Amazon, WalMart and Sam's Club ??????

[JRTJH]

Amazon, WalMart and Sam's Club ??????

I just got an email (really SPAM) from Amazon advertising Member's Mark products on the Amazon website.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01KY22LFU/ref=pe_850130_247526900_em_1p_0_ti

It sure looks like Amazon is growing so fast they are "consuming" products that were "exclusively WalMart brand" in the past.... Not sure if this is an indicator of "things to come" or whether it's just another signal that buying Amazon stock is a "hedge against inflation" LOL

[Ductape]

I'm confident Amazon will rule the world one day.... ;)

[JRTJH]

On the news just now, Lester Holt reported that the founder of Amazon, "briefly surpassed Bill Gates" as the richest man in the world. Apparently it was just for a few hours and then Amazon's stock took a dip and he's again "second place".... I'm betting neither of them will be at a local RV dealership looking for a Keystone this weekend with his "newfound wealth" :whistling:

[hankpage]

John, I asked Alexa and she said that you should buy the stock and soon be towing your boat with a Prevost MH. :nonono:

[JRTJH]

John, I asked Alexa and she said that you should buy the stock and soon be towing your boat with a Prevost MH. :nonono:

There was a time when I might have taken that kind of risk. What the heck, I had "forever" to earn back the losses. Now, with my only "earnings" being an occasional 24 hour shift working the ER, I don't think I'd ever hear the end of it if I "lost the DW's security blanket" LOL

[dcg9381]

Amazon is taking a run at selling products "at" cost for 3rd parties and they are taking a loss on it. They're looking to expand into product markets that they've been unable to get.

The deal is that once these companies become dependent on the Amazon sales, Amazon can make changes to the pricing structure...

[kfxgreenie]

Amazon is doing the same thing to the Brick and Motor box stores, that the Brick and Mortar boxes did to the mom and pop shops. In the end the consumer looses real "service".

[Outback 325BH]

If mom and pop stores didn't charge too much, they would have survived.

Competition is good.

I never understood the small town mentality that tries to protect the old hardware store that cost way more than the bigger stores... and that prevents the bigger stores from coming into town.

So you put a few people out of work. You are also hiring several hundred. Somehow those don't count?

If "service " (something the mom and pop defenders profess) really matters, there is a void and an entrepreneur will come in and fill it. Most of the time, the "service " that the mom and pip provided was nice, but not really necessary and people generally don't want to pay for.


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[JRTJH]

About 3 years ago I needed to buy 3 new spindles for my mower deck. I went to the "local" (about 30 miles away) small engine repair shop (mom and pop operation). They didn't have them, but could order them for me. Cost was $89 each and they would be on the truck next week. If I wanted to pay $50 shipping I could get them in 3 days. So, either choice meant another 60 mile trip to pick them up, and would cost $270 next week or $320 if I picked them up Saturday morning before they closed at noon.

I checked Amazon, the same Oregon spindles were $28 each with free 2 day shipping (Prime). So it really wasn't a choice of supporting local business and waiting a week. I ordered from Amazon and was "up and mowing" before the earliest I could have had the parts from a local source at a cost less than 1/3 the local price.

Needless to say, that small engine repair shop is out of business, they closed their doors last year (lack of business and decided to retire). Sometimes, as outback325 said, "If mom and pop stores didn't charge too much, they would have survived." At least I'd have probably bought locally if the cost has been closer to "a wash"......

[kfxgreenie]

I understand completely your sentiments and I admit I myself go to Amazon for purchases. I even purchase for our retail customers items on Amazon and charge them a small $ convenience fee for me to do it rather than scare them with a price from the parts distributors after shipping. Our family business started selling TV's in 1974. There were good times, OK times, and now no times as far as TV's go. At the start of the flat screen things were OK again. One could cut the margins and compete with the box stores even though you were buying from a distributor. Then came along amazon selling products for a few percentage points over factory direct cost. That forced best buy and alike to do the same and lower their margins. It got to a point the last 2 years as a retailer we could purchase the TV from Best Buy or Amazon cheaper than the distributor. A few months ago I finally pulled the plug after loosing $ selling Televisions the last few years. Businesses have to survive and adapt but there is only so much margin a brick and mortar store can cut before things go the wrong way. Your customer base is much smaller than the WWW and your overhead is much larger than someone running a warehouse and a website. Times have changed some for the better some for the worse. When sears flops over it will be a sign of the times.

[gearhead]

On the news just now, Lester Holt reported that the founder of Amazon, "briefly surpassed Bill Gates" as the richest man in the world. Apparently it was just for a few hours and then Amazon's stock took a dip and he's again "second place".... I'm betting neither of them will be at a local RV dealership looking for a Keystone this weekend with his "newfound wealth" :whistling:
Wouldn't it be a hoot if they did buy a Keystone RV, or about any other brand, realized what junk they are and developed a quality RV, that we could afford.

[Desert185]

Bill Gates and his wife each own a his and her's jet for their personal use. I once saw both jets parked next to each other at the same airport. I can't see them owning an RV, especially with him being so recognizable. They're living life on another level.

[theeyres]

If mom and pop stores didn't charge too much, they would have survived.

Competition is good.

I never understood the small town mentality that tries to protect the old hardware store that cost way more than the bigger stores... and that prevents the bigger stores from coming into town.

So you put a few people out of work. You are also hiring several hundred. Somehow those don't count?

If "service " (something the mom and pop defenders profess) really matters, there is a void and an entrepreneur will come in and fill it. Most of the time, the "service " that the mom and pip provided was nice, but not really necessary and people generally don't want to pay for.


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X2 you don't here this often and I totally agree.

