Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

Amazon will reportedly soon sell its own private-label groceries

techcrunch.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

51–60 of 114 posts

Re: Amazon will reportedly soon sell its own private-label groceries

#51

Post by eclipxe »

foota wrote: post #25
fma wrote: post #13

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I believe they will compete more with Aldi and not regular grocery stores that offer everything. As long as grocery stores still offer fresh fruit, meat, deli, florist etc...I will go there. If I need a box of cereal I will spend the extra $.50 for the convenience. But on a day I just need basic necesities, Aldi or Amazon here I come!

It seems like Amazon will be in a better position to offer fresh products in the long term than a grocery store.

Let's call it AmazonFresh

Re: Amazon will reportedly soon sell its own private-label groceries

#52

Post by grahamburger »

mc32 wrote: post #47
cgriswald wrote: post #15

Earlier quoted context omitted.

As a kid, the grocery store's generic brand came in yellow boxes with black letter that stated what was in the box (e.g. "Corn Flakes"). There were no other markings. I can't see Amazon letting a cereal box sit in front of someone while they eat and not try to sell them a Kindle.

So long as they don't revive the defunct "No Frills" brand, maybe they'll have a chance. I don't know why store brands skimp on branding and presentation. All they need is one intern churning out design and keeping a fresh look, rather than a set it and forget it approach where you have the housebrand look the same way it did when it debuted even decades later. Maybe they worry about cannibalization into higher profi…

I've wondered if it's because poor people instinctively reach for the cheaper looking brand. I've done that during the times in my life when it was necessary. I've also occasionally found that the cheaper looking brand isn't actually the cheapest brand, and wondered of someone's been capitalising on that instinct.

Re: Amazon will reportedly soon sell its own private-label groceries

#53

Post by x0x0 »

pbreit wrote: post #31
DiabloD3 wrote: post #17

I wish I could say that this decision is why I quit AmazonPrime and quit doing business with them already, but I already chose to do that due to how badly they treat customers, how high their prices are, and how limited their selection is. Amazon doesn't provide useful value to consumers anymore, and before they roll out any more services or private label products, they should step back and see why all their customer…

I'm guessing you're being downvoted because no one can figure out which Amazon you are referring to...certainly not the one selling a massive selection of items at very competitive prices with fast free shipping and the functional website located at amazon.com

Or one that mistreats their customers.

I bought mite spray for a plant. The ad showed it come in a sprayer but it didn't; just a normal bottle. I told amazon that the product page was inaccurate, but that I had a spare sprayer bottle so I didn't care. They still refunded the purchase price and told me to keep it.

I lost a shipment of nearly $200 of books: USPS said it was delivered but I didn't receive it. Amazon send me a replacement shipment via 2-day for free with zero hassle. When the first shipment showed up weeks later, I emailed amazon. They gave me a coupon for returning them.

Amazon has proactively refunded movie purchases because they detected streaming issues. It was my wifi router acting up.

UPS -- not amazon -- had trouble delivering a gift and I had to talk to a customer service agent at amazon. Amazon gave me two free months of prime for UPS's mistake.

While I wish they would kick knockoff electronics vendors off their site, it's hard to say that amazon doesn't take care of their customers.

I'm averaging over 60 orders per year with virtually no hassle. I click and stuff shows up at my doorstep. It's like living in the future :D

Re: Amazon will reportedly soon sell its own private-label groceries

#54

Post by dragonwriter »

mc32 wrote: post #47
cgriswald wrote: post #15

Earlier quoted context omitted.

As a kid, the grocery store's generic brand came in yellow boxes with black letter that stated what was in the box (e.g. "Corn Flakes"). There were no other markings. I can't see Amazon letting a cereal box sit in front of someone while they eat and not try to sell them a Kindle.

So long as they don't revive the defunct "No Frills" brand, maybe they'll have a chance. I don't know why store brands skimp on branding and presentation. All they need is one intern churning out design and keeping a fresh look, rather than a set it and forget it approach where you have the housebrand look the same way it did when it debuted even decades later. Maybe they worry about cannibalization into higher profi…

The point of a house brand in most supermarkets is to appeal to bargain-hunting buyers. The most important part of the branding, then, is to communicate that the product is no frills.

