How Amazon’s ambitious new push for same-day delivery will destroy local retail • Hacker News Board

Re: How Amazon’s ambitious new push for same-day delivery will destroy local retail

#121

Post by rdl » Thu, Jul 12, 2012, 2:59 AM UTC

Goronmon wrote: post #113

rdl wrote: post #102

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Interesting idea, but I seriously doubt Amazon would do this with their normal warehouses -- maybe paying sales tax and thus being able to have presence in major cities would let them set up dedicated showrooms for certain kinds of high-lifetime-margin products, like Kindles and maybe a Kindle Phone, though. Big warehouses are highly automated (especially Amazon's), essentially unsafe for untrained people (forklifts,…

If Amazon can deliver in one-day, why even worry about stock at these showrooms. Find something you like, order it, and it's delivered to your door the next day.

Certain huge items are obnoxious to purchase, evaluate, and then return if unsatisfied -- like 80" LCD TVs. Not sure what percentage of Amazon that is.

Also, many people feel "bad" about buying and returning. The "buy 3 pair of shoes, return 2" where you know you'll only keep 1 from the start feels dishonest in a way, although I'm more than happy to return something which isn't as described or is otherwise unpredictably unsatisfying.

I actually do a mental calculation before buying something which I might return, trying to figure out if Amazon is better off by me buying it (given my odds of returning it, and the costs/residual resale value if returned), and if the return is due to a bad description (Amazon's fault, and thus ok to return if the product turns out to match the wrong part of the description, like when it is internally inconsistent with the photo or whatever).

"Which of these two should I buy" is sometimes addressed by buying both, but buying 10 items and returning 9 is probably going to get your Amazon account flagged at some point.

Re: How Amazon’s ambitious new push for same-day delivery will destroy local retail

#122

Post by [deleted] » Thu, Jul 12, 2012, 3:00 AM UTC

latch wrote: post #104

greghinch wrote: post #87

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You've obviously not tried purchasing things in a 3rd world market, such as in China

China hasn't been a 3rd world country for some time. It isn't even close. Sure there are massive pockets of poverty (with 1 billion people, there are massive pockets of everything)...but visit India or parts of Africa if you want to see what 3rd world is.

[deleted]

Re: How Amazon’s ambitious new push for same-day delivery will destroy local retail

#123

Post by MBCook » Thu, Jul 12, 2012, 3:06 AM UTC

robryan wrote: post #77

wheels wrote: post #54

Amazon has been doing this in parts of Germany since 2009. The results haven't been nearly as dramatic as the article predicts. As others have indicated, the limiting factor isn't so much speed of delivery as the inclination to physically inspect items before buying them. That said, Zappos, now a part of Amazon, has succeeded in doing that in one of the markets that tends the most towards such. Even so, there are sti…

I expect to eventually see big retail outlets where there is only stock for trying things out. No buying at the store but you could complete your online order while at the store and have it same day/ next day.

Does anyone here remember catalog stores? That may not be the right name, I've only been in one once, and it has to have been over 15 years.

You'd go in the store and look at the merchandise, all of it in glass cases. You'd use a little golf pencil to mark the order sheet they gave you at the door for what you wanted.

When you were done shopping, you'd give your form to the guy at the register. They'd ring you up and someone in the back of the store would collect all the stuff you just bought from the warehouse racks and bring it out for you.

I was amazed something like that existed in the 90s. I have a hard time envisioning that we'd see something like that again. I mean that's how grocery stores worked once, but the market changed with self-service.

I'll occasionally "window shop" at stores, but I only do that if I know the prices are really different. If it's a $10 difference and I'm already in the store, why wait for someone to ship it to me, even if it arrives later that day?

Re: How Amazon’s ambitious new push for same-day delivery will destroy local retail

#124

Post by cglace » Thu, Jul 12, 2012, 3:11 AM UTC

latch wrote: post #104

greghinch wrote: post #87

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You've obviously not tried purchasing things in a 3rd world market, such as in China

China hasn't been a 3rd world country for some time. It isn't even close. Sure there are massive pockets of poverty (with 1 billion people, there are massive pockets of everything)...but visit India or parts of Africa if you want to see what 3rd world is.

If we were going by the original definitions of first world, second world third world. China would be a second world country since it was aligned with Russia and not the US.

Re: How Amazon’s ambitious new push for same-day delivery will destroy local retail

#125

Post by wpietri » Thu, Jul 12, 2012, 3:11 AM UTC

Caerus wrote: post #82

muhfuhkuh wrote: post #75

Earlier quoted context omitted.

In almost no category that I've sampled has Walmart ever been the absolute rock-bottom cheapest compared to several places (Big Lots, Dollar General, local grocery chains, Amazon... even Target, believe it or not). People, however, can't go to Amazon to get infant formula, a car battery, ammunition, and a jar of pickles at 1AM and have it in hand immediately. Walmart used to be about "made in the USA", then it was "a…

True, there will always be a need for immediacy in shopping. However, on three of the four you listed (Not sure if I want to know why you need ammunition at 1 am...) Amazon carries them, and at a reasonable to very low price. Most of the time I know I'll need something a couple days before. Instead of "I'm out of coffee, better go to the store" it's "I'm running low on coffee, better order some and it will be here in…

> Not sure if I want to know why you need ammunition at 1 am...

