I Went to Jared - Why Brick and Mortar Loses to Amazon

[MineralMan]

My wife has a birthday coming up very shortly. So, I decided to give her something gold and sparkly this year. I was out to do my grocery shopping and I noticed a Jared "Galleria of Jewelry" store, so I stopped in.

When I came into the store, there were no other customers and several salespeople, so I wandered over to the display cases, looking for the earrings I had decided on as a gift. I quickly found a showcase like that and was looking at them. "Excuse me...Did you sign in?" It was a man standing behind me. "What?" I said. "You have to sign in." I said, "I'm just here to buy some earrings." The man insisted once again that I had to "sign in." I suppose they wanted my contact information so they could pester me with ads. I don't know, but I said, "No, I do not need to 'sign in.' I need to leave." And I did.

I thought that was weird. However, I more or less shrugged it off. I remembered that there was a Kohl's department store on my way to the supermarket, so I stopped there and went in. As usual, the jewelry counter was right across from the entrance. The Kohl's was not busy, either. I walked over, found the earrings and was checking them out. "60% OFF!" the signs said. Jewelry at Kohl's always seems to be 60% off, for some reason. Anyhow, I saw a couple of pairs of earrings that would work for me, so I looked up to get the attention of a salesperson. Wait...there wasn't one. There was nobody working inside the jewelry counter enclosure. I looked around to see if someone was nearby, but saw nobody. So, Kohl's has its jewelry area right across from the entrance, since it's a profit center for the store, but there was nobody working there. Nobody to help a willing customer. I left that store, too, and did my grocery shopping.

Then after I put the groceries away I got on my computer, navigated to Amazon.com, searched for diamond stud earrings and found dozens of them in all sizes and colors of gold settings. I picked out a pair that could be delivered by my wife's birthday and clicked the Order Now button.

Easy peasy, wifey pleasy.

What are the odds that I will ever go to Jared again? Kohl's? Just about nil, I think. So, when I hear brick and mortar retailers complaining about online shopping stealing their customers, I know it's just sour grapes. The old model is no longer working.

[tblue37]

1. They don't want to pay labor costs, so they lose more customers.

[area51]

93. +1 n/t

[luv2fly]

2. No one in customer service?

I shop at Kohl's, and like your experience, there's never anyone at the jewelry counter unless a customer is already in the middle of purchasing something. But the customer service counter is usually right there as well, so it's easy to ask somebody to come over and help. I do think retail is having difficulty hiring people too.

[MineralMan]

4. I did not check Customer service.

Why would I bother? The fine jewelry counter at Kohl's is not a self-service area. It is, however, a place where the most expensive and profitable items in the store are sold. I am a very, very easy sale. If I come to the jewelry counter, I am there and ready to purchase something. If the counter is in view of the customer service counter and someone is standing at the jewelry counter looking intently into a case, send someone over to the counter post haste. I mean, really...How hard is that?

At Amazon, even expensive jewelry is a self-service item.

The traditional business model at brick and mortar stores no longer works.

[delisen]

3. You have to register & sign in on Amazon also. Why is it offensive to you at a b/m store?

[MineralMan]

8. That is true. I have an account at Amazon.

When I go to Amazon, it already knows who I am and even greets me. Then, I look for what I want to buy and buy it if I find something I like. If I walk into Jared and am looking at a jewelry case, I am right there. If I buy something, they will find out who I am, certainly. The proper greeting is, "Hello. How can I help you?" It is not, "You have to sign in." Nope. That is a negative sales model at Jared. It is a failed business model.

It's not that I was offended. It was that the greeting was not conducive to expediting a sale to a customer who is already looking in a display case. Think about it.

[delisen]

36. It is true that Amazon will let you "window shop" without registering but there are costs.

One cost of window shopping on Amazon is the loss of privacy due to Amazon’s tracking.
Once you register that cost to you increases and,oddly, often results in narrowing your options by allowing Amazon to tailor their marketing to you based upon information they have collected about you.

I want to ask you about the greeting aspect of your experience at Jared ( a store I am not familiar with). It is expensive to train humans to be highly consistent in their behaviors over time. We are variable creatures.

What if you had been greeted not by a human but by a robot or just a computer screen and this greeter was perfectly programmed to greet you in the manner you want “Hello, how can I help you?” Would you prefer this to being greeted by the human who may or may not be rude and off-putting ,or would you prefer an expensively and highly trained human who may get it right,maybe 90% of the time?

[MineralMan]

39. You raise some interesting questions.

Yes, Amazon knows everything I have ever ordered in the past. It even remember what I have looked at on other visits to Amazon. Sort of like the guy at the family-owned hardware store I use locally. He remembers me. He remembers what I have bought. He knows me. So, when I come in, he is already familiar with my shopping habits. But, his memory isn't perfect, of course.

