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Great idea, brick and mortar retail. That looks ought to help speed up your Amazon-sponsored demise. Amazon's return policy is so flexible it sets a very high b

Great idea, brick and mortar retail. That looks ought to help speed up your Amazon-sponsored demise. Amazon's return policy is so flexible it sets a very high bar for customer service

ConceptJunkie 9y ago
Amazon is, or was until very recently, running at a loss. Most companies can't afford to do that for long.
- jazoom 9y ago
  This behaviour is illegal in Australia and many retailers still manage to make a profit.
- hidenotslide 9y ago
  Depends how you define loss, a lot of people would disagree with you. They have had significant positive free cash flow for a long time, over a decade at least.[1] But since they reinvest the profits this becomes low net income. [1] https://ycharts.com/companies/AMZN/free_cash_flow https://ycharts.com/companies/AMZN/free_cash_flow
- skellera 9y ago
  https://www.recode.net/2018/2/1/16961598/amazon-jeff-bezos-record-profit-11-quarter-q4-2017-earnings https://www.recode.net/2018/2/1/16961598/amazon-jeff-bezos-r...
vkou 9y ago
So, regular Amazon customers are subsidising customers that are abusing returns? And you, as a regular customer are happy for this? Why? Also, if you think Amazon won't use a secret, proprietary algorithm to identify and ban people abusing their return policies (with limited to no appeal or recourse), I have a bridge to sell you.
- chillwaves 9y ago
  Funny how folks complain about pricing built in to account for things like return policy but not much a peep about pricing that accounts for profits to share holders. It is even funnier because only one of those expenses provides a competitive advantage in the market. You are correct, customers at Amazon pay for the operation that is known as Amazon and their policies, such as generous returns. Customers also shop there for the convenience of those returns.
  - vkou 9y ago
    I don't shop at Amazon so that I can rent things for free. I've also never had a problem with a B&M store accepting returns. Perhaps someday, a B&M store's algorithm will flag me as a problem customer. It's just as likely that Amazon will, though.
detaro 9y ago
Amazon also bans people that their algorithm says return too much (by closing their accounts entirely), and they'll probably block the rest of your household at the same time, and it needed courts to force them to let people still access digital stuff they already owned (Kindle ebooks, Audible audiobook downloads, ...). They are nice and customer-friendly, until you trip the wrong rule.
- xenihn 9y ago
  I only know one person who this happened to (the ban). It took a somewhat ridiculous amount of abuse on their part. Like thousands of dollars worth of PC parts being used and returned.
astura 9y ago
Amazon does exactly the same thing as best buy, except it's worse, because they don't suspended your return prevliages for 365 days, they just ban you from Amazon forever.
- astura 9y ago
  More information: https://www.theguardian.com/money/2016/mar/18/banned-by-amazon-returning-faulty-goods-blocked-credit-balance https://www.theguardian.com/money/2016/mar/18/banned-by-amaz... https://www.reddit.com/r/amazon/comments/6m0z8e/amazon_banned_me/ https://www.reddit.com/r/amazon/comments/6m0z8e/amazon_banne... https://www.nbcchicago.com/news/local/Amazon-Bans-Woman-For-Life-Over-Too-Many-Returns-388199532.html https://www.nbcchicago.com/news/local/Amazon-Bans-Woman-For-... https://m.huffpost.com/us/entry/9695332 https://m.huffpost.com/us/entry/9695332

Great idea, brick and mortar retail. That looks ought to help speed up your Amazon-sponsored demise. Amazon's return policy is so flexible it sets a very high bar for customer service

ConceptJunkie 9y ago

Amazon is, or was until very recently, running at a loss. Most companies can't afford to do that for long.

jazoom 9y ago
This behaviour is illegal in Australia and many retailers still manage to make a profit.
hidenotslide 9y ago
Depends how you define loss, a lot of people would disagree with you. They have had significant positive free cash flow for a long time, over a decade at least.[1] But since they reinvest the profits this becomes low net income. [1] https://ycharts.com/companies/AMZN/free_cash_flow https://ycharts.com/companies/AMZN/free_cash_flow
skellera 9y ago
https://www.recode.net/2018/2/1/16961598/amazon-jeff-bezos-record-profit-11-quarter-q4-2017-earnings https://www.recode.net/2018/2/1/16961598/amazon-jeff-bezos-r...

vkou 9y ago

So, regular Amazon customers are subsidising customers that are abusing returns? And you, as a regular customer are happy for this? Why? Also, if you think Amazon won't use a secret, proprietary algorithm to identify and ban people abusing their return policies (with limited to no appeal or recourse), I have a bridge to sell you.

chillwaves 9y ago
Funny how folks complain about pricing built in to account for things like return policy but not much a peep about pricing that accounts for profits to share holders. It is even funnier because only one of those expenses provides a competitive advantage in the market. You are correct, customers at Amazon pay for the operation that is known as Amazon and their policies, such as generous returns. Customers also shop there for the convenience of those returns.
- vkou 9y ago
  I don't shop at Amazon so that I can rent things for free. I've also never had a problem with a B&M store accepting returns. Perhaps someday, a B&M store's algorithm will flag me as a problem customer. It's just as likely that Amazon will, though.

detaro 9y ago

Amazon also bans people that their algorithm says return too much (by closing their accounts entirely), and they'll probably block the rest of your household at the same time, and it needed courts to force them to let people still access digital stuff they already owned (Kindle ebooks, Audible audiobook downloads, ...). They are nice and customer-friendly, until you trip the wrong rule.

xenihn 9y ago
I only know one person who this happened to (the ban). It took a somewhat ridiculous amount of abuse on their part. Like thousands of dollars worth of PC parts being used and returned.

astura 9y ago

Amazon does exactly the same thing as best buy, except it's worse, because they don't suspended your return prevliages for 365 days, they just ban you from Amazon forever.

astura 9y ago
More information: https://www.theguardian.com/money/2016/mar/18/banned-by-amazon-returning-faulty-goods-blocked-credit-balance https://www.theguardian.com/money/2016/mar/18/banned-by-amaz... https://www.reddit.com/r/amazon/comments/6m0z8e/amazon_banned_me/ https://www.reddit.com/r/amazon/comments/6m0z8e/amazon_banne... https://www.nbcchicago.com/news/local/Amazon-Bans-Woman-For-Life-Over-Too-Many-Returns-388199532.html https://www.nbcchicago.com/news/local/Amazon-Bans-Woman-For-... https://m.huffpost.com/us/entry/9695332 https://m.huffpost.com/us/entry/9695332