Community Chat

[QVCkitty1]

I too love Amazon, and I have added Walmart to my online shopping choices. You can get free shipping with a 35.00 order ( not a problem ) , and I can get smaller amounts of some products.  Between those 2 companies I can get most things, and I really appreciate it.

[Spurt]

I would still comparison shop if I were you..... Even an Amazon Exec admitted that they count on people thinking that Amazon always has the lowest price, which isnt alway the case (even he admitted that).....

Sorry Ive had problems with 3rd party vendors using "bait and switch" advertising and picturing a named brand but sending me a piece of junk...and my negative review was deleted too....  And don't store credit cards on their site either, they have had security issues (confirmed with the bank who holds the card)....my CC was hacked... Its not the shopping paradise people think it is....  And keep in mind as Amazon drives out other businesses, the less choices mean they can charge what they want, so expect higher prices due to less competition...

I have survived quite nicely without Amazon....

[KailaS]

I often shift between Amazon and Walmart. Lately, though, Walmart through FedEx is losing packages, and one or two day shipping takes one to two weeks, with email saying delivery is today, but the website showing the item has not even shipped, then is delayed, and sometimes never comes. I am back almost full time with Amazon. Prime delivery lately often requires more than two days in my area, but there is not as much hassle as with Walmart. Forget Target in my area of PA.

[HLP]

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@SeaMaiden wrote:

This morning  after placing an order with my Amazon Prime(  my second in as many days).....I realized that I can buy just about everything from Amazon now....and I have stopped buying from just about everyone else. A good thing? Probably not, but the convince, the ease, the fast shipping( often same day!)...and the variety of offering is like candy in a candy store! And I never have to leave my house.

Why  would I order from a smaller retailer  or a BM store, when Amazon is offering me a better price... more choices...free shipping...and same day delivery?  Sure, I could say it is my civic duty to give my business to the small guy etc....but THAT  is just not happening.  


Amazon has an amazing shopping site...for ordering...and reordering. They cater to the customer and make returns( and there are VERY FEW RETURNS) so easy and free!  I ordered a microwave oven  last month when mine died. The microwave came free shipping and was on my porch at 5 PM that same day! I did not have to go to the BM store..drive...expose myself to the virus...or even worry about getting it home.  And my options of different brands was 10 fold over the local BM store. Prices were the same or better.

Now, Amazon is getting involved with The health industry....hopefully giving the pharmacies that are over charging customers for their medications good competition and good scare to stop taking advantage and prices.

And, Yes, I am sure there are those that say be careful what you wish for...this all may not be the best thing...but FOR NOW, in this scary unsure world we live in, it works for me.

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You are so right, I've been doing this for a long time. Hope you joined the Prime. because you'd be amazed at how much you save on shipping. Yes it comes very fast.They have everything you could possily want, and cheaper. It's my go to store . I have things coming almost everyday, my very young married couple next door buys there too, and we keep the brown truck busy, no sending it to someone else to deliver, the mailman brings it.

[millieshops]

@goldensrbest I have lived through years of watching the familiar disappear, but 2020 seems as if it’s going to mark the beginning of an even more drastic change.

lots of us post about getting back to normal, but what that normal will look like becomes harder and harder for me to visualize.  I get that so many consumers want fast and less expensive, especially for needs.

  But, when I shop for wants, the search is part of the fun.  As I pack to move, I can see that what I am not ready to donate or trash almost always is either family sentimental or something I found in a brick and mortar shop locally or while on a trip.

i realize that at my age many of us no longer live the same consumer-oriented lives we once did, but I know if the virtual world continues to choke off local shopping, I will still need to buy basics.  Just can’t imagine going back to the days I bought much of what I once used my discretionary income for.  What I don’t see in front of me, I tend not,to want or need!

[HLP]

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@HLP wrote:

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@SeaMaiden wrote:

This morning  after placing an order with my Amazon Prime(  my second in as many days).....I realized that I can buy just about everything from Amazon now....and I have stopped buying from just about everyone else. A good thing? Probably not, but the convince, the ease, the fast shipping( often same day!)...and the variety of offering is like candy in a candy store! And I never have to leave my house.

Why  would I order from a smaller retailer  or a BM store, when Amazon is offering me a better price... more choices...free shipping...and same day delivery?  Sure, I could say it is my civic duty to give my business to the small guy etc....but THAT  is just not happening.  


Amazon has an amazing shopping site...for ordering...and reordering. They cater to the customer and make returns( and there are VERY FEW RETURNS) so easy and free!  I ordered a microwave oven  last month when mine died. The microwave came free shipping and was on my porch at 5 PM that same day! I did not have to go to the BM store..drive...expose myself to the virus...or even worry about getting it home.  And my options of different brands was 10 fold over the local BM store. Prices were the same or better.

