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Originally Posted by SensualPoet
But selling consumer electronics IS all about the sizzle: having stock on the shelves, and, in Apple's case, working devices on display. An Apple laptop computer is no more sexy than a Toshiba Windows 7 but at an Apple store I get to poke, prod and question ... at Joe's Computers, the specific Toshiba model I want is in a box behind a locked glass door.
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And it cost's a lot less because Joe and maybe one other guy is in the store.
In the past if you had 10 guys to service the people they will look at what you have and then go down the street and buy at Joe's as they did at ComputerLand. Today they buy at Joe.com.
But the concept of selling sizzle is far far more than having stock and letting you play with it. That's the steak part.
Sizzle is selling you the exciting sounds and smells the steak has when it is cooking. They sell sizzle and you buy steak. Apple has always done this.
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Closer to home, I have to say, again, that Amazon did not get to be the giant in this industry by constantly pissing customers off. They built their business under the directive: To be the most customer centric retailer on the planet, or words to that effect, and, by and large, they have achieved it (and continue to achieve that daily -- that's the most important part).
The bookchains aren't being put out of business by Amazon; they are being put out of business by decades of their own bad business decisions and failure to delight their customers as their customers needs and desires have changed.
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Amazon takes good care of it's customers but they are a high volume low price business that offers none of the experience you want.
You can't call them up and discuss the relative merits of the Zonko X3 vs. the Widget V9.
All you can do is read customer reviews, buy one and try it. If you don't like it you can send it back rather painlessly. As long as people don't buy both and send one back that policy will stay in place.