I went to Amazon a couple of months ago. I needed a new pair of hiking boots. I bought my last pair there, and they worked out very well, but it was time to replace them. So, I searched for Men's hiking boots. Guess what was at the top of the group of things it showed me? It was the same brand and style I had purchased before. Now, since I had been pleased with them, I re-ordered the identical ones I had previously purchased. Had I been dissatisfied with them, I could have looked at others on that page or on additional pages. Amazon also remembered what size of hiking boots I bought, so that size was already selected. I appreciated that, see...

As for Jared, I went there because the store was right near the Lowe's store I visited that morning, so I went in. We've all seen ads for Jared on TV. I've never been in one of their stores, though. The person who tried to insist that I sign in was well-trained. He was trained to get my information, but not trained in friendly customer service. As soon as I explained that I was there to buy some earrings, he should have switched strategies and showed me some earrings. He did not. He simply continued to insist that I "sign in." No doubt that would have entailed giving the store my name and phone number or email address, so the store could send me advertising materials later. What he did not do, was to help me purchase the earrings I mentioned. He would not do that until I "signed in."

I was annoyed by the lack of service, so I left the store without "signing in" or doing anything else. At the second place I went, there was not even anyone there to help me at the jewelry counter, so I left that store, as well. Had either place actually shown me some earrings, I would have purchased a pair and been done with the transaction within 15 minutes. They did not, so they made no sale.

As for being greeted by a computer screen, that happened after I got home and went on Amazon.com's website. As soon as I got to the site, I was automatically logged in and could begin my search for earrings that met my specifications, which I entered in the search field on the website. I typed in .5 carat total weight diamond earrings 14k yellow gold. That was what I wanted. Instantly, I was presented with several pairs of earrings that were exactly that. Prices and delivery dates were prominently displayed. I chose a pair that would be shipped directly from Amazon and that would arrive in time for my wife's birthday. It all took less than 10 minutes, including a close look at the earrings and a check of the diamonds' quality specifications. I even looked at a couple of reviews by previous customers of those exact earrings. The Order Now button used my stored credit card information and address. In seconds I had an email confirmation and went on with my other activities for the day.

Based on my previous purchases of jewelry from Amazon, my expectation is that what I ordered will be quite nice and exactly what I expect. I liked the Amazon experience, because I got what I was shopping for. I got nothing from the brick and mortar stores.

So, which experience seems better to you? Which would you prefer?

[HipChick]

5. Kmart, Sears

Found out the hard way...RIP

Walmart adapted....

Amazon did not come to play

[MineralMan]

11. Yes. The only possible way brick and mortar stores can compete

is through personal customer service that makes a visit to the store a pleasure. Jared certainly doesn't do that, and Kohl's doesn't even have someone at the jewelry counter. Fail!

Amazon is totally self-service. There is no helpful salesperson there. But, if you want a pair of diamond earrings, Amazon will show you hundreds of possible choices, complete with customer reviews to look at and all the information you might need to make a choice, including details about the diamond's quality and an accurate arrival date if you order. Then, you can simply click Order Now and the thing you want will show up at your door right away. There's not a friendly jewelry salesperson, but that's fine with me.

[JCMach1]

30. Walmart online storefront keeps getting better and better

for good, or ill I find myself going there quite often now.

It's all corporate suburbia shopping where I live...

[MineralMan]

40. Yes. Target, too.

Our TV quit working last year. So we decided to get a larger one. I went on the Target website, where our local store was already selected, since we have an online account there. I looked at 55" flat screen TVs. The website showed me ones that were in stock at the local store. I purchased one of those and opted for store pickup. Then, I got in my car, after folding the back seats down, and drove to the store. I texted my order number to the store and someone brought the thing out to my car and loaded it into the car. Within an hour of deciding to buy the TV, I had the thing out of the box and installed on our TV stand and turned on.

Walmart will do similar things for local store pickup. So will Best Buy. That's customer service. That's modern retailing.

[JCMach1]

88. We got a plain (not smart) 42" UHD (RCA brand) for my son's XBOX X during the pandemic. It was $159

Having said that, most of Walmart's TV's are now ROKU (similar to my Apple dislike) as it tries to keep its ecosystem exclusive, not open.

[snowybirdie]

6. That's happened

to me more than once. Go to online first these days. Hate the long lines at the big box stores and don't have to mask up.

[old as dirt]

7. A quarter century ago, ...

...my wife and I purchased wedding rings in a brick and mortar store, JC Penny's.

A decade ago, my wife was walking across central campus in the snow, and she lost her wedding ring. When she went back and tried to retrace her steps, she couldn't find it.

She was very upset at losing it, but every sentence she uttered ended with the phrase, "but it wasn't real gold." (It was only 12 carrot.) She'd tell me that Colombia has real gold.

When my wife was a child, more than 6 decades ago, her mother would take her down to the Guachicono river, and teach my wife how to wash gold. My mother-in-law would dance and sing this song while she taught my wife how to wash gold.

Then my wife would take the gold that she washed to El Bordo, and use it to buy candles to read by at night.

Gold is just a part of my wife's culture, a part of her religion, a part of her history, and a part of her identity.

