[mgmueller]

For some time now, maybe 12 months or so, I've got the feeling, the service level from Amazon constantly declines a bit (here in Germany).

Do you experience the same?

Just one example:
I've ordered 3 paper books (business literature, not available as eBooks), all showing "on stock".
2 had been shipped the next day. The 3rd one with 2 days of delay.

Issues for me:

a.) Some time ago, I normally got delivery the very next day. I had ordered, let's say, on Monday 1pm, it was shipped a few hours later and I did receive it the next morning. For the last 12 months or so, I never get the delivery the next day, although the message in my shopping basket usually says so. All deliveries happen the day after the next day.

b.) In the past, you could 100% rely on the "on stock" info. Not anymore, it seems. This I really don't understand. Even with subcontractors, you easily can track stock levels. Even more so when it's from Amazon directly. After all: The single main advantage of Amazon is logistics!

c.) In the past, the delivery guys did take their time to hand my deliveries to one of my neighbors. Of course this takes time, even may double the time needed per package. And of course it requires some consistency in the staff of the logistics partner. The bigger the fluctuation in this staff, the more complicated (and time-consuming) it gets for them: Which neighbor is at home at what times?
For some time now, if I'm not at home, my packages end up in the packing stations. I can fetch them 24/7 via barcode. But of course I have to leave the house, so I could have gone to the next mall and buy my products there as well.
And now, for the last few weeks, my packages don't end up in the packing station anymore. I have to fetch them from some post office (not even a "real" post station, but some desk in a shopping mall). Today, for example, I only could fetch my package until 4pm. Bummer. I came home late and so I have to wait until Monday.

Some might say: What's the problem?

But quite frankly:
Price advantages for most products are a topic of the past. Saturn Markt for example for my last 5 purchases or so easily took over the Amazon price on my request.

So, to me, there are only 2 advantages for Amazon:
a.) Comparability. I don't have to rely on a single merchant, I can check (in a single platform) the prices, delivery times and availability of dozens of merchants.
b.) Availability. In the past, it didn't make much sense to go to Saturn Market, when I conveniently enough got a delivery from Amazon to my door within 12 hours.

But now?
If this continues (having to leave the house anyway, to receive my package) and if I can't rely on the "on stock" info but have to wait 1 or even 2 additional days, I'll get back to my habit of the past: Driving to the next merchant, buying the product and taking it with me.
I still might use Amazon, to compare prices. But I can do this with other platform as well, even on a wider scale.

My personal explanation:
I've read a few articles, about Amazon still having only small margins and tiny profit.
The goal not being short-term profits, but market share (domination).
Maybe shareholders or whoever wants to see some increase in profitability and Amazon had to cut some costs in logistics?

Am I the only one to experience this decline in (once famous and unique) service level?