Amazon

[pure]

Speaking of Amazon, here's something interesting that I just got notice of in my email:

Attachment 13677

I'm a prime member and noticed that the other day as well. However, I tried to order some coffee which only came out to $16 and it said I had to spend $35 to get the free one-day shipping, otherwise it would be an extra $3.99 to do one-day shipping.

[jerrywall]

I'm a prime member and noticed that the other day as well. However, I tried to order some coffee which only came out to $16 and it said I had to spend $35 to get the free one-day shipping, otherwise it would be an extra $3.99 to do one-day shipping.

Yup. $35 is their minimum for free one day (or same day if we eventually get that here) shipping.

[BDP]

The $40 bucks that stays in the community at a regular store is also the $40 I save by shopping at Amazon. So I can pay $100 at Walmart, with $60 going to corporate, or just pay Amazon corporate $60 directly. The $40 I keep in my pocket now gets spend locally by myself vs being spend locally by Walmart.

You save 40% on all your amazon purchases you could have made locally!? No wonder Amazon doesn't post profits very often.

Also, shopping at Wal-Mart isn't going to keep much more money in the local economy, it just won't be zero like often is the case with Amazon. So, if it is between Wal-Mart and Amazon, the difference is probably negligible.

Here's a simple summary of other studies. It works well for you, but in the aggregate, it hasn't been shown to be the case.

https://ilsr.org/before-you-click-infographic/

And since you mentioned it, here's a fun comparison between shopping at Wal-Mart and Amazon:

http://lifehacker.com/is-it-actually...zon-1451086140

[d-usa]

Well, there is a difference between "shopping local" and "shopping at an independent retailer".

If my choose is Amazon vs Big Box, it's Amazon 95% of the time for me. With actual local independent retailers, I often choose the local guys. Homebrewing supplies: local store. Board games: local store. I also like to go to the local toy stores for fun toys for the preschooler and baby. There are also the same stores where you fill a knowledgeable person helping you rather than an "associate" who happens to be detailed to whatever particular department you find yourself in.

[jerrywall]

The $40 bucks that stays in the community at a regular store is also the $40 I save by shopping at Amazon. So I can pay $100 at Walmart, with $60 going to corporate, or just pay Amazon corporate $60 directly. The $40 I keep in my pocket now gets spend locally by myself vs being spend locally by Walmart.

Or you know, you can price match at Wal-Mart. Or Best Buy. They both price match to Amazon.

[d-usa]

Or you know, you can price match at Wal-Mart. Or Best Buy. They both price match to Amazon.

But then I would have to go to a Walmart or Best Buy...

[jerrywall]

But then I would have to go to a Walmart or Best Buy...

At least they employ locally, pay property taxes, corporate franchise taxes, and collect sales tax (which now Amazon does). The average associate wage in Oklahoma at Wal-Mart is $12.50 an hour. Wal-Mart has 50,000 employees in Oklahoma. All of whom also pay taxes on those wages. If the employees average 25 hours a week (which I think is low), you're talking $8,125,00,000 in wages paid out to Oklahomans, who spend that money largely in state.

I don't like Wal-Mart and prefer to never shop there. But there is a difference in how the spending at one vs the other affects the community.

[d-usa]

I don't go to Walmart, period. I do my household shopping at Target, Aldi, Uptown, and Sprouts.

Best Buy is a horrible shopping experience, and they don't get my business. I treat "shop local" the same way that I treat "buy American": I don't spend my money on bad products or bad experiences. A sense of duty only carries my shopping trends so far, but at some point it is up to a business to earn my money vs taking it for granted.

[jerrywall]

I don't go to Walmart, period. I do my household shopping at Target, Aldi, Uptown, and Sprouts.

Target price matches Amazon as well btw.

Best Buy is a horrible shopping experience, and they don't get my business. I treat "shop local" the same way that I treat "buy American": I don't spend my money on bad products or bad experiences. A sense of duty only carries my shopping trends so far, but at some point it is up to a business to earn my money vs taking it for granted.