[JCMach1]

32. In Dubai, where I lived and worked for 12 years, everything was 18k up

I have a 22k gold chain...

[old as dirt]

69. I visited el Museo del Oro in Bogota back in 2005.

I was in town for a couple weeks for a math conference, and then a workshop in Model Theory (mathematical logic). My wife has never seen it, but some day I'm going to take her there with me.

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

54. Carrots are things you eat.

Gold is measured in carats.

12 carat gold is still real gold.

[old as dirt]

70. I've been known...

...to argue with my wife about many things. Things that have a real impact on my life, things like "how many math books can I fit on the kitchen table?".

12 carat gold is still real gold

This is not one of those things.

It's just not an argument that I have any chance of winning.

And it's not just about vegetables. It's about craftmanship, as well.

I find it best to pick and choose my battles.

Here's part 2 of a 4 part documentary on afrocolombian dance. The intro (the first 90 seconds) demonstrates how to make a pair of gold wedding rings.

Danza Colombia: Trayecto Pacífico - 2. Cuerpo

Este capítulo narra cómo los ancestros de los afrocolombianos soportaron los vejámenes y torturas propias de la esclavitud. Cuenta que a través de la danza sus cuerpos recibieron el aliento que necesitaban para no morir explotando la mina en busca del oro que querían sus amos. Y mientras recapitulamos información desconocida sobre este pasado reconocemos danzas que revelan esta tradición del cuidado del cuerpo y la conciencia del mismo, como el abozao, levantapolvo, fox trot, expresiones libres como los revulús en las fiestas de San Pacho y danzas de laboreo como la Batea.

---------(via DeepL)---------

This chapter narrates how the ancestors of the Afro-Colombians endured the humiliations and tortures of slavery. It tells how through dance their bodies received the breath they needed to avoid dying while mining for the gold their masters wanted. And while we recapitulate unknown information about this past, we recognize dances that reveal this tradition of body care and body awareness, such as the abozao, levantapolvo, fox trot, free expressions such as the revulús in the festivities of San Pacho and labor dances such as the Batea.

[Freethinker65]

9. If order was fulfilled by Amazon you should be ok.

I do not buy mass market jewelry, so assume you should be ok if you are buying something simple from a reputable place either on line or brick and mortar.

If I know exactly what I am looking for and don't need it immediately, I will buy it online. Actually bought some items sold out at local drugstore from their app and saved money and time, so I understand the appeal. Still, when purchasing some things for the first time I like to see and try the item in person (clothes, furnishings, electronics) and if I get advice from the local place I will buy it there even if it costs a bit more. I feel it is worth it and that advice had a value. I still prefer to pick out my own produce and meat at the grocery.

Since COVID, I rarely just browse (shop) any more so I am sure I miss some of those rare but impulse/spontaneous purchases (I try to live intentionally) which often turn out to be things I really ended up liking. When I shop online I just search for the specific items I need.

Sorry you had poor service, but I also work part time retail so understand why not all positions are filled. There are hours when we could use extra people on the floor as well as hours when we do not meet, or barely meet, payroll. It is hard to find a balance.

Hope she likes the earrings.

[MineralMan]

16. Well, there's nothing complicated about

fractional carat diamond stud earrings in 14k gold settings. Those are commodity items. Amazon's own stuff even gives you the data on the diamonds. However, stud earrings do not demand top-quality stones to look good, frankly. Normally, I buy jewelry that is fulfilled by and sold by Amazon itself. Faster delivery is the main reason.

Brick and mortar retail has a problem. Its model is no longer particularly valid any longer, since a wider selection of merchandise is always available instantly online. The only thing it has that can make it stand out is superior customer service. If you don't supply that, you will soon be out of business.

Commodity fine jewelry, frankly, is not a high priority item for any store. I know that. However, very few people only buy one piece of jewelry over time. I certainly have bought my share of it. I will instantly leave a brick and mortar jewelry store that offers poor or no customer service. Instantly. I have alternatives for such commodity items.

Now, if I'm shopping for a larger diamond, I'm going to go to a retail jeweler and will expect to be served. I will have my loupe in my pocket and will examine everything about that stone and its setting. I have done that as well. I am GIA certified. But, yesterday, I was just shopping for a pair of simple stud earrings with half a carat total weight. Commodity jewelry.

[csziggy]

47. Sometimes online vendors will fill orders faster than local stores

You said, "If I know exactly what I am looking for and don't need it immediately, I will buy it online."

Recently my husband and/or I have tried to buy locally to support the local stores or outlets. Far too often the result is that they do not have the products or can't get them. If they can get them at all, it could take a month or more to get it in our hands. On the other hand, online vendors usually will have products in stock and they will arrive as quickly as the shippers can transport them. Online, it has taken as little as two days to arrive.

This week, my husband wanted to buy some gaming accessories - the local store he frequents had never even heard of them. He shopped on Amazon and Etsy, found what he wanted and ordered. All but one of the items he ordered are already here. The last item is a backup to make sure he will have enough when the gaming expansions he ordered from overseas arrive, so no big deal.

