General Discussion
Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsHow often do you shop at Amazon.com?
POLL QUESTION: How often do you shop at Amazon.com?46 votes, 0 passes | Time left: Unlimited | |
Daily. | |
3 (7%) |
|
Several times a week. | |
2 (4%) |
|
A couple of times a week. | |
10 (22%) |
|
Weekly. | |
11 (24%) |
|
Several times a month. | |
8 (17%) |
|
A couple of times a month. | |
2 (4%) |
|
Monthly. | |
3 (7%) |
|
Several times a year. | |
5 (11%) |
|
A couple of times a year. | |
1 (2%) |
|
Never. | |
1 (2%) |
|
0 DU members did not wish to select any of the options provided. | |
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Disclaimer: This is an Internet poll |
MyOwnPeace
(17,222 posts)or hear a song clip from some recording - just WAY too damned easy to sit there, hit a 'bookmark,' do a search, and BOOM - it's at your door in just a few days!
NurseJackie
(42,862 posts)There's an amazon distribution center near me (just outside of Baltimore) so most things are next-day.
MyOwnPeace
(17,222 posts)by the time I travel to 'how-many-places' to find that they don't have it, well, it just isn't worth it!
HAB911
(9,302 posts)and it would require a trip across town, 10+ miles
or no brick and mortar store within driving distance
if a brick and mortar store ships to home, I try to buy from them
Hortensis
(58,785 posts)Like last week when I wanted to replace my broken $5 egg slicer.
budkin
(6,849 posts)As Peter Cetera said, "It's a hard habit to break."
Kaleva
(37,796 posts)Buckeye_Democrat
(15,004 posts)Coincidentally, I'm eagerly awaiting a smartphone OTG cable and some new flash drives from Amazon today. They're labeled as "out for delivery" right now.
It's funny how I feel like a kid who is awaiting Christmas morning, over something that I already know isn't going to change my life very much.
I've already unlocked the bootloader and rooted a spare smartphone, an Android this time, and I'm only now getting around to doing a full "Nandroid backup" using TWRP recovery. It's something that's recommended much earlier in the process of breaking free from the original software, but it's better late than never.
Poiuyt
(18,234 posts)I try to avoid going into stores if I don't have to.
I average about 6 orders a month.
FakeNoose
(35,105 posts)They aren't always offering the best price, so I don't necessarily buy from them. If a local retailer has something comparable I try to give business to the local guy. Since I'm a Prime member I get free shipping, and that is a good thing.
Shanti Shanti Shanti
(12,047 posts)To my door in two days after ordering, with Prime
Works for me
GoCubsGo
(32,831 posts)Which is far more often than I'd like. The shopping choices where I live are pretty slim.
dixiegrrrrl
(60,011 posts)Only a Wal-Mart and a Piggly wiggly for food.
Add in Covid
add in summer tropical heat.
add in mobility issues
Amazon reminds me of what Sears was to people more than 100 years ago. In fact, we have a lot of Sears bungalows here in our lil town.
Etsy, Ebay, Amazon are a lifeline out here.
GoCubsGo
(32,831 posts)The next biggest towns are 25-60 miles away. No guarantee I'll find what I want there, either. Not worth the drive, especially given that the roads here are full of idiots who have no business behind the wheel of a motor vehicle. I already put my life at risk going on my morning walks because of these idiots. So, yeah. Those are a lifeline to me, too. In more ways than one.
Hortensis
(58,785 posts)AND (another biggie!) for revolutionizing the quality of goods offered for sale.
I remember when virtually all name-brand suppliers routinely sold several lines of garbage. They sold well because they were the only things available (I remember the 3 same bathroom scales the only ones available-- in every department store in Los Angeles (presumably in the nation), plus an additional model in a couple of more upscale ones.
AND consumers didn't know how incredibly systematically they were being ripped off, even when the item they took home quickly malfunctioned or broke "prematurely." Models that Consumer Reports rated high were usually discontinued. Just business.
Amazon's still the place to check reviews.
And as said, it's been a particular boon to oldies hiding from a killer virus spread by hostile conservatives and other idiots. Saves gas too. We do still shop locally a fair amount, but on fixed incomes we often just can't afford not to shop for low prices on line.
I also remember when almost every restaurant and store in town wasn't one of a chain of identical stores found across the nation. I do not worry that Amazon is hurting those soul-killing chains. What I want back is the wonderfully local businesses the chains destroyed in virtually every town in the country. Some have been reborn on line.
dixiegrrrrl
(60,011 posts)Retrograde
(10,544 posts)Which is up from pre-pandemic levels. My recent purchases include shoes (I have unusual feet - the brand that fits me best is only available at an outlet mall 40 miles south of here), larges containers of spices (I can't get bulk spices locally anymore because of the pandemic), thread (I use a lot of certain colors: ordering the staples saves me a drive). I don't use Amazon for perishables or things that need to be tried on.
bedazzled
(1,830 posts)i use them as a resource to find things and buy them on ebay instead. i can wait.
i subscribe to bookbub, though. once a month or so, if i can't get a book that interests me at the library, i will spend a couple of bucks on a kindle book. i really like them
NurseJackie
(42,862 posts)And returns are a nightmare. Every seller argues with you or refuses the return. So much comes from China (shipped directly from) even though the seller claims to have a US address.
