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I love Amazon!
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Amazon is still the best out there for me (ymmv.) I am prime. They've lost a lot of mojo for sure. There was a time I viewed them as a superior service. There's a huge sleaziness layer now, too.
- Seeing a lot of "prime shipping" with a Ships in 5 days or so. If it's Prime, it should be two days. Simples. Out of stock can be identified. When it's part of the sales process there's a delay, it should not be categorised as Prime. I'm sure vendors are doing this to be included in the Prime filter.
- Ordered the same thing from two different vendors. One was prime, which I paid a bit more, one was not (needed the item for a trip.) Ordered Wednesday. Prime was shipped at 3 days, but it was a weekend, so it didn't arrive until Monday. Non-prime was received Saturday. (Bad feedback was placed on Prime vendor)
- Most recent situation. Ordered an Amazon sold prime item. It was out of stock, and the delay was noted. Fair play. I received a shipping notification and an e-mail "Your item will arrive tomorrow." Came home from work, searched my house exterior. No item. Open up my e-mail, and there's an "Action Required" e-mail. Turns out my item is out of stock. (I get it's automation, but) how can you ship something and then it becomes "out of stock?"
- Amazon music is underwhelming. Library is small. They should've done a better job with label contracts before going "prime time."
I find Amazon very useful, - and most certainly use it especially for CDs, occasional DVDs, and many books.
However, I still prefer to shop in bricks-and-mortar stores where possible.
However, I still prefer to shop in bricks-and-mortar stores where possible.
It's not only free two day shipping with Amazon Prime the user receives, they also have access to exclusives with music, books, movies, etc. The advantages are their if you so choose.
Amazon may not be the cheapest all around,
But that's not always the exception. Amazon also has a much larger inventory with more options, which stores or other online entities may not acquire.
Lastly, not everyone wants to wait five days for their purchase. Someone can spend under $50.00 and have it in half the time with Prime. Perhaps one does not want to spend or need $50.00 worth of merchandise to achieve the free shipping. Therefore, Prime might serve them better.
When you live in a small community you do not have all the big city assets available to you Amazon comes very handy.
One of the problems with retail these days which seems to happen more and more, I have to run around town looking for something no one carries. A waster of time and gas, and half the time if you call, you don't get accurate info. It might be called the Amazon effect. I went looking for lap swimming swim trunks, two big sports stores only had the teenie weenie Speedos, which were a big no for me...Amazon to the rescue. I went to a plumbing supply house looking for a large rubber cap (normally used for plumbing pipes, to cap an exhaust pipe of a down draft stove top, that was being removed during a remodel, nope... but Amazon had it.
Well, you are from the US, @Huntn.
Sure, but I tend to um, patronise old stores - that is, old - well, yes, high-end - specialist stores, - and, sometimes, new specialist stores - (wine, cheese, books, beer, Apple, music, clothes, shoes, leather) - I lament the demise of the brilliant music shops with vinyl and CDs - as a teen and later, I spent hours of my life in those places - and I am the sort of person who builds up a rapport with the staff.
I spend time, and money in these places (and am often on the receiving end of generous discounts).
I don't doubt that Amazon is exceedingly useful - I, myself, buy books and CDs from it, but little else - but, as long as there are decent specialist stores, with properly trained - and paid - staff that stock the stuff I want, I will prefer to patronise them.
Anyway, I like the face-to-face encounters, and the chat & conversation one can have in such places.
Family owned business have taken a huge beating in the US. Mostly big chains and franchises are the norm now. In small towns Walmart wiped out most of the small stores we grew up with. No to say that is entirely bad, they brought in a much larger selection, lowered prices, and made the town folks their employee slaves.
There's a place in my wife's home town she still likes to visit when we are in the vicinity, a Harold's Drug Store. As a kid, drug stores were great, the place to get milk shakes and burgers before Mikey D's.
Family owned business have taken a huge beating in the US. Mostly big chains and franchises are the norm now. In small towns Walmart wiped out most of the small stores we grew up with. No to say that is entirely bad, they brought in a much larger selection, lowered prices, and made the town folks their employee slaves.
Yes, I know this, but thank you, nevertheless, for taking the time and trouble to explain it to me.
I repeat, I am not in the US, and I do not - either politically, or economically - or personally - subscribe to this model, but I have read about it.
Walmart, thankfully, is something I have only read about - I have never laid eyes on one.
I visit very big chains - with the single exception of M&S - fewer than a dozen times a year.
Mostly, my food shopping is in local markets, high end delicatessens, my clothes shopping is in small family owned businesses, specialist craftsmen, or - for underwear and similar stuff - organic and ethical companies (one in the UK, one in the US) with whom I communicate by email and phone and have - again - built up a relationship with staff who have come to know me.
My wine and beer I buy from specialist shops. Other purchases are even more specialised.
You said you are not in the the US and I explained how it used to be for me. You sound peeved so I'll leave you alone.
Not peeved. Just occasionally irked by the effortless assumption by many in the US that the rest of the world replicates their habits, and preferences (economic and political).
We don't. Or, at least, not always.
And, I do read about - in a detail which disturbs me at times - economic, sociological, cultural and political - stuff (I won't dare say 'developments') in the US.
Having said that, and back to the thread, I don't have a quarrel with Amazon; I use them and find them - in general - excellent. But, as long as a viable choice exists, there are certain things I would prefer never to have to buy from Amazon.
