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Chrome extension recommends local businesses while shopping on Amazon or eBay

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Re: Chrome extension recommends local businesses while shopping on Amazon or eBay

#301

Post by dahauns »

usrusr wrote: post #32
corytheboyd wrote: post #11

This is a really good idea! I love my small businesses but being coddled by the internet is so real, you get used to immediately finding exactly what you want. With local stores, you have to put in some work sometimes, and ghasp talk to real people, potentially a few, at different stores, to get what you need. It sounds like a lot written out like that, but the important bits are that the people you talk to, you lear…

> and ghasp talk to real people, potentially a few, at different stores, to get what you need. That's really an issue: if you aren't the hard-boiled, super unemphatic negotiator type you'll likely buy the very first thing a salesperson has invested face-minutes in, if it just gets the easy 80% of requirements/desires right. "Thanks for your time, but I'll go see if there's another offer that is maybe 3% better or 2%…

> But obviously a total amazonisation of all buying would be terrible nonetheless. What I'd love to see: a site like those price comparison directories but not so much focused on cheapest but on local availability. Current stock, proximity, opening hours and price, they are all important.

Geizhals already does all that and I love it for that, e.g.:

https://geizhals.eu/dell-p2719h-210-apxf-a1849338.html?t=a&h...

It's mainly useful AT/DE though...

Re: Chrome extension recommends local businesses while shopping on Amazon or eBay

#302

Post by lmm »

ravenstine wrote: post #136
varispeed wrote: post #97

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Do we really need such shops though? It's like being concerned about horses, when more and more people drive cars. Only thing I buy in a corner store is probably bin bags and something like water if I forget to put it in my bag before leaving house. Everything else I buy online because I can compare, read about the product, watch reviews etc. when in store being on the phone looking up products is not comfortable. We…

How true is that really ? Maybe there will come a point where this is true, but there are still lots of things on Amazon that don't have next-day delivery. Many specialty items on Amazon have slow shipping, and I would gladly have bought them at a local store if I had the choice; I used to until they all closed.

But by the very nature of being a specialty item, there's unlikely to be a shop for that thing in any given area. Occasionally you luck out and it turns out you live near a major kitesurfing shop or whatever, but on average you're no better off than online - probably worse off if you actually make a day trip to a brick-and-mortar shop halfway across the country.

Re: Chrome extension recommends local businesses while shopping on Amazon or eBay

#303

Post by luigibosco »

dylan604 wrote: post #196
greenie_beans wrote: post #69

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I’m sorry, I can’t help but point out that you could call the store before you left your house. And when in the store, you could ask a sales associate for help. Just sayin!

I love going into my local Ace Hardware stores. I have found that these are usually staffed by older/retired guys that have been there, done that, and they are eager to assist. In fact, one guy would recognize me and ask what "crazy" thing I'm trying to do now. This is all because the first time we interacted I was attempting to build a "portable" 25' long suspension cable system for a camera rig. We probably spent 2…

At my local hardware store this saved me $40 and a whole bunch of plumbing and a trip back to the store when the seasoned veteran simply asked what i was trying to do. The money, meh, saving the time and frustration priceless.

The best help is when someone asks you what you are trying to accomplish instead of what isle something is in. It's why you go back to that store and learn when certain employees are working. To the young workers, i totally get that your underpaid and not your career path or one at all. Perhaps for some of the older/retired gen is it more supplimental income and they enjoy being a knowledge base for people like me who sometimes know enough to be dangerous..

Re: Chrome extension recommends local businesses while shopping on Amazon or eBay

#304

Post by ajmadesc »

cute_boi wrote: post #21
f6v wrote: post #19

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't think Bezos(or Gates, Musk, Zucker) reason in terms of holiday homes anymore. I'm absolutely sure they have a positive impact. They build spaceships, fight disease, and finance science. Whether the net outcome for humanity as a whole is better or worse with Amazon is highly debatable. By writing > like helping a little boy buy his team jersey or a little girl get dance lessons for example you appeal to feelin…

"They build spaceships, fight disease, and finance science." They do it not for humanity but to earn more money. Its always money, power, and fame at the end.

The general consensus of HN seems to be _the action resulting in the most profit creates the most desirable outcome_ because of 'economics'

Re: Chrome extension recommends local businesses while shopping on Amazon or eBay

#305

Post by luigibosco »

jahewson wrote: post #41
reidjs wrote: post #29

I think I’m the only person who considers online shopping less convenient than just going to a local store and buying it. In person you just walk or drive over to the store, select the item, pay, and go home with the correct product. Online I have to turn on my computer or open an app. Type in a bunch of stuff, Search around, click cookie consent buttons, avoid newsletters, log in, enter your address, put in your cre…

> In person you just walk or drive over to the store, select the item, pay, and go home with the correct product. I think you mean get the kids ready and put them in the car, drive for 20 minutes to Target, spend another 5 trying to park, schlep from the back of the parking lot to the store in 90 degree heat, wander endlessly around the store because they moved one of your usual purchases into and end-cap. Inevitably…

I would add to list sifting thru 100s of reviews then wondering if they or the 4.5 star rating are from bots, lazy people or those who just unwrapped it.