Now, Amazon is getting involved with The health industry....hopefully giving the pharmacies that are over charging customers for their medications good competition and good scare to stop taking advantage and prices.

And, Yes, I am sure there are those that say be careful what you wish for...this all may not be the best thing...but FOR NOW, in this scary unsure world we live in, it works for me.

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You are so right, I've been doing this for a long time. Hope you joined the Prime. because you'd be amazed at how much you save on shipping. Yes it comes very fast.They have everything you could possily want, and cheaper. It's my go to store . I have things coming almost everyday, my very young married couple next door buys there too, and we keep the brown truck busy, no sending it to someone else to deliver, the mailman brings it.

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Sorry, didn't see you are already a Prime customer., It took me a year, before the guy taking my order said, "why aren't you on Prime? So not everyone knows,like me, that Prime saves you money.

[stevieb]

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@Lipstickdiva wrote:

I do my fair share of Amazon shopping but you have to beware of Amazon.  Do some research about what goes on with selling on Amazon.  The fake reviews, the counterfeit items, etc.   

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Agreed. While Amazon is amazing and has been a true life saver in so many ways, there are down sides. Not even getting into what their success has meant and will continue to mean for other retailers, I'm keenly aware of a fair amount of price gouging going on with some of their third party vendors... Unfortunately, given the vastness of the enterprise, it appears too often it isn't addressed... And, though I could be wrong, it sometimes seems that prices, even for items fulfilled by Amazon, are highly sensitive to, shall we say, the laws of supply and demand, with an awful lot of price variability and fluctuation being the case... I would also note that while Amazon often offers a good price, as others have noted, their prices aren't always the best available...

[Mz iMac]

I was "gifted" Amazon Prime Family Plan by my children last X-mas along w/$$$$ in some sort of Amazon account (gift card?) which is/will be refilled once a year.

The first thing I purchased was a Fire Stick for $15 sale price.

After exploring the site I discovered Amazon had items that are no longer sold in stores at least in my area.  So my 2nd, 3rd & 4th purchases were Brioschi, Mr Clean Magic Reach Scrubs for bathtub/shower & Clearly Canadian.

Outside of the above I definitely comparison shop & still go to B&M stores more so than often.

I have an app that shows Amazon's prices if I am on another retailer site.  This lets me know at a glance which item is cheaper.

Chewy's prices are pretty much the same as Amazon's.  Chewy has 48 hour shipping.

Amazon also has a "hard to find" site called Overstock Amazon which I found accidentally.  I bookmarked it.

Another thing I noticed........

If I wish to purchase from Amazon, I always research the "3rd party vendors/sellers" address.  Most are in the USofA.  However, there are a lot that have USofA addresses but their headquarters are in China.  When I run into those, I research the 3rd party through BBB and/or the WWW.  I do not trust 3rd party vendor/seller reviews from Amazon.

[stevieb]

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@KailaS wrote:

I often shift between Amazon and Walmart. Lately, though, Walmart through FedEx is losing packages, and one or two day shipping takes one to two weeks, with email saying delivery is today, but the website showing the item has not even shipped, then is delayed, and sometimes never comes. I am back almost full time with Amazon. Prime delivery lately often requires more than two days in my area, but there is not as much hassle as with Walmart. Forget Target in my area of PA.

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@KailaS  Fedex is the single biggest reason I've begun to limit orders from certain retailers to the extent I can. They are not my preferred shipping resource by a long shot, and they're often not honest about why they haven't delivered packages on time.  As for Target, historically, I've liked them and they've done a reasonably good job, but no more is that the case in my area, where increasingly I'm getting 'not available to ship to your zip code'... I live outside a major city, so if they can't deliver to me, then there's a problem... Not even to mention that while they mix it up in terms of shipping services, they too make significant use of Fedex... I suspect the 'unable to deliver to your zip code' is just an effort to force customers to pay for 'Shipt' (their version of Instacart), to choose 'package pick up' and to force customers back into the store... I also suspect part of it is their ability to keep my local store stocked has been woeful, and that predates our current situation... Bad management can always ruin a good thing...

[furbabylover]

@SeaMaiden I am totally on board with Amazon- even though I worry about the encroachment of Big Brother in our country. Bezos is garnering the kind of power once held by the Robber Barons of the last century. In a way that makes him dangerous. On the other hand, he has created a brilliantly efficient empire that makes shopping not only easy but fun. I especially appreciate the questions and reviews listed on each product. This information really helps guide you to worthy products. I now find myself looking at products on QVC, then going to Amazon where I am sure to find more reviews and cheaper prices, plus immediate shipping and no-hassle returns. This will surely be "survival of the fittest".