Community Chat

[CalminHeart]

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@kaydee50 wrote:

I love/loved Amazon and have ordered many items from them.  As long as the price is right, quality good and delivered in a timely manner, it's OK with me.

I am concerned that now they are using "regional" carriers to deliver packages including the USPS.  I had to speak to a customer service person at Amazon yesterday--very professional and polite, BTW--and suggested that Amazon reconsider using the USPS.  I am still waiting for an item that was supposed to be delivered Monday.

As for Uber and Lyft, I have never used them and don't expect to.  I live in a major city with plenty of licensed cabs.  I share a previous poster concern about Uber and Lyft drivers--who are these people, who vetts them?  

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Fyi, USPS delivers most of my Amazon orders to me.  

[CLHS68]

Some of us live in a rural area & have no local stores near us so it is great to order just about everything from Amazon & have it delivered to my door.

[I am still oxox]

When my Dad was alive I had Amazon deliver clothes and paper goods on a regular basis, it was easier and cheaper in the long run

[RainCityWoman]

Contrary to some beliefs, Amazon has NOT caused all the problems in the world. They did NOT cause long standing brick and mortar stores to go under. THAT began long ago with big box stores like Costco, etc. offering products at lower prices. May I also remind you that you are posting on a home shopping network site where shopping is done online or on the phone through television sales? THAT occurred long before Amazon.  The internet market followed those up, and it is NOT just Amazon where you can purchase online. In fact, many brick and morter stores are now operating online instead. Times change and so does commerce. Some brick and mortar stores will survive and others won't. I shop at brick and mortar, internet, and at big box stores, depending on what I want. One thing I'll say for sure, is that Amazon gives me things I would have no idea where to find in my city, plus I save time by not wandering all over town trying to find a specific item. Amazon employs thousands of people, and yes, Jeff Bezos makes billions, but the whole thing was his idea and he was exercising what everyone else in business does to grow their brand. Why is it okay for others, but not for him? Don't buy into the labeling of Amazon as public enemy number 1. Just remember Bill Gates was labeled that a decade ago. There are many elements that present threats to the well being of our citizens, but Amazon isn't one of them.

[Perkup]

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@RainCityWoman wrote:

Contrary to some beliefs, Amazon has NOT caused all the problems in the world. They did NOT cause long standing brick and mortar stores to go under. THAT began long ago with big box stores like Costco, etc. offering products at lower prices. May I also remind you that you are posting on a home shopping network site where shopping is done online or on the phone through television sales? THAT occurred long before Amazon.  The internet market followed those up, and it is NOT just Amazon where you can purchase online. In fact, many brick and morter stores are now operating online instead. Times change and so does commerce. Some brick and mortar stores will survive and others won't. I shop at brick and mortar, internet, and at big box stores, depending on what I want. One thing I'll say for sure, is that Amazon gives me things I would have no idea where to find in my city, plus I save time by not wandering all over town trying to find a specific item. Amazon employs thousands of people, and yes, Jeff Bezos makes billions, but the whole thing was his idea and he was exercising what everyone else in business does to grow their brand. Why is it okay for others, but not for him? Don't buy into the labeling of Amazon as public enemy number 1. Just remember Bill Gates was labeled that a decade ago. There are many elements that present threats to the well being of our citizens, but Amazon isn't one of them.

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I totally agree with you RainyDayGirl.  I would love to continue shopping local stores, but having had a stroke in June, I am not able to drive or to stand and walk the stores lookiing for things I can find in seconds on Amazon.  I do shop Belk, but online, as well as WalMart. I can order my groceries from them and one of my family can pick them up for me.  Thanks to Alexa for keeping my grocery list intact. And I do still buy from QVC, though not as much as I once did.I don't need as much.  Don't shop at HSN as there was a bad experience years ago and I have a good memory.  

Back to Amazon.  I am very appreciative of them!!  In my situation I can go to the computer, order, and expect to receive my choices in a couple of days, beautifully packaged (unlike QVC) and in the style, size, capacity, etc. that I want. Can't do the book store, but newly published is always available at Amazon. Let's face it folks. It isn't Amazon's fault that they are successful  . . . . it's the darn computers that are destroying the B&M stores if anything is.  No computers, and the online business is dead. Don't blame Amazon.  Give up your computer and Amazon likely passes on as others.  (And don't forget television and telephones!)  That's why we are allhere on this forum.

