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posted by
Fnord666
on Wednesday October 18 2017, @07:37AM
from the stick-your-purchases-in-your-boot-for-you? dept.
from the stick-your-purchases-in-your-boot-for-you? dept.
In the minds of mobile shoppers, where is the line between convenience and personal space/privacy? We now have two retailers — Walmart and Amazon, the giants of in-store and online shopping, respectively — separately testing programs to deliver purchases directly into your home or your car trunk when the shopper is nowhere near.
Both efforts rely on mobile devices connecting shoppers to the scene of the delivery, where customers can theoretically watch the delivery in real time. It isn't practical or likely, but that's the idea. Mobile is what justifies these attempts.
Does the trunk of your car really make for a more secure delivery, or is it multiplying insecurities?
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Amazon Wants to Deliver Purchases to Your Car Trunk
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The existence of god implies a violation of causality.
(Score: 2) by DannyB on Wednesday October 18 2017, @06:42PM (1 child)
There are several giant problems with physical retail that make Amazon attractive.
Shelves so high up that product cannot be reached.
Re-arranging of the store. I used to know exactly where in the store to get everything I wanted. Now it's all moved around. It's almost as if . . . they wanted to make me stay in the store longer.
Disappearance of good products. You find a product you like. Use it for years. Suddenly it goes away and is replaced by a similar but clearly inferior product at a similar price. Why not keep the old product and raise the price? Now I have to find another place that sells the product I want and was buying for years.
Too many variations on a product making it very difficult to find the one you want.
* Windows Home Basic
* Windows with Tartar Control
* Windows with Baking Soda
* Windows with Peroxide
* Windows Extra Whitening
* Windows White 3D1
* etc
On Amazon, I can find the product I want and bookmark it. Or simply find it from my past orders and re-order it.
On Amazon, I can find an even larger selection than in big box retail, but I can look at it in comfort rather than in a store. Standing and walking. Or having to hunt for it in multiple stores, involving more driving, parking, standing, walking, hunting, wild goose chase, etc.
Now a local grocer will let me shop on line. Select when I want to pick up. Text me when it is ready for pick up. I can drive up. Pop the tailgate. Have it loaded without having to get out of the vehicle. And if I spend over $100 (easy to do) this service is free. Otherwise, about $3. Incredibly worth it. And I don't mind if the stores prices are a wee bit higher. I'm paying for convenience. Just like having grocery checkers that actually bag groceries, and have more than one check out line open, and don't try to force me into self check out. (One time, I abandoned my cart and just walked out when nothing but self check out was open.)
So I don't have too much pity for retailers that compete with Amazon. There are retailers that DO make my retail shopping experience worthwhile. (And they don't have "How May I Hurt You" smocks.) There are retailers that are looking at ways to compete with Amazon. Hint: this is a GOOD thing.
1(because 3D toothpaste works so much better than toothpaste that works in only two dimensions. Next they need to incorporate the word "digital" into a toothpaste name.)
When trying to solve a problem don't ask who suffers from the problem, ask who profits from the problem.
(Score: 2) by kazzie on Wednesday October 18 2017, @08:44PM
How about digidental?