On the plus side you can shop online when your kids are sleeping.

Re: Chrome extension recommends local businesses while shopping on Amazon or eBay

#306

Post by Sohcahtoa82 »

AnIdiotOnTheNet wrote: post #279
harikb wrote: post #210

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Talking from the perspective of local business owner - it isn’t possible to compete with Amazon on ”online” features. This needs two efforts - people have to be Ok with an inferior shopping experience to a certain extent. Can’t have cake and eat it. Second, Software powered world needs a different kind of monopoly control - we shouldn’t talking about “breaking up Amazon” - that just creates busy work from yet another…

> it isn’t possible to compete with Amazon on ”online” features. I'm not sure that's a true statement. I've completely ceased buying computing equipment from Amazon because their search is so goddamned useless. Newegg's power search actually works and lets me find what I'm looking for.

For computer hardware, I use PCPartPicker to find what I want, and follow their link.

Yes, I know that those will definitely be referral links, but I'm fine with that.

Re: Chrome extension recommends local businesses while shopping on Amazon or eBay

#307

Post by perryizgr8 »

jamesrr39 wrote: post #205
londons_explore wrote: post #60

Small business near me never seem to have online catalogues or stock levels. Hunting for a specific product (for example a washing line) might involve walking into 3 different shops and guessing which shop might sell what you need. When you arrive in the shop, they always arrange aisles differently so unless you have 20 minutes to hunt you might not find it either. Whereas online it's a simple search and click "buy n…

I find even the larger businesses have much poorer shopping experiences than Amazon. I wanted to buy a book last year. I found it on a major, non-amazon bookseller's website. However, no "Look-inside", not even a description, no reviews, no real information about it aside from the title and [very short] description. I ended up going to Amazon to find all this info and having a look at the "Look inside" first few page…

> It sucks, because I want to support businesses other than Amazon and the like, ones that pay corporation tax and don't abuse their market position, but the other stores really have to raise their game.

Amazon uses that money it saves from not paying tax to improve its website and service. That's why others aren't able to compete.

Re: Chrome extension recommends local businesses while shopping on Amazon or eBay

#308

Post by AnIdiotOnTheNet »

Sohcahtoa82 wrote: post #306
AnIdiotOnTheNet wrote: post #279

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> it isn’t possible to compete with Amazon on ”online” features. I'm not sure that's a true statement. I've completely ceased buying computing equipment from Amazon because their search is so goddamned useless. Newegg's power search actually works and lets me find what I'm looking for.

For computer hardware, I use PCPartPicker to find what I want, and follow their link. Yes, I know that those will definitely be referral links, but I'm fine with that.

I'm ok paying NewEgg's (sometimes) slightly higher prices because they took the time to put together a good search.

Re: Chrome extension recommends local businesses while shopping on Amazon or eBay

#309

Post by luigibosco »

artificial wrote: post #274
dylan604 wrote: post #196

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I love going into my local Ace Hardware stores. I have found that these are usually staffed by older/retired guys that have been there, done that, and they are eager to assist. In fact, one guy would recognize me and ask what "crazy" thing I'm trying to do now. This is all because the first time we interacted I was attempting to build a "portable" 25' long suspension cable system for a camera rig. We probably spent 2…

A service which you find useful that eventually disappears? I think you may find some Google products to fill this niche :)

haha, nice and true to a point with a few caveats - you may search for what you think you need which is a "whatsit" which can be fixed by a "whoseit", which may be in fact be best solved by a "thingamajig".

Re: Chrome extension recommends local businesses while shopping on Amazon or eBay

#310

Post by efreak »

AnIdiotOnTheNet wrote: post #308
Sohcahtoa82 wrote: post #306

Earlier quoted context omitted.

For computer hardware, I use PCPartPicker to find what I want, and follow their link. Yes, I know that those will definitely be referral links, but I'm fine with that.

I'm ok paying NewEgg's (sometimes) slightly higher prices because they took the time to put together a good search.

I stopped buying from Newegg. Firstly when I made two identical orders once (I intended to get two hard drives, only got one, so ordered the second a few hours later when I noticed), they _silently_ deleted one of them with no indication of what happened, leaving no record of it in my account. This was _after_ I had a purchase confirmation email for both orders. CS was unwilling to apply the now-expired sale price to a new order when I contacted them. Secondly, when someone bought a $3000 camera on my account (had no credit cards attached, they used a gift card) Newegg closed my account when I reported it, and I now cannot use my primary email account with them, as there's an existing closed account with that address. I consider both of these to be their fault--yes, I could have checked my account more often, but I generally rely on email communications for online purchases; and my account could have been restored by resetting password and logging out existing sessions.
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