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

#131

Post by pbhjpbhj » Thu, Jul 12, 2012, 3:25 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…

We have this in the UK still. A major one [Index] went out of business a few years ago (8?) but Argos still run this way. Indeed Tesco now have a version of this [for consumer electronics+household goods] in some of their largest stores.

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

#132

Post by philip1209 » Thu, Jul 12, 2012, 3:26 AM UTC

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…

Yes - I had a friend go on study abroad in London, and Prime shipping there meant free next-day delivery and cheap same-day delivery.

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

#133

Post by emperorcezar » Thu, Jul 12, 2012, 3:31 AM UTC

A business is required to pay sales tax, not collect. Like some other businesses, Amazon can just include the tax in the price.

For instance, bars will include the taxes in the drink tax because if they show you how much tax is in a glass of beer you'd be very surprised, it's something like 40%.

It's an mental game though. Do you get people "through the door" with an item at $19.99 and hope they don't close the tab when they see the $1.00 tax, or do you just advertise it at $21.99 and hope that people are attracted to you because of name, etc even though joesonlineshop.com has it for $19.99?

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

#134

Post by kamaal » Thu, Jul 12, 2012, 3:31 AM UTC

jmonegro wrote: post #6

enraged_camel wrote: post #5

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Can you elaborate?

Amazon is playing a complicated but more rewarding game with millions of moves and therefore ample opportunities to innovate, while old fashioned brick and mortar stores are stuck in a simple game with little to no room for more innovation.

I think the small stores have had their chance, which has come and gone.

Simple rule while you do anything it to ponder the 'next steps'. You just can't keep waiting and expect your competition to do nothing in return.

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

#135

Post by robryan » Thu, Jul 12, 2012, 3:33 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…

$10 yeah. It is more if the difference was hundreds or the increased range of not carrying buyable stock gave you access to many times you didn't before.

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

#136

Post by brc » Thu, Jul 12, 2012, 3:34 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.

This is so true. My SO purchases clothes that are made from terrible materials, with stitching that falls apart.

Womens shoes exclusively seem capable on only lasting 6 months of regular wear. Everything from straps, buckles, soles and innersoles seem to fall apart.

The ultimate insult in all this is that they always cost more than the equivalent male version. The only exceptions to this are where the two items are equivalent (ie mens/womens levis, mens/womens running shoes).

I don't like buying clothes unless they're made from natural fibres/materials. It's cotton, wool + leather for me. For a woman, it's virtually impossible to stick to a rule like this.

I guess it's all about the fashion and style, and they aren't expected to last due to the built-in obsolescence of womens fashion.

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

#137

Post by brianleb » Thu, Jul 12, 2012, 3:34 AM UTC

dr42 wrote: post #120

dinkumthinkum wrote: post #58

Earlier quoted context omitted.

For most people that think this is going to wipe out the B&M stores ... Have you guys been outside of Mountain View lately? I mean, this is just the most ridiculous thing; it's just nonsense. Has anyone here ever been to a Wal-mart? You think all those people are going to say "Nope, just buying next-day shipped products from Amazon now." It's just not serious.

Never been to Walmart, no plans to either, why would I want to. I plan my purchases a few days in advance, know what I want and like that amazon makes it show up at my desk a couple of days later. Haven't shopped in a regular retailer for years. Except groceries, which I buy fresh every day.

Congratulations, you are what's called an outlier. Seriously, this post only shows how different from most US consumers you are.

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

#138

Post by brc » Thu, Jul 12, 2012, 3:37 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…

IKEA is still essentially this concept to this day, only the customer picks their own goods.

In the UK there is a big chain called Argos which still does this, right down to the employees fetching the goods. This might be related to the fact that big-box retail space in the UK is much harder to come by.

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

#139

Post by kamaal » Thu, Jul 12, 2012, 3:38 AM UTC

arjunnarayan wrote: post #97

cglee wrote: post #94

Earlier quoted context omitted.

When Zappos first came out I thought they'd tank. I purchase new basketball/running shoes every 6months, and never ever make a new purchase without trying it on. Playing basketball or running with an even slightly uncomfortable shoe can lead to blistering, back problems, ankle sprains, etc. But my gf at the time thought it was brilliant. What I learned was that a lot of women's shoes are purchased based on anything e…

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…

Well from my own personal experience. When I go out to buy shoes, I look at things like durability, ruggedness, comfort. The shoes must be long lasting and one must be able to wear them for long hours without feeling uncomfortable.

Most girls I know don't have that criteria. The first and foremost criteria for them is they must fashionable, good looking, must match with their dress etc. Given this use case, there is only so much you can do for things like durability and ruggedness. Because you need to make them colorful, with some deigns etc.

Ultimately you get what you ask for.

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

#140

Post by MBCook » Thu, Jul 12, 2012, 3:38 AM UTC

rachelbythebay wrote: post #129

MBCook wrote: post #123

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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.

That's it! It was Service Merchandise.