It's not just consumer goods. Just this week I needed to order seed to replant my pastures. The local feed & farm store doesn't usually carry the Bahia variety I wanted. They checked and can get it with a month's notice for about $320 a 40 pound bag. Same thing happened in January when I wanted a winter cover pasture rye - they just simply didn't have it. I found the rye at a seed company downstate, so I contacted them. They have an improved variety of the bahia listed at just under $280 a 40 pound bag with a 10% discount for volume and free shipping.

The bahia will get here a little sooner than I'd planned - the saleslady indicated that since it is a little early for planting the price is lower now than it will be once demand picks up. But this variety will germinate at lower temperatures than the other varieties, so we should be good. Now to call the guy that does our pasture work and have him move up bringing the seed drill to plant the seed!

By the way - the Etsy items and the seed order are from smaller vendors with an online presence, not from big companies. So we are supporting small business, just not ones local to us, as we generally prefer.

[MineralMan]

61. That's an excellent example, too.

When my father was still alive, a part failed on his old tractor, a British-made one. The local tractor repair place said it would take up to 90 days to get the part.

I got the model and serial number information on his tractor and the part number from the broken part. Then, I went online. I found the part within five minutes. The needed part arrived at his farm a week later. He installed it himself, at the age of 92, and then got on the tractor and did some farm work with it.

The local tractor repair place should have been able to do that. But, it's an old-fashioned place and doesn't use computers, so, it couldn't handle the need.

[Freethinker65]

87. Pretty sure I mentioned placing an online/app order for a product out of stock at local pharmacy

And got it cheaper. They sent the items free by FedEx, so I don't even think they even made a profit. I get it. Online shopping for many items is fast, cheap, and convenient.

I am also lucky to live within a quick drive (and for some places within walking distance) for items I prefer to buy in person. Not everyone is able to do that.

I was certainly not suggesting to put up with bad service. One person's (even mine!) anecdotal experience should not used to condemn or praise an entire business industry.

[dutch777]

10. Whenever I am asked to sign in I usually use Fred Flintstone or Abe Lincoln and other fiction

Too many asking for too much info to do business with us. I wanted to talk to a travel agent and they only set up appointments to even talk by phone by taking an email request that must include the full names and dates of birth of anyone you want to plan a trip for. We did that, with reservations, only to find out all they are willing to plan are prepackaged trips, tours and cruises.

[Tree Lady]

33. Travel agents used to get paid from

Airlines and hotels for making a reservation commission. Now they only get commission on packages. Why they spend time on that. Unless you go to AAA where in the auto travel department they pay them by hour. I use to work for them

[csziggy]

48. Fifty years ago a friend was told he had to provide a phone number to a vendor

He didn't have a phone so once he wrote down one, I asked him about it. He randomly made up a number to give them and justified it by saying, "They asked for a phone number - didn't say it had to be mine."

[Buckeye_Democrat]

12. Amazon changed the game, and it's here to stay.

I was searching for some bicycle accessories at Dick's Sporting Goods a few weeks ago, wanting to FINALLY use a gift card that I received for them a couple years ago.

Their prices were far higher than Amazon for the same products. The Dick's website claimed that they had some kind of price-match guarantee, which seemed ludicrous given the price discrepancies that I saw. I should have tried to apply that policy to the item that I actually ordered from Dick's, but that's an extra "hassle" that I didn't want to experience just to be done with a gift card. (Which I think make horrible gifts, by the way. Just give the person cash instead, if gift cards seem like a good idea anyway.)

[csziggy]

50. When I send "cash" gifts to my great nephews and niece, I send prepaid credit cards

Such as Visa prepaid cards. I'm sending them through the mail, a credit card is safer than cash.

With the prepaid cards, the kids (the oldest is about ten now, I believe, youngest three) can select what they want - but the parents are instructed that the cards be used for books. All of the mothers have indicated they love this - the kids can pick out their own books that fit their interests and they learn budgeting as they grow up. They can buy a few very expensive books or stretch their budgets by buying used or lower cost books.

[Buckeye_Democrat]

55. Yes, I've also bought a few prepaid general-use cards...

... when sending money by mail.

With mobile check deposits now, I'll probably send checks more often to friends and family who know how to do it.

[csziggy]

63. I like the kids to have something they can hold in their hands

And to feel the control they get from their own card. As I said, they are all very young and don't have their own accounts. In at least one case, the father would take the money sent for the kids if it was in the family checking account. Sending the cards lets the mother keep the funds separate for each child.

In both my family and my husband's, adults don't get presents - well, his does the "Dirty Santa" gift exchange so one gift per adult who attends get togethers. Kids under sixteen get presents - and as in most families, they get far too many crap toys.

When their parents were children, I gave them actual books. I was not long out of college and had more familiarity with childrens' books from by Library Science studies. Now I am too old to spend my time trying to sort them out in an actual store so the kids get to pick their own.

[aocommunalpunch]

13. Regulate the shit out of Amazon.

They are a fucking virus. I refuse to shop with them.