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Amazon prime free next day shipping sure is great on the surface, I use it myself.. can order a PS4 game late one evening, get £2 discount, and have it at my door the very next day.. unbeatable.
However, this service comes at a price here in the UK and unfortunately it's the poor, overworked delivery drivers who are suffering. It is in the press a lot at the moment and the practice is illegal.. working hours, crazy demands, self-employed but with employed rules and regs... and these guys are on our roads. very dangerous.
It also makes it impossible for smaller independent companies to compete.
The global shipping system in itself, is quite remarkable.. ordering/sending something and it can be at it's destination within days... it's worth a lot more than consumers pay.. I would rather workers got fair pay for the great service they provide, if the cost is passed down to us, so be it.
Not only that, but Amazon is having a problem with counterfeit goods so I only buy certain items now.
However, this service comes at a price here in the UK and unfortunately it's the poor, overworked delivery drivers who are suffering. It is in the press a lot at the moment and the practice is illegal.. working hours, crazy demands, self-employed but with employed rules and regs... and these guys are on our roads. very dangerous.
It also makes it impossible for smaller independent companies to compete.
The global shipping system in itself, is quite remarkable.. ordering/sending something and it can be at it's destination within days... it's worth a lot more than consumers pay.. I would rather workers got fair pay for the great service they provide, if the cost is passed down to us, so be it.
Not only that, but Amazon is having a problem with counterfeit goods so I only buy certain items now.
I rely heavily on Amazon, for better or worse.
Next day delivery on almost everything I need, including 2 hour Prime Now for necessities, and I sometimes find their online services useful. Like occasionally finding something watch with Prime video, or even having ad-free streaming on services like Twitch.
Resolving any issue through their customer services department is also incredibly fast.
Next day delivery on almost everything I need, including 2 hour Prime Now for necessities, and I sometimes find their online services useful. Like occasionally finding something watch with Prime video, or even having ad-free streaming on services like Twitch.
Resolving any issue through their customer services department is also incredibly fast.
Yeah, I have the need for a quite few purchases outside of "boutique" items, let's call them "utility purchases", and I don't even try to shop locally. A set of jack stands, AC filters, a few clothing items I'm confident about the size (I always keep a fresh pair of Adidas Superstars in classic B&W
), various consumables like bulbs, cables and whatnot.Heck, I bought our last lawn mower a couple of weeks ago from Amazon!
To be fair, I think that what @Huntn is saying is that some items are unavailable from brick-and-mortar establishments, even specialty shops. The big box outfits, as we call them here in the U.S., (places like Best Buy, Walmart, Costco, and so on) tend to just carry goods that sell well.
I, too, greatly enjoy poking around small, neighborhood stores. The proprietors are often very knowledgeable and eager to please. Unfortunately, that doesn't help if I can't find what I'm looking for, which is why I often turn to Amazon. For example, I use an Italian shaving cream that I've been unable to find anywhere else, even in places that specialize in shaving accessories.
Yeah, I have the need for a quite few purchases outside of "boutique" items, let's call them "utility purchases", and I don't even try to shop locally. A set of jack stands, AC filters, a few clothing items I'm confident about the size (I always keep a fresh pair of Adidas Superstars in classic B&W
Heck, I bought our last lawn mower a couple of weeks ago from Amazon!
Me too, an electric model.
I have mixed feelings in the UK. I'm a Prime customer and buy lots from Amazon as it's generally good value (not always the cheapest) and more often than not can be delivered the next day. Their customer service is also excellent and any problems they provide free returns, often well outside the return period.
That said, Amazon like many other large multinationals, don't pay their fair share of tax in the UK (which should be based on profit for in country sales) which make me a little sad
That said, Amazon like many other large multinationals, don't pay their fair share of tax in the UK (which should be based on profit for in country sales) which make me a little sad
The original question still stands. If you have to pay $99.00 / year to qualify for the shipping, how is it free ???
I'm not claiming that prime might not be good for many people. Calling the shipping free is disingenuous though.
Because the free shipping isn't the only service you are receiving. On that note, the Prime membership adds to the fact how Much the customer actually shops and spends on shipping, Especially if you want the item faster, which easily becomes Expensive. It pays for itself over time. What exactly don't you understand?
I'm not saying that it's bad service. I'm just saying that if you have to pay $99.00 / year in order to qualify for the quick shipping, the shipping is not actually free. It doesn't matter if they give you other stuff for your prime membership. The shipping is in fact not free.
Right. Fair point. Let me ask you this.
Without Prime, if I want to 2 day ship something, it's going to cost me around $12. Overnight shipping will cost me anywhere from 24-40, and same day costs $9 plus $1 per item if not a Prime member. So far in 2016, I've made about $8,000 in orders. My wife and I share a Prime subscription. If I had estimate the amount of money we've saved this year in terms of how quickly we needed something, we've saved probably over $1,000 in shipping fees. A Prime membership is $100 - we ordered about twice what we did last year. You can do the math. With Prime we get streaming too.
Amazon banks on Prime customers not ordering more than a couple hundred dollars in shipping fees a year. There are many like us who will use Amazon simply because they can outperform other retailers and their 2 hour delivery window for home goods is both cheaper than a warehouse membership store if you order in bulk and it saves gas money and stress.
Anything past the $100 is a huge "free" perk to me. Other Amazonians aren't as lucky as we are, but if you live in the Ozarks, it's not my or Amazon's fault.