02-15-2013, 02:35 AM | #166 | |
Wizard
Posts: 4,538
Karma: 264065402
Join Date: Jun 2009
Location: Taiwan
Device: HP Touchpad, Sony Duo 13, Lumia 920, Kobo Aura HD
|
Quote:
Last edited by HansTWN; 02-15-2013 at 02:38 AM. |
|
02-15-2013, 02:48 AM | #167 | |
Nameless Being
|
Quote:
Businesses have to adapt to stay relevant. You typically get better service out of mom and pop shops these days because good service is cheap while bad service is costly. (Basically, you overcome sloth to keep customers.) Big box stores will have to adapt too, likely by becoming more efficient and improving service. |
|
02-15-2013, 12:20 PM | #168 | ||||
Wizard
Posts: 1,358
Karma: 5766642
Join Date: Aug 2010
Device: Nook
|
Quote:
Quote:
So does Walmart. Quote:
Quote:
I find a recommendation from a live salesman to be far, far, infinitely more useful than a statistical analysis from a computer. |
||||
02-15-2013, 12:45 PM | #169 | |
Country Member
Posts: 9,058
Karma: 7676767
Join Date: Feb 2010
Location: Denmark
Device: Liseuse: Irex DR800. PRS 505 in the house, and the missus has an iPad.
|
Quote:
|
|
02-15-2013, 01:55 PM | #170 | |
Wizard
Posts: 1,358
Karma: 5766642
Join Date: Aug 2010
Device: Nook
|
Quote:
No, my point was that Amazon may have good service for a mail order company, but that's not good service compared to a brick & mortar store. And for books, it doesn't really make a difference, because very few people interact with employees at a book store other than at the cash register. Amazon's very good at what they do, but what they do doesn't include retail service. |
|
02-15-2013, 02:27 PM | #171 | |
TuxSlash
Posts: 392
Karma: 2436547
Join Date: Oct 2009
Device: GlowNook
|
Quote:
For consumer goods, the salesman is 99.99% of the time clueless about the product, even on technical but common items like TVs. The exception here is with photography equipment. I've been impressed by the knowledge of almost every gruff, iconoclastic photography store worker I've dealt with. Amazon has a good bit of information if it's sold by Amazon LLC, but the 3rd party descriptions usually suck. The saving grace is that I can open up another tab and just look up the specs on Newegg, or Google, or wherever. That's not Amazon specifically, but it takes less time and effort to find what I need and comparison shop than it would by talking to a sales person |
|
02-15-2013, 02:46 PM | #172 | |||||
Wizard
Posts: 1,358
Karma: 5766642
Join Date: Aug 2010
Device: Nook
|
Quote:
Quote:
Quote:
Quote:
Quote:
The bottom line is, retail service isn't always what you want or need, but when it is, a mail order store with a web page isn't going to provide it. |
|||||
02-15-2013, 02:55 PM | #173 |
TuxSlash
Posts: 392
Karma: 2436547
Join Date: Oct 2009
Device: GlowNook
|
Actually I was thinking of those audio stores that 'specialize' in audio equipment. They can almost never tell me what kind of construction the speaker is using or why I should give a $hit about Dolby Pro-Codec #1234.
Likewise with the Home Theater type stores with TVs. They can wax nostalgic about 240 Hz for football but can't explain the how the 'blacks' are measured when this TV has deeper blacks. In short, I expect someone trying to sell me something to be an expert. And they hardly ever are. No wonder I go for do-it-yourself low prices. |
02-15-2013, 07:30 PM | #174 | |
Wizard
Posts: 1,358
Karma: 5766642
Join Date: Aug 2010
Device: Nook
|
Quote:
|
|
02-16-2013, 04:28 AM | #175 | |
Guru
Posts: 973
Karma: 4269175
Join Date: Apr 2010
Location: Europe
Device: Pocketbook Basic 613
|
Quote:
There is another deal-changer for us here in Europe: book-price fixing. It doesn't matter where you buy your (German) books, they cost the same everywhere: friendly neighborhood store, big chain store, Amazon & Co. (Hence the free shipping, otherwise Amazon books would be more expensive than those bought in a B&M store.) If and when I order books from Amazon & Co., it's because of their selection, and the service & convenience. Price is not a factor. (This only applies to German books. English books are not regulated, so every store can charge what they want. There are a few stores (British Bookshop etc.), but they charge an arm and a leg, i.e. practically always above the publisher-recommended retail price.) Last edited by rogue_librarian; 02-16-2013 at 04:31 AM. |
|
02-16-2013, 07:32 AM | #176 |
Wizard
Posts: 1,264
Karma: 10203040
Join Date: Dec 2011
Device: a variety (mostly kindles and kobos)
|
For me, and I suspect a lot of others, it's not easier or faster to return an item to a B&M store because where I work effectively means I only get to go to B&M stores at the weekend. Amazon on the other hand will send a courier to pick up the returned item from my place of work.
|
02-16-2013, 12:04 PM | #177 | |||
Wizard
Posts: 1,358
Karma: 5766642
Join Date: Aug 2010
Device: Nook
|
Quote:
Unless you need it right away. Quote:
Quote:
Which is a big advantage for Amazon or any mail order house. Warehouse space is a whole lot cheaper than retail space, so you can stock a much wider variety. |
|||
02-16-2013, 12:06 PM | #178 | |
Wizard
Posts: 1,358
Karma: 5766642
Join Date: Aug 2010
Device: Nook
|
Quote:
How many books to people return? I don't think I've ever returned a book in my life. Nor would I, unless it were defective. |
|
02-16-2013, 01:00 PM | #179 | ||
Guru
Posts: 973
Karma: 4269175
Join Date: Apr 2010
Location: Europe
Device: Pocketbook Basic 613
|
Yes. We're talking about 3 days, or so. I like instant gratification as much as the next man, but I can wait that long for my pbooks to arrive, especially if the alternative means to take time to drive to the nearest book store, with no guarantees that the book I want will be available. But hey, whatever works for you.
Quote:
Quote:
|
||
02-16-2013, 05:55 PM | #180 | |
Grand Master of Flowers
Posts: 2,201
Karma: 8389072
Join Date: Oct 2010
Location: Naptown
Device: Kindle PW, Kindle 3 (aka Keyboard), iPhone, iPad 3 (not for reading)
|
Quote:
However, in more specialized areas, I do prefer live salespeople in certain instances. I've dealt with some very knowledgeable salespeople in outdoor/outfitting shops, for example, and (a few years ago, now), in camera shops. Particularly those salespeople who are able to provide the rarest, but most useful information: "You don't need that." |
|
|
Similar Threads | ||||
Thread | Thread Starter | Forum | Replies | Last Post |
Trickle charge of fast charge overnight? | 6charlong | Kindle Fire | 6 | 04-04-2013 09:46 AM |
Selling ebooks in bookshops | Pulpmeister | General Discussions | 14 | 04-27-2012 04:30 PM |
What is browsing like on 3G? | alocsin | Kindle Fire | 9 | 12-22-2011 12:14 PM |
3G web browsing possible in UK? | emvh | Amazon Kindle | 5 | 08-05-2011 08:10 AM |
E-bookshops | Cathy W | HanLin eBook | 14 | 12-31-2008 01:51 PM |