Quote:
Originally Posted by pwalker8
Part of the reason that Amazon has done well is fast shipping. Order it today, have it show up on your door step in two days. If it goes to 5-7 days, then they lose a lot of their edge over the other online stores. I feel your pain. I've had a number of packages where I was promised free 2 day delivery, they sub contract the last mile to the post office, and I get the package 3 or 4 days later. And I don't live somewhere with community mail boxes!
I would also say that the inevitable result to a race to the bottom in price, is a race to the bottom in service. It's the old saying, pick two of the three - good, fast, cheap, because you won't get all three, at least not for very long.
|
The speed used to be cool. I agree. But now, I just want it TO my damn door, because I moved, and I'm now way (way!) out of "town." Driving anywhere, to anything, is a schlep; the closest thing to me is a convenience store (Circle K, for you US residents), and it's 10+ miles each direction. It's ~$6.00 a trip, in gas money. "Real" stores are further away. Gas ain't cheap, now, which hurts them and me both.
So, no, all things considered, I (now) don't mind waiting longer. I've moved shopping for things that can come to me via (whatever) from Amazon to XYZ company, as long as I can choose UPS shipping. I mean, for example, Walmart loses my business for online purchases for the same reason: no shipping choices.
Everybody got so obsessed with SPEED (chasing Amazon) that they forgot that most of us like to have options. So, ye olden days, in which you could pick "UPS ground," and wait 10 days, have disappeared, while Fedex subcontracts out crappy service to the USPS, all under the guise of "speed." But it's not speedy when I find the dreaded green slip in my box.
And a $1 coupon (or whatever it is) isn't going to cheer me up if I pick slower shipping
AND the accursed object of my desire ends up at the PO, which is a $12+ trip, gas-wise. I don't mean to sound measly cheap, but really: making trips I don't need to, to pick up s**t that is supposed to be AT MY DOOR, and paying $$$ for the privilege, in gas? Ohhhh, noooo. Nyet, no, no. (And none of this even addresses the dreaded, I buy some things online, just BECAUSE they'll come to my door, and I don't have to take my bum shoulder to carry them, like 40lb sacks of cat litter. Drive to the PO for that, and cost myself MORE than the damned litter in the first place, AND have to lift it???? Nix, nein, no, hell no.) Sorry, Amazon, I have loved thee well, but you're gonna have to do better than that.
Hitch