and will buy what they're told to buy whether it's a good product/service or not.

More likely is that people are just LAZY. They do not want to step away from their microwave entree eating and Netflix watching to actually go outside and purchase something. They would much rather brush the Cheeto dust from their shirt, lick their fingers, and use their cell phone to order what it is they need and have it delivered. Minimum effort.

 

[Chris0nllyn]

More likely is that people are just LAZY. They do not want to step away from their microwave entree eating and Netflix watching to actually go outside and purchase something. They would much rather brush the Cheeto dust from their shirt, lick their fingers, and use their cell phone to order what it is they need and have it delivered. Minimum effort.

The flip side is simply not having the time.

I wake up at 6am, get the kid ready, at work by 8. Baby sitter at 6pm to pick up kid, Kid is in bed by 7:30. Wife gets home at 7:30-8. We have no time for shopping at stores and it's not only cheap but convenient to shop online for things we may not need right away.

The little time we save is spent together. Not wandering around a store.

 

[MiddleGround]

The flip side is simply not having the time.

I wake up at 6am, get the kid ready, at work by 8. Baby sitter at 6pm to pick up kid, Kid is in bed by 7:30. Wife gets home at 7:30-8. We have no time for shopping at stores and it's not only cheap but convenient.

The little time we save is spent together. Not wandering around a store.

I also do not see you complaining about brick and mortars closing and quality of products going down.

My point was to make yet another example of why there are so many people complaining about small business' not surviving and poor quality yet, they sit on the asses and order from amazon. Can't have it both ways.

Also... if something is really needed, you MAKE the time to get them. Everyone is "busy"