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I've stopped shopping at Amazon for most of the day to day things that I need for exactly the reasons the author brings up. Paper towels? I'll pay the extra $1.

I've stopped shopping at Amazon for most of the day to day things that I need for exactly the reasons the author brings up. Paper towels? I'll pay the extra $1.20 to know that I'm not accidentally buying a 500 pack or ordering from China and it'll take nine weeks. The toothbrushes I'm buying on Amazon might be $4 with free shipping but I immediately question its authenticity. I've bought enough junk that's turned out to be a scam[0] that it's just easier to buy the same thing in a store. At least 15% of my one-off purchases have turned out to be regrettable. Hell, I even poked my head into one of the Facebook groups of sellers and "buyers" gaming the algorithm to see what it's about, and couldn't be more astounded to find that _everything_ on Amazon is being gamed. Everything you can buy is being replaced with knock-off junk. Amazon's greatest asset, its convenience, has become outweighed by its low quality bar for me. It's a real disappointment. The massive influx of utter garbage has made everyday purchases risky, and it's an easy risk to avoid. [0] I once bought a shirt that was physically impossible to put on for any human being with a head diameter greater than 10cm.

zarriak 8y ago
I think the inherent problem is that no site should be as big as Amazon is current. It just has insane mindshare. There is a shop 3 miles from the Buzzfeed offices that has one listed on their website for 37 cents more than Amazon charges, it seems absurd to me not to go to actual stores when buying in domains where the employees would have knowledge. Two things are happening: 1.) There are probably millions of searches that don't work. These would work normally if you asked someone who worked at a brick and mortar store that had domain experience. 2.) Amazon has half of all online purchases but many of those are from customer loyalty that was earned in areas that do not constitute the absolute majority of purchases most people (at least on HN) make. Also I went through two years of personal and business Amazon purchases and literally couldn't remember a time when I had an issue. Especially after the last HN discussion made about this I realized just how much I still buy in brick and mortar.
puranjay 8y ago
I'm just doing less online shopping in general. I realize I buy less crap and end up spending on better quality products if I go in store.

zarriak 8y ago

I think the inherent problem is that no site should be as big as Amazon is current. It just has insane mindshare. There is a shop 3 miles from the Buzzfeed offices that has one listed on their website for 37 cents more than Amazon charges, it seems absurd to me not to go to actual stores when buying in domains where the employees would have knowledge. Two things are happening: 1.) There are probably millions of searches that don't work. These would work normally if you asked someone who worked at a brick and mortar store that had domain experience. 2.) Amazon has half of all online purchases but many of those are from customer loyalty that was earned in areas that do not constitute the absolute majority of purchases most people (at least on HN) make. Also I went through two years of personal and business Amazon purchases and literally couldn't remember a time when I had an issue. Especially after the last HN discussion made about this I realized just how much I still buy in brick and mortar.

puranjay 8y ago

I'm just doing less online shopping in general. I realize I buy less crap and end up spending on better quality products if I go in store.