[sinkingfeeling]

15. +100

[old as dirt]

17. I've shopped from Amazon, before.

But it's really annoying.

First they make you set up an account.

And then you have to log in every time.

There's got to be a better way.

[EX500rider]

26. If i don't log out I don't log in everytime..I click on my Amazon link and start shopping..

...and hit the buy it now button for quick check out

[MineralMan]

27. Google remembers my login information at Amazon.

I'm logged in instantly when I go there.

[old as dirt]

34. I do use it for books on occasion.

But I never purchase jewelry, either online or brick and mortar.

I just don't feel qualified to make a selection.



Often Amazon doesn't have the books I am looking for in stock.

And sometimes they only have only one copy, so it makes it difficult to order a second copy when the pages fall out.

I've ordered many books from Dover, though. They are cheap with good binding, and the pages rarely fall out.

[Hekate]

85. A number of years ago I filled my library with signed hardcover copies of my 2 favorite authors...

I utilized several vendors other than Amazon, but often, they sold thru Amazon as well.

I’m sorry about local bookstores, but the damage had already been done years before that by Borders et al. In addition, when you are looking for hardcover out of print books and signed books, being used goes with the territory. And they aren’t going to be at most brick and mortar stores outside of a big city.

What I really cannot buy online is clothing and shoes.

[Celerity]

28. what?

First they make you set up an account.

And then you have to log in every time.

why would you want to type in all your info every time you shop?

that would get so tedious really quickly at an e-commerce site you shop at a lot

setting up an account is one time thing

and logging in takes a few seconds max

[USALiberal]

53. I can help you if you need help creating account! Nt

[MineralMan]

19. Yeah, OK, you do you.

Go read Jared reviews...

[aocommunalpunch]

71. I will, thanks.

I wish more would, too. The internet is a big place, but convenience does allow for a big Amazon footprint. Next time you’re going to buy something, ask yourself if you COULD avoid Amazon. Probably, but I can only speak for my own dislike for anything Amazon. Toodles.

[brooklynite]

51. In what areas is Amazon not regulated ?

Last edited Sat Mar 19, 2022, 01:23 PM - Edit history (1)

[MineralMan]

57. I predict you will not get an answer.

One interesting Amazon phenomenon is that Whole Foods stores now accept Amazon returns. That saves time and gets people into the Whole Foods locations.

[aocommunalpunch]

72. Wherever their claw like appendages have a grip

on the economy. That seems to be pretty much everywhere. I’m sure they’ll be satisfied with current market share any minute now.

[brooklynite]

74. Last time I checked, nobody was obliged to purchase from them...

...and many people here choose to.

[aocommunalpunch]

80. Seems about right.

I will continue to advocate for avoiding them.

[USALiberal]

52. Lol, ok, please explain!!! Nt

[leftstreet]

73. Regulate it...hell, nationalize it n/t

[luvs2sing]

14. In my area, stores were both..

poorly stocked and poorly staffed at least two years before the pandemic. I gave up on Kohls when they stopped stocking merchandise in any coherent manner. My local thrift store is better organized than any Kohls I’ve been in over the past few years. I gave up on Target when I suddenly found most of their shelves to be completely empty. I prefer to shop at brick and mortar retailers, but it’s harder and harder to find anything I need or anyone to help me find it. I have been an underpaid retail employee. Standards went down the tubes in about 2018.

[MineralMan]

20. If you counted all of the employees at all of the Kohl's stores

in the Twin Cities metro area, and compared that to the number of local workers at Twin Cities Amazon distribution centers, which one would employ more local people and what is the salary comparison? Do that math and you'll see what's real in retailing.

[Mosby]

18. Commercial real estate rates are killing brick and mortar stores.

Amazon is just in the right place at the right time.

[MineralMan]

22. Yes. And Amazon isn't the only one, either.

Other online retailers, including Wayfair and, yes, even Walmart, are now offering a much wider selection of merchandise, better stocking, and lower prices. Traditional walk-in retailing for general merchandise is no longer viable.

[brooklynite]

21. I suggest that your brick and mortal examples were both poor examples.

Mall-level retail is not a great place to shop.

I bought a ring for my wife a few years back at Tiffany's (where we had gotten our wedding rings thirty years ago), Top quality attention and service and free champagne.

[Buckeye_Democrat]

24. Brick and mortar shopping will likely persist...

... at places like NYC compared to other parts of the country.

Driving for miles to some specialty store is especially annoying when they don't have the desired products or the personnel to provide them.

[MineralMan]

25. Well, yes. However, Tiffany's is not the destination of choice

for commodity jewelry like fractional carat diamond stud earrings. Not in any way. Remember that I was on the way to the supermarket, and stopped into a couple of places on my way to look at earrings. I was looking for convenience and found nothing of the sort. I discovered, once again, that online shopping is the way to go for commodity items.

