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I suspect it's partially in American thing. In most European cities, the shops are around the corner. There's little effort involved, so Amazon doesn't sufficie
by rickmb 14y ago
I suspect it's partially in American thing. In most European cities, the shops are around the corner. There's little effort involved, so Amazon doesn't sufficiently offset the advantages of instant gratification and being able to physically see stuff to make such a dramatic impact. Also, the different European attitude towards regulation has resulted in many cities actively protecting the kind of independent stores that make local shopping different from anonymous shopping malls full of the same franchises.
There are plenty of areas in which brick-and-mortar shops will take a hit from online competitors, but I suspect the impact in Europe will be considerably smaller than in the land of strip malls and Wal-Marts, where commercial efficiency has already trumped the "user experience", and Amazon is simply a better option with few disadvantages.
- Tichy 14y agoCan't say I agree - shopping feels like a huge waste of time to me. Living in a big city in Europe, but still a shopping trip will take at least 1h. Of course for other people it is heaven.
- rickmb 14y agoOne hour still beats same day delivery on every front except having to put on pants and leave the house. People for whom that isn't a barrier form a considerable market (albeit that they may be underrepresented on HN...) But also, same day delivery is logistically near impossible and quite expensive in exactly those cities for exactly the same reasons. The density doesn't make them car friendly, and certainly not delivery van friendly.
- Tichy 14y agoMaybe, though I have to say same day delivery is not really the most important aspect to me. For example we get a box of groceries delivered once per week, which is a huge time saver. In general, any kind of thing I can get delivered I will probably prefer - within ecological bounds, but I think delivery vans might not even be that bad. Certainly more efficient than people driving to the mall by car, I presume.
- alanfalcon 14y agoOnline shopping gives you a wide selection, instant access to customer reviews, easy price comparison, no hassle from salesmen, and other conveniences besides the painless shopping experience.
- jrabone 14y agoPerhaps the rest of Europe is better. As a UK resident I hope they absolutely crush the high street "experience" as it is in many large UK towns - which I find suffers from the exactly the same triumph of cost cutting over customer service that you're citing as a factor in the US. I'd rather see the high streets grassed over and turned into city centre parks. Or slabbed over and turned into parking, in some places. I would buy everything online and have it delivered given the chance. I already buy most clothes, shoes, electronics, media, computer hardware, groceries, and a lot of it comes from Amazon already.