Postby Kathryn-in-Canada » Wed Jan 31, 2018 11:11 pm
Cathy: one reason people use Amazon so much is there is no problem getting the money back. Remember when I bought a pack of ten eclipse viewing glasses and then they turned out the company could not prove they were not counterfeit? Money was back within hours. I've ordered things from China that were to take 6 weeks to show up. At week 7, I get my money back. I ordered counterfeit USB cables before knowing the difference. Got my money back. Dh must have ordered a half dozen of one item until he found the combination that worked for us. The others were all returned with our money back. No cost for returns, either.
That's what makes it so easy to use, the risk is so small.
We've also found products we thought would be nice if they existed but we've never seen in a store. Things like an outlet splitter with a circuit breaker so if too many appliances are plugged into it, it blows instead of a fuse. Power bars do the same thing but they take up more room on the counter. And it is hard to find touch lamp pads (you touch the pad and the light goes on or off so you don't have to reach the lamp.) Our Home Hardware used to carry them but doesn't anymore.
Then everything changes when delivery ceases to be reliable. Then the cost of using the system when you can't count on the item arriving when expected or even at all ("porch pirates" follow the delivery people around stealing the items dropped on front porches) starts to make the savings look less attractive. All the empty store fronts cause you pause and then your thinking starts to change.
In the meantime, a lot of bricks & mortar stores now do online shopping of some sort. Staples and Costco have always had it. Canadian Tire allows you to buy the item online and they email you when it is ready to be picked up at the store.
So one doesn't have to use Amazon, there are other options out there that are convenient but still offer a local presence.