That's a fair policy. I don't typically hit Best Buy because they're not convenient for me to get to but I've had good luck ordering something for store pickup and picking up from the service desk on the rare times I have.

[traxx]

I suppose I should be a better citizen and buy from Walmart instead of Amazon but I just look for the best deal. I recently bought a new vacuum and saved myself about $20 by buying Amazon instead of Walmart. And some things Walmart just doesn't have. I use a safety razor and on Amazon I can buy 100 Derby razor blades for 11 bucks.

I do like that they price match but I'm more likely to go ahead and click instead of going to Walmart, finding whoever it is that I need to talk to and show them the Amazon price so that I can get that item price matched there.

[d-usa]

Prize is really not the main factor for me. Like I said previously, there are quite a few places where I gladly shop locally and support them over purchasing online even if it ends up costing me more money.

One of my hobbies is gaming, and I still spend way to much money on board games, tabletop miniatures, and RPG supplies. I can get them a lot cheaper online, but I prefer to shop at Game HQ and the new Storm Brew Games in Edmond. The people there know their product, they an recommend things, and they provide a space where I can also hangout and play with other people. i don't get that online, so I gladly spend some extra money to support a local business instead.

Homebrewing supplies are also a lot cheaper online, but I like being able to walk into a store and touch and smell the grains. I like being able to walk into a place and walk out 5 minutes later with the missing ingredient or equipment that would have ruined my brew day if I would have had to wait on a delivery instead. It is helpful to have someone who knows what they are doing at the store who can answer a question like "the recipe calls for this grain, but I want to make it little drier so what do you recommend to adjust the grain bill". I can ask questions online, but I can also walk into the store, ask it, get an answer, and then purchase the adjusted grains right there and walk out with them. So I gladly spend some extra money at that store to help keep it around.

Walmart just doesn't fit into that equation for me, no matter how many local people they may employ. I've been there twice at 2 am to do some grocery shopping over the past year when work was crazy and that was the only time I could go shopping and they were the only place open at the time. Both times there was no register open and when I asked someone about that I was directed to the self-check out lane with my cart full of groceries. Even if it's cheaper that another place, and employs local people, the overall value to me is just not worth it.

The shopping experience is part of the value for me, and at some point the experience just outweighs the other factors. There are quite a few local places where the price is higher, but the shopping experience is worth the extra price because I get knowledgeable staff and convenience. Other places have cheaper prices, but the staff is not knowledgeable, sometimes even aggressive in trying to "help" you, and frequently they are both. My last trip to Best Buy was to buy a CF memory card for my high end DSLR camera. The staff told me that nobody carries those anymore, that they are obsolete, and that I should buy a new better camera from them instead. I walked out of the store, and I haven't been back since. Meanwhile Canon still uses CF cards on their professional cameras. I would rather have no staff, than bossy and incompetent staff. That's why I rather pay more money at Carmax rather than deal with a dealer, although after 3 cars I recently found a good deal at Bob Moore Subaru and I have to admit that they gave me a good experience. I don't know that it helped that I emailed them with the exact car they had on their website that I wanted, but they didn't try to put any kind of pressure on me. Heck, I will drive for hours down to Ikea just so I don't have to deal with anybody breathing down my neck at the local furniture stores. I am certainly not above paying more money for a better experience .

Walmart and other Big Box stores just don't meet that criteria for me, no matter how local they may be.

[FighttheGoodFight]

Amazon has gone nationwide with adding sales tax. Guess Oklahoma could have just waited until April 1st with no laws passing! http://www.aftvnews.com/amazon-will-...ing-april-1st/

[Zorba]

Amazon has gone nationwide with adding sales tax. Guess Oklahoma could have just waited until April 1st with no laws passing! http://www.aftvnews.com/amazon-will-...ing-april-1st/

I know everyone claims that the lack of sales tax doesn't influence them, but I've always called BS on that. The vast majority of people care about price more than anything else and 9% off the top is a pretty big price difference, especially on large purchases. Not requiring internet retailers to collect sales may have made since in 1995, but it's time has passed and its way past time to level the paying field.