So it's hit and miss with new items. For vintage stuff, eBay is fun. And so is Etsy.
We also enjoy the Amazon Prime streaming video service... so that's a bonus.
bedazzled
(1,830 posts)but it happens and it takes SO LONG. do admit that prime video rocked, but i have so many dvds it doesn't matter.
etsy ... awesome. they have such cool stuff!
IcyPeas
(22,420 posts)the choices are limited but I signed up recently and got a free ebook.
bedazzled
(1,830 posts)thanks! i love reading on my phone
JuJuChen
(2,253 posts)I love the waiting for something cool feeling
iemanja
(54,313 posts)If products were readily available at local stores, I would buy from them. I, however, am sick of spending time wandering around a store looking for something only to find out it isn't there. Amazon solves that problem.
Plus I bought a bit of Amazon stock a few years ago and it's grown to 5x its original value.
IcyPeas
(22,420 posts)I try and get a bunch of things THAT I NEED during that time.
NurseJackie
(42,862 posts)Yep... that's how I got started. But then, I really liked it and I knew the Prime Membership would be worthwhile. (Also, it gives us Amazon Prime streaming included... and we use that, too.)
comradebillyboy
(10,403 posts)As I grow more decrepit Amazon is a convenience I can't pass up.
mcar
(43,281 posts)I do their monthly subscribe and save for paper goods, vitamins, cleaning stuff, etc.
I've had a Kindle (many of them) since they came out.
I live in a fairly rural area. My local shopping is limited to grocery stores, Walmart, one small department store and dollar stores. I also hate shopping. I've been shopping by mail for years - Lands' End loves me.
Vinca
(50,823 posts)it on Amazon than in a store. It's too bad, really. I miss the old days when you could walk into a business and they had an assortment of whatever you wanted - a television, for example - and you could just buy it. Guess that's the sorry end result of the big box retailers and companies like Amazon.
NurseJackie
(42,862 posts)... but they appear to be flourishing with the personalized service and installation/setup extras that they offer.
We purchased our last TV from Costco. (After reading the online reviews and checking out Consumer Reports online.) I feel better about having a "local" store to return it to... in the event it's a lemon... rather than having to deal with shipping.
Vinca
(50,823 posts)plugged it in. Trying to get everything properly installed is another nightmare and ever since AT&T bought Directv, that particular task is especially bad if you think you might want to talk to someone.
NurseJackie
(42,862 posts)... we kept that for about a year (maybe longer, but less than 2) and then we cut the cord this year. (We still keep Fios fiber internet, of course.)
I was SO GLAD to get rid of the satellite antenna that was in front of our home. It made our double-wide look like a trailer. Ugh. (And I hated advertising for them... leaving it up made it appear as though we were active subscribers.)
tavernier
(13,117 posts)My shopping choices are dive shops and shell shops and tourist traps. Our only department store was a Kmart that closed this year. Amazon is a godsend.
NurseJackie
(42,862 posts)... and even buying groceries is a major trek, so forget shopping. But even then, their "local" choices are Walmart, Dollar General, Family Dollar, Everything's a Dollar, and Dollar Tree. If you want a phone, it's Boost Mobile... and that's it.
I can sympathize.
Trailrider1951
(3,439 posts)At that time, I lived in a very small town out on the Texas prairie about 50 some miles NE of Austin. One night I tripped over my cat and fractured one of the bones in my right leg down near the ankle. It hurt like hell and I couldn't stand or walk on it. My son lived in Seattle, and my daughter was on vacation in the Yucatan. All I had was my rolling office chair to use to get around the house. Thank god for laminate floors! Anyway, I went on Amazon and ordered a set of crutches that arrived in 2 days. Delivered right to my porch at no extra charge! Thanks, Amazon! Now I can get to the doctor!
NurseJackie
(42,862 posts)SO MUCH CHEAPER than trying to get the exact same item from the local medical supply store. We don't use them every day, but when they're needed, they are NEEDED and nothing else will do. (Getting old sucks!)
I hope you're feeling better and that you've healed quickly.
hunter
(38,767 posts)... and some of it is stuff I can't even find in the city anymore.
It's two gallons of gasoline to the city and back.
NurseJackie
(42,862 posts)Even though I know I can pick something up at Target for a dollar or two less than the delivered-price at Amazon... I also consider the miles, the gas, the time, the parking lot, the weather, the schlepping through the store and Covid.
Even the more expensive item/s are still a bargain when I can have them delivered to my door (most arrive overnight, even though I don't choose "next day" shipping). There's an Amazon distribution center just outside of Baltimore. Most of my purchases come from there or through there.
MineralMan
(147,200 posts)I see what you did there.
NurseJackie
(42,862 posts)Initech
(101,337 posts)I wanted to get the new Iron Maiden album from my favorite indie store but they were out, and the official Iron Maiden site was also sold out, so Amazon was my only option!
Maru Kitteh
(28,810 posts)UPS drivers are WELL AQUAINTED with our front door.
NurseJackie
(42,862 posts)They work hard. I always give my Amazon drivers good scores in ALL categories.