OT
I don't go to Amazon to buy tools, nor Walmart. When I'm wedged under a car, I don't have time for a cheap ratchet to fail or break. I don't order refrigerators or washer/dryers or even TVs from Amazon, they can't compete because of shipping. Are you suggesting that Amazon doesn't sell high quality products, nor offers the best price on any? You can get both high, mid, and low range products through Amazon, and you can overpay or get the best deal going. All depends upon your skill level and how much you care. And despite your preferences, the fact is their sales are exploding. Profits, by design, are yet to be seen, but they are expanding and hiring like no other retailer. About 50% of our household purchases go through them, and I assure you we pay less than someone who shops exclusively a B&M. But this is OT... you raised the point that by reducing cost and competing more broadly, Apple would have to reduce quality and suffer the same problems as Sears, etc. I've explained how that's not true.
Have you done a search on Amazon lately? Their "search" engine SUCKS! No matter how you set it up you get thousands of unwanted hits for things that only relate to the search terms in being on the same planet. Plus they have "categories" so in order to do a relevance or review search you can only do it in one of dozens of categories. Amazon SUCKS. I used them daily, and extensively. I agree about their internal search. I actually raised that issue with them in the course of business years ago, more than once, but nothing has changed. But the other aspects of their technology are unmatched. The predictive and cart tech and consumer preference data are unmatched. So much so that no other retailer converts remotely as well (visitors to sales). Again, OT, so I'll leave it there. PM if you want to know more.
I'm trying to buy some clip lamps right now. Nobody sells anything that looks viable right now. Not one retailer I can find. Amazon, Macy's, Target, Walmart, Costco, Sears. Not one. There are hundreds of POS lamps out there, no good ones. Like phones in a way. I know nothing about what makes a good clip lamp, but I assure you that top quality products in many categories that are easy to find and order at the best price you'll find anywhere are out there.
The Nano 6 rose in price on Amazon after Apple discontinued it. Why? Because the hardware is killer. Its bitchen. No. It's supply and demand. Discontinued items typically rise in price because sellers dry up but there are still people (usually the ones who are big fans of it, need to replace with the identical model or part, etc) who seek to buy it. Various mainstream electronics, appliances, etc with many sellers are hyper-competitively priced, including many top-quality ones. |