I also stopped in at Lowe's yesterday. We need one of those Rubbermaid deck storage boxes on our balcony to hold the emergency fire escape ladder we just bought. Lowe's didn't have any of them. I asked. They said, "Come back next month." So, I also ordered one of those on Amazon yesterday. It'll be here on Tuesday. Same price. Free shipping. I won't have to load it into the back of my Chevy Trax, either.

It's the same situation for all sorts of merchandise. Want a particular color of a popular bass-fishing crankbait? Don't go to the local store. They don't have it. Just buy it on Amazon or Bass Pro Shop's online site. They have all of the colors in stock. Your local store doesn't.

[shrike3]

60. I agree.

Large chain stores are always very poorly run, too.

But there are family-owned, family-run businesses that we patronize. Great customer service.

[Hoyt]

23. Always had to psych myself up to go into stores, unless it was a musical instrument store.

Amazon is great, and the annual fee ain't bad when you figure in the access to music, TV shows, etc.

I'm sure Bezos is responsible for all the bad things in this country, but I'm still using Amazon.

[MineralMan]

29. My wife has the Prime account.

I don't. Normally, I log in on her account to order, but not when I'm buying her a gift, of course.

COVID-19 expanded our use of Amazon a lot. Yes, it did.

[Buckeye_Democrat]

31. I'll just put this South Park clip here.

[Tree Lady]

37. I love the "this isn't very fulfilling "

Those guys really know how to make a point.

[MineralMan]

42. LOL!

[shrike3]

35. I'm sorry to hear that.

I almost always shop bricks and mortar because there are several locally-owned businesses near us and all offer good service. I'm willing to pay a little more if the service is good. It gets me in and out of the store in no time flat.
The local jeweler is constantly on the move in his store. If no one is helping you, he will summon someone to do so. And there are no sign-ins.

But Target, Office Depot, Circuit City -- the corporate model sucks.

I met a man who ran a high-end men's clothing store (we have one of those in our town, too. Great service.) He used to work for Nieman Marcus. He was higher-level management. He was in on a meeting where it was decided to get rid of the highest paid sales people. He said, "Don't you understand? They are the reason you make money." Nobody listened.

btw, most of the businesses I patronize are family-owned. Or owned and run by the individual you see in the store. It makes a difference.

[tinrobot]

38. Funny how you don't want Jared to have your info, yet Amazon has all that and more.

Depending on what Amazon services you use, they could know how you shop, what you read, what you listen to, what you watch, and the sound of your voice, among others.

[MineralMan]

43. Yes, Amazon has all of that information.

Jared doesn't need it to sell me a pair of earrings. I buy a lot of things on Amazon. Having my information helps them serve my needs.

I remember the old days at Radio Shack stores. Whatever you went in for, they tried to collect your information. If you refused to give it, so they could send you flyers in the mail, they'd still take your money, but they kept trying. They didn't need my information. They just wanted it for marketing purposes. If I needed something from Radio Shack, I went to the store. I did not need flyers in the mail.

Amazon is different. It sells everything. It has everything. I order from Amazon because of that. They're welcome to have my information. They use it to help me find what I'm looking for. I'm fine with that.

[XanaDUer2]

41. Considering the pay

And dealing with the public, employees might not care. Not saying that's right -no one makes anyone take a job - and it sucks for customers, but apathy may be at play here.

[MineralMan]

44. OK, whatever. I choose not to return to stores like that.

[XanaDUer2]

46. Sure

Whatever

[Elwood P Dowd]

66. I worked retail in the 1970s and 1980s.

Some years in the mid to late 1970s I averaged making $1,000 a month. Adjusted for inflation that's over $5,000 a month today. Ask a Best Buy salesperson today if they're making 5K a month. They will laugh and say "are you serious". Most of 'em barely make half that much.

[MineralMan]

67. That's a good point, for sure.

[XanaDUer2]

68. There's an interesting sub reddit

Called antiwork. Very eye opening, especially younger people sick of crappy treatment and abuse and low pay. Lots of understaffing issues, too. They just quit on the spot. Or text in a resignation. Hopefully, younger workers will refuse shitty jobs

[Totally Tunsie]

45. Talk about NO Customer Service, did you see this, MM?

Granted, it's not commercial shopping, but where's the help when one needs and expects it?

https://www.democraticunderground.com/100216500737

[mercuryblues]

49. Same here

I needed a new curtain rod for the family room, at least 135". I went to 4 different stores only 1 had the length I needed, and it was ugly. I noticed another thing as I went from store to store. They all had the same rods, no variety whatsoever. They were also the same style rods that were available 20 years ago when I bought this one. Nothing up to date or modern. 3 hours wasted.

A quick Amazon search found me a variety of modern styles to choose from. 20 minutes later I clicked buy now. It arrives today.

[MineralMan]

56. Sounds familiar.

Because sales are down at retail stores, they're ordering less stock. Because they have less in stock, customers are frustrated when they come in. So, they order from Amazon, which has everything in stock, pretty much. Customers who do that don't go back to the retail stores, and so the cycle continues.

We're now spoiled by being able to find everything we need online, but finding nothing suitable at retail stores. We're not going to return to our old shopping habits. Why would we?