Zombies. That's the real mistake we're making with shifting all our purchases to Amazon and their just-in-time delivery. There will be nothing to loot when the zombie outbreak happens.

Re: How Amazon’s ambitious new push for same-day delivery will destroy local retail

#126

Post by MBCook » Thu, Jul 12, 2012, 3:13 AM UTC

PaulHoule wrote: post #71

A general policy that "online stores pay sales tax" also benefits Amazon vs. small internet retailers. A while ago I sold a few bumper stickers online and ended up using cafepress. I could have made a better profit by printing the stickers in bulk and mailing them to people, but I'd have to spend $100+ on paperwork just for the privilege of paying sales tax just in case I sell any to New Yorkers. If small internet bu…

The tax argument comes up in every discussion like this. It's a nice advantage, but I seriously doubt their sales are very different in areas they charge tax and those where they don't.

I have to pay Amazon sales tax because they have a distribution center near me. I remember a few years ago I noticed that they were charging me tax when they didn't used to, but it never figured into my buying.

The truth is Amazon's prices are generally better anyway, so they still hold an advantage. Shipping was always a bigger problem for me. I would keep lists of things to get and then when I decided I wanted really wanted something I'd order enough to qualify for the $50 or $100 order free shipping.

Now I've had Amazon Prime for a few years, and it's fantastic. I don't have to pay extra for two day shipping, and overnight is just $5 or so. Two day is almost always fast enough. Since Amazon has made everything so easy (and I don't have to worry about shipping or waiting too long) I buy more than enough for Prime to pay for its self.

Re: How Amazon’s ambitious new push for same-day delivery will destroy local retail

#127

Post by ricardobeat » Thu, Jul 12, 2012, 3:14 AM UTC

jusben1369 wrote: post #67

Remember when home videos were going to obliterate movie cinemas? Who would go out when they can watch a movie on their couch?! For a while too things dipped. Then people realized there was a social element to going to the movies that made it a compelling experience. Add to that iMax and 3D etc. Heck, who would bother going to an Apple store when you can buy everything online! Amazon is to shopping what McDonalds is…

You get fat?

I rarely go to the movies because I can watch netflix on my couch (and save $20-$30). Movie attendance still grows because of economic growth, but in relative numbers it's falling (down 4% in the US/2011).

Re: How Amazon’s ambitious new push for same-day delivery will destroy local retail

#128

Post by cglace » Thu, Jul 12, 2012, 3:20 AM UTC

vaksel wrote: post #117

suresk wrote: post #59

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Indeed, when you look at surveys that ask people why they prefer shopping online, things like "24/7 convenience", "saves time", and "better selection" usually end up ahead of "costs less money, even after shipping" and taxes are usually a small part of that. The lack of sales tax hurts local tax entities far worse than it hurts Amazon's competitors.

not having to drive to the store is huge on Amazon you just search, compare, read reviews and click buy. with brick and mortar stores, you have to drive to the store, park, then roam the store to find what you are looking for, then hope that they have it in stock before you buy, then drive back home. Even a small purchase ends up costing you an hour of your time. and for large purchases almost always you have to wait…

Maybe for electronics but for clothes I don't mind driving to the store. Trying stuff on till I find what works. Asking knowledgeable staff for suggestions/opinions.

I think I've had one positive result from buying clothes online.

Re: How Amazon’s ambitious new push for same-day delivery will destroy local retail

#129

Post by rachelbythebay » Thu, Jul 12, 2012, 3:22 AM UTC

MBCook wrote: post #123

robryan wrote: post #77

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I expect to eventually see big retail outlets where there is only stock for trying things out. No buying at the store but you could complete your online order while at the store and have it same day/ next day.

Does anyone here remember catalog stores? That may not be the right name, I've only been in one once, and it has to have been over 15 years. You'd go in the store and look at the merchandise, all of it in glass cases. You'd use a little golf pencil to mark the order sheet they gave you at the door for what you wanted. When you were done shopping, you'd give your form to the guy at the register. They'd ring you up and…

Service Merchandise and BEST, right? I never figured out why they both went out of business. They should have been able to offer a huge inventory with hardly any overhead.

Re: How Amazon’s ambitious new push for same-day delivery will destroy local retail

#130

Post by valgaze » Thu, Jul 12, 2012, 3:23 AM UTC

diffeomorph wrote: post #115

arjunnarayan wrote: post #97

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yes. The build quality of women's shoes is astoundingly bad. Sometimes I look at them and they literally feel like glued on piece of leather, pretty on the outside, and nothing more. It's interesting how two different markets have developed (men's shoes and women's shoes) that have such different parameters. Men's shoes have outstanding build quality --- to the point where a good pair of quality shoes gets resoled mu…

This isn't just true for women's shoes, but women's clothing in general. I don't understand the reasons, but men's clothing tends to be made with less design and more durability. A fashioner designer once told me he made the men's clothing first, then crafted the women's clothing out of its leftovers + some embellishments.

Christina Binkley in the WSJ had a great column on this topic titled "To Dress Well, a Woman Should Shop Like a Man": http://online.wsj.com/article/SB1000142405274870440570457606...