|
The retail do have a problem in inventory so that the available items are limited to their 'type of store'(?). Amazon has a very wide available of items that is not limited to Amazon but available via connections to different vendors/sellers.
I had looked for terry cloth pot holder replacement locally for around 5 yrs before decided to check on Amazon; got them & quite happy as the terry cloth types are more flexible for toaster ovens & microwaves for me.
The only place I am able to get zippered fly sweatpants is at LL Bean & they also sell them thru Amazon. Helps greatly for people who have to take blood pressure medications. Local stores' clothing line is catered to the young physical 'fit' & trim abdomens; the stuff don't fit my over-aged pot belly.
Before Amazon, I recall a small chain retailer called 'White Front' which went out of business; then U.S.E. then Gold Circle also shutdown. All before Amazon & Walmart. For books, Borders went out of business even before I got an ebook reader. Some used book stores went out of business due to new laws about minimum wage increase, health plans & now, retirement plans if a business has 5 or more employees.
I think Walmart did more damage to retailers than Amazon. The retailers need to have much better web pages to show accurate stock & availability. I believe people are doing lots of internet browsing/shopping for things instead of walking around a city center shopping area or shopping malls.
Still local retailers are at a disadvantage due to how much inventory they can have because of the yearly inventory taxes; the laws are out-dated & discourage having much stuff in their stores. Does inventory taxes include what is in a warehouse?
|