07-26-2019, 05:51 PM | #46 | |
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Going back quite a few years, at one point, I used to order paperbacks that I couldn't get in the town I was living in from order forms in the final pages of other paperbacks (Ace for an example). That practice was dropped due to inventory taxes making it too expensive to keep older stock around. |
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07-26-2019, 07:36 PM | #47 | |
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sBEajQWy-LU Barry |
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07-26-2019, 07:51 PM | #48 | |
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I get free shipping on most stuff with my Prime account. That does cost $120 a year but that's cheaper than paying someone to give me a ride to Walmart. And if I want to return something they'll send UPS or someone to my door to pick it up. I have no easy way to get things to the post office. So is it better? You bet it's better for me. That's not true for everyone, of course, but it does seem to be true for a lot of people. And better yet is the fact that Walmart and Amazon are competing heavily. We customers win that competition. Walmart is a lot smarter than B&N. They've done sleazy things in the past and made serious mistakes but unlike B&N they've learned from them and now they give excellent service. I wonder what their service would be like if Amazon wasn't also giving excellent service. Neither Amazon nor Walmart or any other retailer can decide who wins that competition. Customers do. I personally think what's happening right now in retail is pretty nice. Barry |
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07-26-2019, 07:58 PM | #49 |
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True hackers have changed. When I got into programming in the late 1960s a hacker was the programmer in the shop that the other programmers went to when they couldn't figure out how to solve a problem. He was the guy who could hack together a solution to just about anything. Not every shop had a hacker but the ones who did had an edge.
When people began looking for ways to break into computers or corrupt computers and the press got wind of it they mistakenly called these guys hackers. Probably because they misunderstood something in an interview. The name stuck. But real hackers are really just very good programmers, the press be damned. It's probably also worth noting that viruses began in unix, which is what both BSD and Linux eventually grew out of. Barry |
07-26-2019, 08:00 PM | #50 | |
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Also most stores today offer shopping programs where they bring the stuff right to your door the day of. From groceries to general merchandise. Not to different from the days when the grocery clerk delivered. I also still believe that Amazon prices are pretty much online with physical retailers. Sd cards and cables can be bought cheaply anywhere now. $5 below is a good example. Last edited by Tony1988; 07-26-2019 at 08:02 PM. |
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07-26-2019, 08:51 PM | #51 | |
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07-26-2019, 10:09 PM | #52 |
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Deleted.
Last edited by Pajamaman; 07-27-2019 at 08:20 AM. |
07-26-2019, 11:39 PM | #53 | |
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Also, not too far away another mall was created that was more modern & had more stuff for people with a bit more money; the mall is about 10 min away by freeway. Then a recent shopping area was developed that seems to cater to the more affluent judging from the shops; the uppity shopping area is between the 2 malls. A 3rd mall (new) is also thriving as it also catered more to the affluent. Downtown shopping isn't attracting that many people from the bedroom communities. And importantly, people don't 'dress up' much any more; & so clothing stores are not doing as well as pre-Jobs. I only wear jeans & polo shirts! no ironing. I've seen people running around in pajama bottoms or sweatpants which means less sales for store as dressing up to go to downtown to shop is no longer 'fashionable'(?). Another thing is parking in the city center is bad especially since it require payment for a hard to space, including the parking metered space. Like many things, malls needed to be remodeled. Buildings in shopping areas are being remodeled/updated & is done easier than a monolithic mall. |
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07-27-2019, 06:09 AM | #54 | |
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Last edited by DuckieTigger; 07-27-2019 at 06:33 AM. Reason: Oops, misspelled author, |
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07-27-2019, 07:14 AM | #55 | |
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Last edited by drofgnal; 08-03-2019 at 06:55 AM. |
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07-27-2019, 07:56 AM | #56 |
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I think where the author went wrong, as regards amazon lovers, was to say "Amazon" instead of "online retail." But there is no doubt that online retail has massively hurt physical stores. A cursory search reveals that Amazon controls between 40-50% of online retail aproximately, and is the single biggest player. So what the author said, regardless of his motives, is largely true.
Last edited by Pajamaman; 07-27-2019 at 08:19 AM. |
07-27-2019, 09:26 AM | #57 | |
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Last edited by darryl; 07-27-2019 at 07:59 PM. |
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07-27-2019, 01:33 PM | #58 |
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Amazon should absolutely be investigated. Doesn't mean they should be convicted, but certainly looked into.
As with Msft back in the '90's....today's winners are both out competing/innovating AND engaging in anti-competitive behavior. Amazon has out competed and out innovated in the FULFILLMENT aspect of online commerce. Their "all you can eat shipping" for $125, Amazon Prime was genius. All the money they've invested in fulfillment centers, trucking, etc. etc. that's made "two day shipping" the baseline with one day and same time coming on strong. Very tough to compete with. I buy a lot from Amazon that I would buy from stores but it's more convenient to wait two days (or one day) than it is to drive to the store. However, I still believe that Amazon used predatory pricing when launching the Kindle and putting all the NYT's best sellers on sale for $9.99. That made selling ebooks unprofitable for anybody else. It threatened the business models of the suppliers of those books. It would have kept Apple from entering the market (and anybody else) as nobody can compete against "losing money". I do hope that this investigation will revisit that situation. Apple was said to have colluded with the publishers...but the judge specifically ruled out even considering whether or not Amazon's practices where anti-competitive. They were. Another area that needs attention is when a platform provider also uses the platform. Google selling ads and competing with it's own services against those buying ads. The accusation (likely to be true) is that Google favors it's own properties in an unfair, anti-competitive way. Apple will fall under this same scrutiny for the App store. There is no doubt it is a conflict of interest for Apple to sell iBooks and want to charge Amazon 30% to sell Kindle books via the Kindle app. Amazon and Google both use the data they collect from their platforms to steer which services and products they sell. If that data isn't available for others....is that anti-competitive? I'm thinking of Amazon's growing collection of products that they make and market themselves. I realize that grocery stores have long sold house brands alongside the national brand name consumer products goods. Still, it's an area worthy of considering in terms of open and fair competition. It's not having a platform that one company controls that's a problem IMHO. It's HOW they go about using that same platform as a competitor on it. As it relates to book stores....I think for the most part, that was the result of Amazon coming up with a better mouse trap. Pretty much all the books, priced well, and delivered quickly. |
07-27-2019, 01:48 PM | #59 |
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Regarding ebooks, I used to buy most of my ebooks from B&N as my 1st ebook reader was the 1st gen Nook & was one of the lucky ones that got it before Xmas on the 1st shipment. I stopped buying from B&N when I encountered the suicidal action by B&N in not letting anyone download the ebook, easily or with trauma. I also stopped looking at Google books because I also was unable to download an ebook, turns out that it was a "text book". I do not care in either case as I do not want to be tied to an internet connection in order to read MY purchased ebook.
Obviously, Amazon is "monopolizing" the ebook business by default & with full cooperation from other ebook sellers. To me, the demise of the "shopping malls" is just the single structure enclosed malls. I do see the rise of many open air shopping malls(?); the open air shopping areas is like shopping in 'downtown' as on has to brave the elements between stores/buildings & traverse down different streets/walkways instead of one long walkway. The times & preferences/customs have changed. It is easier to update/refresh an open air shopping area than a "mall"; even easier to do add-ons. |
07-27-2019, 03:58 PM | #60 |
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I think it is pretty clear that the impact of technology has been, over a long period of time, to replace a large number of jobs with a smaller number of higher skilled jobs.
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amazon, anti-trust, competition, monopoly |
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