[notanlines]

Yes, I suppose shopping at Home Depot is a much better experience than stopping at Fred and Jan's Hardware Store. I'd much prefer to walk for half a mile finding my nails then to park right outside the door. And am I stopping at Mary's Café and Pub for breakfast? Not on your life. I'm on my way to Burger King for the wonderful Denver omelet. Excuse me, but I seem to have my tongue stuck in my cheek. Oh, and my head stuck up my butt also.
Yes, I do get in Menard's probably as much as most people. Never at McDonalds, but at Popeye's Chicken on occasion.

[jsmith948]

When I was a lad - a lonnng time ago - Sears, Roebuck & Co. had a very small, bricks & mortar store in Newton, N.J. The store was great for hand tools and small appliances and J.C. Higgins shotguns and ammo - but - anything larger like refrigerators or stoves or furnaces or David Bradley garden equipment, etc. Had to be ordered from the catalog. You could have it shipped direct to your home or pick it up at the store. It seems my family did a lot of their shopping at Sears. Then the company did away with catalog sales, built larger stores that never seemed to be adequately staffed (like Lowe's and Home Depot?) and the prices went up to pay for the huge stores. Now Sears is all but gone and Walmart is scrambling to compete with the 'Mother of all Catalog Stores' Amazon. Seems like the more things change, the more they stay the same?

[kfxgreenie]

Ran across something today on facebook that had this thread all over it.

Several small communities in our area recently were hit hard by flooding after 5-7 inches of rain overnight and the ground already being saturated. Below is a post from one business owner trying to rebuild after the flood, this is his experience with a small town hardware store.

"Today I am working on vehicle repair and property repair, today and just about every week my projects eventually send me to Hardware Hank in Wilton. If they don't have what I need, they ALWAYS order it for me at no additional cost. They have even started stocking items they previously didn't at my request. Today I needed quite a few items, and they donated every single thing I needed. These are good people and they deserve recognition for their generosity and good business practices. Lets give them some more business and a few more kind words for all they do for us!"

You just don't find these kind of story's coming out of a Box Store, let alone an online retailer.

[Outback 325BH]

Ran across something today on facebook that had this thread all over it.

Several small communities in our area recently were hit hard by flooding after 5-7 inches of rain overnight and the ground already being saturated. Below is a post from one business owner trying to rebuild after the flood, this is his experience with a small town hardware store.

"Today I am working on vehicle repair and property repair, today and just about every week my projects eventually send me to Hardware Hank in Wilton. If they don't have what I need, they ALWAYS order it for me at no additional cost. They have even started stocking items they previously didn't at my request. Today I needed quite a few items, and they donated every single thing I needed. These are good people and they deserve recognition for their generosity and good business practices. Lets give them some more business and a few more kind words for all they do for us!"

You just don't find these kind of story's coming out of a Box Store.



Yes, but like you said, they don't have items in stock and have to order. That is usually not an issue with bigger stores. The bigger stores are usually cheaper too.

And then there is Amazon. You can have anything you want in two days free shipping. Returns are easy too.

Generally, mom and pop shops donating to the community is a sign they overcharge... and also has some underlying motives. There is more to it than just being nice. They generally are trying to maintain some status and control over the community.

Keep your donations, I want best prices throughout the year.

Mom and pop being nice to Joe doesn't do squat for Harry.


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[kfxgreenie]

Mom and pop are only 10 miles down the road from said business and a box is about an hour one way. Time is money when you need the small thing here and there. Until you've experienced what it is like living in a small community when a small community comes together, one is not thankful for what one has. I'll pay a few bucks more for the convince of the small business having the parts I need on hand or 1 day turn around vs wasting over an hour and a half to drive to a box and back (who probably don't have the odd part either). Most of the time the fuel used alone negates any savings. Different strokes for different folks. And no when the "mom and pop" donate it is not because they "overcharge" They are giving back to their "stock holders" just in a different way than corporate America.

[the sodfather]

Yes, but like you said, they don't have items in stock and have to order. That is usually not an issue with bigger stores. The bigger stores are usually cheaper too.

And then there is Amazon. You can have anything you want in two days free shipping. Returns are easy too.

Generally, mom and pop shops donating to the community is a sign they overcharge... and also has some underlying motives. There is more to it than just being nice. They generally are trying to maintain some status and control over the community.

Keep your donations, I want best prices throughout the year.

Mom and pop being nice to Joe doesn't do squat for Harry.


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Meh, I can't agree with all this. I actually believe some folks/business owners have a heart and care about the community that supports them. Maybe it's different in Illinois vs. Texas. I can't answer that because I've never been there. I've seen Oprah give back. Maybe she's the only one? I doubt it. The other day, we were camping and needed a 30 amp to 15 amp converter. I called a local RV dealer. He told me to order it online or buy the adapter at the local hardware store. Campco brand part. $5.29 and when I got there (local mom and pop hardware store) it was waiting for me at the register. Anyway, the great thing about America is that we are all allowed to have an opinion.

[ctbruce]

Meh, I can't agree with all this. I actually believe some folks/business owners have a heart and care about the community that supports them. Maybe it's different in Illinois vs. Texas. I can't answer that because I've never been there. I've seen Oprah give back. Maybe she's the only one? I doubt it. The other day, we were camping and needed a 30 amp to 15 amp converter. I called a local RV dealer. He told me to order it online or buy the adapter at the local hardware store. Campco brand part. $5.29 and when I got there (local mom and pop hardware store) it was waiting for me at the register. Anyway, the great thing about America is that we are all allowed to have an opinion.Illinois is way different than any place you can imagine, especially the metro east across from St. Louis. I left there (Belleville ) in 1979 and would never go back except to visit family and friends. Trust me, it's a different world.

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