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

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

#241

Post by mikeash »

ghaff wrote: post #238
mikeash wrote: post #62

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What's the difference between what Webvan did and what Peapod and various similar companies have been doing for years?

Webvan massively overbuilt/overspent in a fairly typical dot com era story of losing massive amounts of money to try to own a new category. Peapod leverages physical grocery businesses through partnerships. It's much less ambitious in a lot of ways. The fact is that grocery delivery has been available in urban cores forever. Peapod just expands on that a bit, adds online ordering, and treats it as a premium service (…

Is the idea then that Peapod isn't doing anything particularly novel since they're basically just a delivery service for existing stores, but Webvan and now this new Amazon stuff owns the whole supply chain, making for a qualitative difference?

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

#242

Post by GFischer »

cglace wrote: post #128
vaksel wrote: post #117

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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.

I have an idea for a side project/startup tackling that problem.

What's your main problem? Finding out how it would look on you? How it feels/quality? What are the suggestions and opinions you look for?

Thanks :)

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

#243

Post by enjo »

sigkill wrote: post #236
DennisP wrote: post #232

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I walked through Nordstrom's the other day, randomly picked up a shoe and the price tag was $750.

WOW! I am so out of touch with these high end shoe prices. Suddenly, my idea doesn't seem that far-fetched after all. Except, I know of not many women who'd like the carbon fibre look. I guess, designer labels...

$750 isn't particularly expensive on the upper end.

This doesn't apply just to shoes, btw. There is a broad luxury market for almost anything. Don't believe me? Visit a western wear store sometime.

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

#244

Post by schiffern »

megablast wrote: post #233
icebraining wrote: post #191

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yes, everyone who deals with the general public knows how unstressful and dignifying that is. That is, besides having to deal with blatant sexism[1], extreme ignorance[2], elderly genitalia[3], stealing[4], destruction of property[5], physical violence[6], bigotry[7], etc. [1]: http://notalwaysright.com/man-up-and-let-a-woman-fix-it/2136... [2]: http://notalwaysright.com/spyware-is-strength/21253 [3]: http://notalway…

Right, so you have 7 links to the same site, all written from the point of view of the wronged assistance. Wow. If that is not proof of nothing, then I do not know what is.

Who else but "wronged assistance" would demonstrate their point?

When you talk about conditions at Amazon warehouses, I assume you're referring to this article (or similar): http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2012/02/mac-mcclelland-f...

You should know that Amazon bought Kiva Systems earlier this year, so they'll be replacing human picking with efficient robot picking over the next couple of years.

Your job becomes to stand there on a foam mat and move whichever item the laser points at from the cart to the box. This job will almost certainly be automated in the next decade as well, with something like FlexPicker.

Kiva Systems: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gvQKGev56qU

FlexPicker: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xHuDvVa7mkw

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

#245

Post by wahsd »

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…

Germany is about as different a market as one could get in the "advanced" economies. Drawing any conclusions from the effect it has or hasn't had on German retail is essentially and fundamentally flawed

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

#246

Post by cglace »

GFischer wrote: post #242
cglace wrote: post #128

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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.

I have an idea for a side project/startup tackling that problem. What's your main problem? Finding out how it would look on you? How it feels/quality? What are the suggestions and opinions you look for? Thanks :)

All of the above are problems.

Huge problem is fit. Especially pants. So many things can go wrong. Too tight in the thighs, pants run short, pants are tighter than usual in the hips, weird fit in the butt, etc. . .

Feel/quality is a big one for me personally because I have some hangups with textures. If something has a certain feel it makes my skin crawl.

As for suggestions and opinions, I'm usually looking for advice, make sure I'm not committing any faux pas with my choices. For example, when buying some leather shoes I may want something that can be worn with jeans or with slacks if needed. If the sales associate is knowledgeable I will probably go with something I initially was tentative about or didn't consider.

Hope that helps.

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

#247

Post by ciupicri »

zuppy wrote: post #220
ciupicri wrote: post #95

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Purchasing from the Internet works fine until you have problems. Here in Romania you can't inspect the contents of the package until you sign for its delivery. Then if it's broken you get to keep the pieces, unless the merchant is nice. Of course, there's also the option of arguing with them, but it doesn't guarantee anything. I bought a couple of years ago an LCD monitors from today's Romanian Amazon wanna-be and th…

That's not true (probably you didn't knew). If you buy something online, you have 10 days to return it without giving a reason (and if they don't specify that clearly when you buy it, the period extends to 30 days). That's the law, it doesn't matter if they agree or not.

This was before any laws as far as I know. Also if I'm not mistaking, even with these laws the package must be intact. Otherwise I wonder if you can buy a TV or computer, use it for N days then return it. Do the same with the other stores until the first one forgets the repeat.

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

#248

Post by isleyaardvark »

cglee wrote: post #94
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…

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…

That's why their super easy returns policy is essential. You order shoes, you try them on, you return them. It's not quite as easy as a trip to the store, but it's pretty simple.

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

#249

Post by nooneelse »

tsotha wrote: post #149
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…

>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. Oh yes. When I lived in a small town we had a Sears catalog store. You went in and ordered your stuff there and then picked it up at the same place (this is pre-UPS). There weren't enough people living in our tiny burg for anybody to operate a full-blown department store, but t…

Same here. Perhaps, given the right conditions, they can also make a bit of profit on items that require installation, service, or repair by setting the customer up with qualified staff or local repair-people.

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

#250

Post by ams6110 »

I don't see how they can possibly achieve the same economies of scale with a lot of small local distribution centers vs. a few huge ones. Plus coordinating deliveries in all those local markets vs. just having UPS or FedEx handle that part. To a point this may be successful, but it sounds self-limiting to me.
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