[stile99]

I know everyone claims that the lack of sales tax doesn't influence them, but I've always called BS on that. The vast majority of people care about price more than anything else and 9% off the top is a pretty big price difference, especially on large purchases.

You are absolutely correct, price is important to me. Which is why I don't even blink an eye at paying 9% on top of Amazon's 25-50% lower prices.

[Zorba]

You are absolutely correct, price is important to me. Which is why I don't even blink an eye at paying 9% on top of Amazon's 25-50% lower prices.

I'd really like to know what you are buying that is always 25-50% cheaper on Amazon. Basically books, movies, repair parts and diapers are the only things I know of that are consistently that much cheaper than local. A ton of stuff I buy is more expensive on Amazon or within a few bucks.

[Richard at Remax]

Leslies Pool quoted me $400 for four new pool filters the other day. I got them on Amazon for $180 total with Prime

[stile99]

I'd really like to know what you are buying that is always 25-50% cheaper on Amazon. Basically books, movies, repair parts and diapers are the only things I know of that are consistently that much cheaper than local. A ton of stuff I buy is more expensive on Amazon or within a few bucks.

I'm quite unable to recall having said ANYTHING was 'always' 25-50% cheaper. However, I do recall specific examples, which I have already posted here in the past. As have you and others.

Do you think it is possible, just possible, that someone that just agreed with you that price is often a factor, would purchase elsewhere if it were more expensive on Amazon? Or are you so enamored of the 'tax scofflaw' idea that you really think people go to Amazon and pay 25-50% MORE on items (their price for K-cups, for example, is a joke) just to stick it to 'the man'?

[Zorba]

I'm quite unable to recall having said ANYTHING was 'always' 25-50% cheaper. However, I do recall specific examples, which I have already posted here in the past. As have you and others.

Do you think it is possible, just possible, that someone that just agreed with you that price is often a factor, would purchase elsewhere if it were more expensive on Amazon? Or are you so enamored of the 'tax scofflaw' idea that you really think people go to Amazon and pay 25-50% MORE on items (their price for K-cups, for example, is a joke) just to stick it to 'the man'?

I was disagreeing with the notion that Amazon was always 25-50% less than local. On many items, especially food, their prices are terrible. Great for some things though. I buy a lot from Amazon too, it just seems that some people have an unrealistic love affair with them.

Showrooming bothers me much more than the tax avoidance.

[traxx]

Showrooming bothers me much more than the tax avoidance.

Is showrooming where you go look at it in a store but buy it off Amazon.

[shawnw]

yes

[Zorba]

Is showrooming where you go look at it in a store but buy it off Amazon.

Yeah, it is one reason why shoes are usually do much cheaper on Amazon. There is a lot of labor in helping someone pick out shoes, only for then to turn around and buy them online.

Same for things like TVs that most people wouldn't buy unless they had seen them IRL.

I've done it too, but I try not to on things I wouldn't have bought without a B&M store. Especially since most will price match Amazon anyways.

[Bellaboo]

Article in the Journal Record today that details the deal between Amazon and Governor Fallin's office about online tax collection in Oklahoma.

http://journalrecord.com/2017/03/30/...ell-for-state/

[Zuplar]

I've had too many bad experiences buying shoes online. This is one of the few things I refuse to buy online anymore.

[d-usa]

Cheap shoes I would otherwise pick up at Walmart: Amazon.

Running shoes: Red Coyote.

Which for me comes back to paying more for quality service and stafff with knowledge.

[jerrywall]

Article in the Journal Record today that details the deal between Amazon and Governor Fallin's office about online tax collection in Oklahoma.

http://journalrecord.com/2017/03/30/...ell-for-state/

I can't access, so if you can, can you elucidate if there was actually some sort of deal, or if it was just Amazon starting to collect because they're opening facilities here?