Traditional retailing is moribund.

[highplainsdem]

58. I prefer brick and mortar stores for buying clothes, unless I'm already very familiar with

the manufacturer and the likely fit of an item. And while I rarely buy jewelry, I like to see it in person.

But for a lot of other stuff, online shopping is just much simpler. Mostly at Amazon, sometimes at Walmart or big box stores' websites or health food & vitamin sites. Almost always buy books online, since I don't have a good independent bookseller nearby to support. And if I want to check out used books, I've found Thriftbooks is a really good source for used and often out-of-print books in very good condition.

[KentuckyWoman]

59. Shopping is difficult these days.

When you get to a certain point in life there's not much you actually need and schlepping on somewhat wobbly legs from one store to the next only to be disappointed with selection and no employees is annoying. I find myself going online first as well if I end up with replace instead of repair or make do.

[MineralMan]

62. Yeah. I'm 76 years old, myself.

My patience with retail establishments is wearing thin. So, I normally just order online. However, I was out that day and thought I'd try to find what I needed locally. I didn't find it, so I ended up ordering online anyhow.

[old as dirt]

76. One of my pet peeves is the difference between shopping and buying.

Shopping is difficult these days.

Shopping has always been difficult for me. You can just walk around the mall shopping for hours without spending a single penny.

I like buying, however. Even if the store doesn't have enough employees to go around, buying is still much easier and much faster than shopping.

Not only that, you get to go home with stuff.

[KentuckyWoman]

83. Point well taken. I don't shop. I buy.

I have a purpose in mind and often cannot find what is needed. More often than not I don't go home with stuff.

Example I broke a glass lid for my corning dish. There is a corning outlet nearby. They have apparently discontinued the square corning dishes and the lids are no more. Ebay to the rescue. It doesn't quite fit as well as the original but it works. If I had looked online first I could have saved a little gas.

[marie999]

64. I buy many things online because they don't have them in stock at the stores.

[MineralMan]

65. Yes. That's getting more and more common.

[Maeve]

75. I used to work retail back in the day

Before the 1980's. I remember how we worked to help shoppers and keep merchandise organized. I also have been a "woman who shops"--that being a great way to spend time with other at-home women (again, back in the day). I watched the stores drop customer service in favor of "self-serve" and minimal staffing.

At heart, I am a hunter-gatherer. I've tried to remain a shopper, looking for purchases in local shops, keeping the brick and mortar retailers going.I've spent too much time trying to sort thru shelves that haven't been straightened in weeks and given up finding the right size/style. And I've had times when I've hit as many as six stores looking for something specific that they USED to carry, only to end up at home on the computer to find what I want. Screw that.

[MineralMan]

78. You're far from alone in noticing the changes.

My normal supermarket has 12 checkout lanes. I cannot remember a time when more than three had cashiers at them. More and more people are forced to use the self-check stations, of which there are now 12. One person working for the store is there to help people at those self-check stations. She is perpetually busy, fixing problems that pop up, like unreadable bar codes and the like.

The supermarket is restocked only sporadically, too. It's a mess, much of the time.

[usonian]

77. Amazon et. al. are TOO convenient.

And there goes my money ... click, click.

Agree on many points.

Just want to say that retail stores have a labor shortage problem (OK, it's low-paying) but Amazon pays its workers less, automates work, not paying much attention to safety of that person-machine interaction (this is anecdotal, I am not a labor analyst) and hadn't you heard, busts unions as much as it can, legally or otherwise.

Ultimately, I have had mixed experience with deliveries. One item I purchased was to be shipped in two days from 50 miles away (this is nothing in CA, the nearest Wallgreens is over 50 miles away), and I DO mean OnTrak!!!, kept telling me some "event" delayed the shipment one day per day until it finally arrived about a week later, an $800 item stuffed in my rural mailbox (a cluster of about 8 mailboxes ALSO A SCHOOL BUS STOP). On the way home from the mailbox, about a half mile, I found the neighbor's Walmart package dumped on the ground on the long driveway.

Hopefully, this is an exception, but it's really true that I limit online purchases because they are too damn easy, some Amazon sellers are shady (or worse), so you have to check on them, they ship substitute items without notice, charge about 100% overhead for shipping in many cases, and so on .... Now don't get me wrong, I did mail order long ago, but am still waiting for my Civil War Soldiers to arrive.

[MineralMan]

79. Well, delivery services vary from place to place.

If you're in a rural area, deliveries can definitely be spotty. On the other hand, here in the Twin Cities of MN, deliveries are often earlier than predicted. We have multiple Amazon distribution centers, FedEx distribution facilities and UPS warehouses. The USPS mail can be a little slow, but the other services are very fast, especially Amazon deliveries.

As for your Civil War Soldiers, watch for it. In the original packaging, it's probably worth a lot more than you paid, eh?