[Drythe]

@Puppy Lips

With all due respect to you and the Q -

I find this conversation taking place on a ‘home shopping channel’ a tad ironic.

[onlyshopsonline]

Yup, I love the convenience of Amazon, and other online retailers. I don’t enjoy spending my time and gas driving all over town looking for something, that I probably won’t find. 

I don't enjoy trudging through shopping malls. It’s exhausting, hot, and the parking lots are a great place to get robbed or car jacked....or even murdered. Yes...all of these things have happened at the two nearest malls to my home. 

It’s much more pleasant to get up in the morning, while still in my pj’s, and place orders for things that I need.  

I still shop at local niche type stores, such as Home Goods or Hobby Lobby, and even our local quilting shops.  I also do a lot of shopping on Etsy....it’s online but supports small businesses.  But gone are the days when I would spend a whole day out shopping. Just not going to happen. And I’m very happy about it. 

The world is constantly changing. And the less I have to mingle out in it, the better. 😁

ETA:  We went out to visit my daughter and the grand babies the other day. She’s a little over an hour away, and it’s an all day visit. We also usually take everyone out to dinner when we go. My husband had taken a vacation day. Also, we’ve been doing quite a bit of remodeling and I needed a chest of drawers for the spare bedroom that the grand babies use when they stay at our house.  While my husband had the kids outside, my daughter and I were chatting and I mentioned the piece of furniture.  We sat there with my iPad and went online. Within about 20 minutes I found exactly what I wanted on Birch Lane. I ordered it and it arrived today.

So, we were able to spend our day with our family, AND I was able to order what I needed. No need to spend all day today (Saturday) roaming around town...and probably still not finding what I wanted.  

[shoekitty]

I think it is great this i woman can earn a living with her kids at her side.  I am sure what they pay her as a driver she could not afford to work and pay a sitter.!!!   I believe these are contract drivers.  I am not sure how it works,  but sometimes they deliver in an unmarked car.  I can't  figure out why some pkgs  go through usps, some ups and some get passed to a contract  driver.  We do have this young kid who delivers for amazon as well as vitacost.  So he must work for several vendors.  he is an energetic kid who is really into  his job, lol. Maybe these drivers are like ubers with products!? Lol.  I buy local or amazon.

[CAMOGIRL]

I like Amazon. I like shopping online elsewhere also. And, in certain stores also.

No one place has everything I want or need. Never did. 

[gardenman]

There's always a big bad company that's going to put all the "little guys" out of business. I'm sixty years old and I've seen it stated countless times. WT Grants was the first I can remember. They opened the first supercenters (at least locally) combining grocery and retail goods. It was going to be the end of civilization as we knew it. Nah. The Two Guys chain came and left. Then there was a European company opening a massive Supercenter that was going to revolutionize shopping. They were gone so fast I don't even remember their name. Sears was the eight hundred pound gorilla of shopping for decades, only they've now faded into obscurity. The catalog showrooms (Best, Service Merchandise, etc.) were going to be big and were hot for a while, but are now gone. Walmart gets blamed a lot now for hurting the little guys, but they've had to close some underperforming stores. Amazon is hot now, but there's nothing they're doing that others can't do. Malls were going to kill the little guys, but many malls are now gone. 

It's a cyclical thing. A company will find a niche, exploit it, then others will poach their ideas, invade their turf, steal enough of their business to hurt them and a new model will surge to the front and be the next hot thing. If I was betting, I'd say the catalog showroom concept will reappear in the near future using modern tech (smartphones) to make shopping easier. You'll simply walk through the aisles of the store, see something you want, scan it with your phone, pick the size/color/whatever, and continue on your way. As you're done, it'll be all packaged up and ready for you to take as you exit the store. It could be the ultimate in shopping convenience.

Check back in twenty years and chances are Amazon will have been eclisped by someone else. Twenty years later yet and that company will have been eclipsed. It's just a cyclical process that's gone on for my whole life and I don't see it stopping anytime soon. Retail is an extremely competitive field with far more failures than successes. If you're successful, others will copy you and siphon your profits leaving you in trouble, then a new model will emerge and surge to the forefront, only to be copied and drained, to make way for yet another new model.