Dated-looking branding probabky actually helps with that, which may be why even when store brands are new or updated, they are bith plain and dated-looking from the start. This also means that they don't really have a lot of reason to.keep them "fresh" most of the time.

Re: Amazon will reportedly soon sell its own private-label groceries

#55

Post by mc32 »

MichaelApproved wrote: post #48
mc32 wrote: post #47

Earlier quoted context omitted.

So long as they don't revive the defunct "No Frills" brand, maybe they'll have a chance. I don't know why store brands skimp on branding and presentation. All they need is one intern churning out design and keeping a fresh look, rather than a set it and forget it approach where you have the housebrand look the same way it did when it debuted even decades later. Maybe they worry about cannibalization into higher profi…

> All they need is one intern churning out design and keeping a fresh look I think changes to packaging requires market testing before you roll it out. Something as simple as a font change can confuse a customer into thinking the same product is now something completely different. Even if the design intern is cheap, market testing isn't. I bet they stuck with the same simple packaging to keep costs down and recogniti…

Maybe, but I would think they also risk their housebrand becoming really stale. I mean, while the contents might be the surplus/castoff from a branded producer (so quality-wise not bad), the bland packaging induces the product to languish unnecessarily and even become a liability if it doesn't move(limited space for goods).

Re: Amazon will reportedly soon sell its own private-label groceries

#56

Post by viraptor »

skykooler wrote: post #28
notatoad wrote: post #24

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That sounds like loblaws/superstore's "no name" brand: http://imgur.com/aEkQBfx It's actually a really great instantly recognizable brand, for all its generic-ness.

hey look, it's https://xkcd.com/993 in the real world!

IGA / black and gold comes close, but with yellow packs: http://www.catalogueaus.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/iga_p...

Re: Amazon will reportedly soon sell its own private-label groceries

#58

Post by enibundo »

DiabloD3 wrote: post #17

I wish I could say that this decision is why I quit AmazonPrime and quit doing business with them already, but I already chose to do that due to how badly they treat customers, how high their prices are, and how limited their selection is. Amazon doesn't provide useful value to consumers anymore, and before they roll out any more services or private label products, they should step back and see why all their customer…

I agree with you and I'm on the same boat as you.

Re: Amazon will reportedly soon sell its own private-label groceries

#59

Post by lucaspiller »

mc32 wrote: post #47
cgriswald wrote: post #15

Earlier quoted context omitted.

As a kid, the grocery store's generic brand came in yellow boxes with black letter that stated what was in the box (e.g. "Corn Flakes"). There were no other markings. I can't see Amazon letting a cereal box sit in front of someone while they eat and not try to sell them a Kindle.

So long as they don't revive the defunct "No Frills" brand, maybe they'll have a chance. I don't know why store brands skimp on branding and presentation. All they need is one intern churning out design and keeping a fresh look, rather than a set it and forget it approach where you have the housebrand look the same way it did when it debuted even decades later. Maybe they worry about cannibalization into higher profi…

In the UK, Tesco had the brand "Tesco Value" (picture [0]) from 1993 - 2012. It became one of the best selling brands in the UK, and is deemed responsible for allowing them to become the biggest supermarket in the country.

[0] http://api.ning.com/files/TpvqSYo3L8j4*3QBoyqNr*zPPYYtbPvcSz...

Re: Amazon will reportedly soon sell its own private-label groceries

#60

Post by joesmo »

freyr wrote: post #43

I've inadvertently purchased a lot of low quality junk from Amazon lately propped up by fake reviews and shady third-party dealers peddling counterfeit goods. If they want to sell me vitamins and food, they need to fix their brand. Are they a supermarket that is in control what they sell, or are they a back-alley bazaar that's strictly buyer-beware?

Be careful if you return too many of those shitty products, they will close your account, even if you have a Prime membership. Amazon is shady as fuck and an untrustworthy retailer. The way they treat employees is beyond atrocious. Amazon makes Walmart look ethical and honest in comparison.
Post reply on HN