[Hassin Bin Sober]

81. Did you have an onion on your belt at the time?

[MineralMan]

84. Uh, what?

[Mister Ed]

90. An obscure TV show reference, I think.

I recall an episode of "The Simpsons" in which a foggy-brained Grandpa Simpson was telling a boring, pointless anecdote and intoned, "...of course, I had an onion tied to my belt, which was the fashion at the time..."

I'm not sure what the poster is trying to imply with such a reference, though.
.

[MineralMan]

91. It was just a lame insult.

[Hekate]

82. Reminds me of my waning days as a Sears customer. I wanted some items for my then-teen ...

…daughter’s bedroom— a comforter, some matching curtains, that kind of thing. (She’s 45 now)

I wandered the second floor of the local store until I found what I wanted, then headed for the cash register. No one was there — in fact I realized I had not seen anyone at all the whole time I was on that floor. I wandered into the hardware department, then TVs. No one. I marched purposefully into another department — dammit, I was not going to waste this shopping trip.

Finally, I saw Customer Service and entered the office bearing my armload of would-be purchases. Someone there saw to it that I was taken care of, but really, how hard were they trying to tell people that they really didn’t give a rat’s patoot any more?

It’s sad, because I’m one of those people who used to find shopping kind of restful, on the whole — didn’t impulse buy, didn’t buy junk, but it was a process I was good at and I wanted to see and touch something before buying.

But that’s been leaving us for awhile — before Amazon, in fact. The pandemic shutdowns are just putting the finishing touches on the change.

Hope your wife loves the earrings!

[alphafemale]

86. is there not a person capable of sales anymore?

hideous customer service.

Even if a credit report is required you make that as seamless and easy as possible.

But this ring might be a bit out of the price range of comfort, but I think it might fit on her pretty hand perfectly.

See how that is!

talk few minutes.

Would you take that off her hand and put it back in the case please?

[MineralMan]

95. Yeah. Taking someone into a jewelry store to buy

them a gift is risky for your budget. Not all the time, but sometimes.

It also works the other way. My wife always goes for the less expensive item. That would be OK, but I know she'll be happier with one that costs more. So, I usually shop for her gifts by myself.

An example: For our 30th wedding anniversary, I suggested that she might like a three-diamond ring. She said she might like that very much. So, I said, "Why don't you look around on Amazon and show me one you like?"

She did, and sent me a link to one with three really small stones. On Amazon, the pictures of jewelry are much larger than the actual item. Then, when you get the ring, you're often disappointed, since you saw a magnified photo of it online.

So, I found one similar to the one she picked, but with a total carat weight for the three diamonds of 1 carat. The center stone was larger than the side stones. I sent her the link. She said, "Wow! That's much nicer than the one I picked out." So, we ordered that one and she was very pleased when it arrived. More expensive, but much more fun to wear.

My wife is easy to please, and it's always my pleasure to please her.

[ForgedCrank]

89. This is why I

don't patronize huge crappy cheap chain stores like those, and I stick with local privately owned businesses whenever possible.

[MineralMan]

92. OK, but here's the thing:

If you're looking for fractional carat diamond stud earrings, you should know that they are a commodity item. If you look at them in any jeweler's showcase, they all come from the same small set of manufacturers in India, China, and Pakistan. Jewelers buy them from wholesalers. The more they buy the lower the price they pay. The actual earrings are basically all the same.

How much you pay for, say a pair of 1/2 carat total diamond weight, 14K gold studs depends on what the place you buy them from thinks the traffic will bear. Every retail jeweler will have them on display. They're a popular item as a gift. They are a commodity item.

So, you can buy them on Amazon, at a chain jeweler, or from an exclusive retail jeweler. They're the same earrings, made in the same places, and sold in various quantities to a wide range of buyers.

Jewelers offer them to their customers, because their customers want them. They're not a high-profit item. They're just small diamond earrings.

Now, if you're buying solitaire earrings with each item being .5 carat or more, your choices are more varied. For 1 carat diamond studs or larger, you'll want to shop carefully, look for certified and graded diamonds. Again, you can pay more or less, depending on quality and who is selling them.

But, for fractional carat earrings, you're shopping for a commodity item. You might as well save some money.

[tavernier]

94. I love Amazon.

I’ve always found everything I need and lots of choices. Most items come within a day or two or three, and return is very simple if for some reason I don’t care for the product. I’ve never had a problem with any item and I’ve ordered hundreds.

[Polybius]

96. Maybe the sign-in was Covid-related

Last year, anyone entering a restaurant in NYC had to sign in.

[MineralMan]

97. Nope. Nobody working in the store

was even wearing a mask. I was, though.

[eissa]

98. I hate giving Amazon my money, BUT

their operation is hard to beat. My mother-in-law needed a specific type of shoe. After dragging her all over town, we came home empty-handed. I went on Amazon, found what she needed, and they were delivered the next day. No wasting gas, and no long check-out lines (even pre-pandemic most of those check-out lanes wouldn’t be fully staffed.)

The only brick and mortar shopping I do is for clothing, and I try my best to buy from locally-owned places when possible. Otherwise, I agree with you - this business model is slowly dying.