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It'd not even that I care much about small deviations--I just don't trust that something really crazy won't happen if I put it on autopilot. If I walk into Walm

by ghaff 2y ago

It'd not even that I care much about small deviations--I just don't trust that something really crazy won't happen if I put it on autopilot. If I walk into Walmart and grab a big armful of Bounty I'm fairly confident things will be fine.

bsimpson 2y ago
I'm in the process of moving. I thought maybe I'd give Prime Day a try and send some soaps ahead to my new place. In my last apartment, I used Method's pump-dispenser laundry detergent and their basil-scented kitchen hand soap. Amazon is selling the laundry detergent for $75 and the hand soap for $15. I'm guessing Method discontinued the SKUs I was used to, and there's some leftover stock on Amazon with crazy prices.
- ssl-3 2y ago
  Or: There's third-parties that are selling the stuff at seemingly-outrageous prices just because there aren't other sellers moving them in large, efficient [at least pallet-sized] quantities on Amazon. People sometimes want whatever they want, and some people are willing to pay a lot for whatever that is. That is not necessarily abusive. eg, I like sardines, and there's some very particular sardines that I'm rather fond of. I'd love to pay $1 or $2 per tin for them, but I'll also pay $6 per tin for them if I must when they just aren't available otherwise for whatever reason. Much of this can be explained with just supply and demand. Don't even ask me about the price of Heinz canned beans in tomato juice or bottles of HP Sauce in grocery stores in my part of Ohio. They're inexpensive staples in some parts of the world, but if I can even find them here they're ludicrously expensive. Amazon (and third-party sellers using Amazon) are no different than my local grocer is in that particular way. Back in context of TFA: The problem isn't that things can be expensive; the problem is primarily that one must be able to easily compare prices and products, and an Alexa device is presently a terrible interface for letting that happen. (The Amazon website is also sometimes not very good at this, even on a real computer.)
prepend 2y ago
I switched to Walmart a few years ago and their online experience has been more consistent. Although I detect it’s starting to drift as they switch to a “marketplace” approach similar to Amazon.
- bombcar 2y ago
  The marketplace stuff is the killer and downfall of any online shopping experience. Right now Walmart is easy enough to search and target and Home Depot are pretty good too, but once they start really focusing on the marketplace where they just make money with no expenses then it all goes to hell.
- code_duck 2y ago
  Ordering items from the system where you are buying products from a local Walmart store for pickup or delivery works very well. I find their Amazon-style marketplace chaotic, high priced and fairly useless, though.

by ghaff 2y ago

bsimpson 2y ago

I'm in the process of moving. I thought maybe I'd give Prime Day a try and send some soaps ahead to my new place. In my last apartment, I used Method's pump-dispenser laundry detergent and their basil-scented kitchen hand soap. Amazon is selling the laundry detergent for $75 and the hand soap for $15. I'm guessing Method discontinued the SKUs I was used to, and there's some leftover stock on Amazon with crazy prices.

ssl-3 2y ago
Or: There's third-parties that are selling the stuff at seemingly-outrageous prices just because there aren't other sellers moving them in large, efficient [at least pallet-sized] quantities on Amazon. People sometimes want whatever they want, and some people are willing to pay a lot for whatever that is. That is not necessarily abusive. eg, I like sardines, and there's some very particular sardines that I'm rather fond of. I'd love to pay $1 or $2 per tin for them, but I'll also pay $6 per tin for them if I must when they just aren't available otherwise for whatever reason. Much of this can be explained with just supply and demand. Don't even ask me about the price of Heinz canned beans in tomato juice or bottles of HP Sauce in grocery stores in my part of Ohio. They're inexpensive staples in some parts of the world, but if I can even find them here they're ludicrously expensive. Amazon (and third-party sellers using Amazon) are no different than my local grocer is in that particular way. Back in context of TFA: The problem isn't that things can be expensive; the problem is primarily that one must be able to easily compare prices and products, and an Alexa device is presently a terrible interface for letting that happen. (The Amazon website is also sometimes not very good at this, even on a real computer.)

prepend 2y ago

I switched to Walmart a few years ago and their online experience has been more consistent. Although I detect it’s starting to drift as they switch to a “marketplace” approach similar to Amazon.

bombcar 2y ago
The marketplace stuff is the killer and downfall of any online shopping experience. Right now Walmart is easy enough to search and target and Home Depot are pretty good too, but once they start really focusing on the marketplace where they just make money with no expenses then it all goes to hell.
code_duck 2y ago
Ordering items from the system where you are buying products from a local Walmart store for pickup or delivery works very well. I find their Amazon-style marketplace chaotic, high priced and fairly useless, though.