Purchasing an item in a traditional store is instantly gratifying. I pick up an item, pay for it, and then that item is immediately mine. When shopping online, you have to wait — sometimes for more than a week — for the item to be in your possession.
When I have purchased items from Amazon in the past, the delivery window I was given was completely wrong, so I ended up waiting even longer than I expected. It can get frustrating, especially when you need the item immediately.
It's easier just to run to your local store and have the item right away. Granted, I live in a major city so, for me, it's easier just to run to the store and have the item right away.
It costs $119 per year for annual memberships, and it's $12.99 per month for a monthly membership. With that price, you are promised free delivery on all items bought on the website. But is it really free if you're paying for a membership?
Sure, you're probably saving money on shipping with the membership, but I save even more money by just running to the store and cutting out that delivery fee altogether.
Additionally, I already have other monthly memberships that are more essential and keep me healthy — such as a gym membership and a HelloFresh subscription. Amazon Prime, on the other hand, seems like an unnecessary luxury expense to me.
I live in an apartment building in Brooklyn, so most of my building's packages are left outside on the stoop or inside the lobby. Neighbors have told me their packages have been stolen or have just not turned up many times.
But this doesn't just happen in the city. In fact, 30% of people in the US said they had a delivery package stolen off their doorstep in 2017. Some of these people lost hundreds of dollars when their packages were taken, so I save even more money by shopping in retail stores.
Sure, you can get an Amazon Key, which allows delivery drivers to open your door, garage, or car so that they can place your package safely inside. However, it costs over $300, which isn't a small chunk of change. As a city dweller who moves around a lot and doesn't like the idea of a stranger entering my house, I don't think Amazon Key is a perfect fit for everyone.
As a tactile person, I like to feel an item before purchasing. When it comes to clothing, I need to feel the texture of the item, and I need to see how it fits. All of that can easily be done in a traditional retail store.
For me, it's difficult to just purchase something based on a picture on a website.
Amazon deliveries arrive in boxes of various sizes and are filled with bubble wrap. Since boxes are dropped an average of 17 times, online retailers tend to overpackage by placing boxes within boxes. In fact, about 1 billion trees a year are killed to make these boxes.
When I shop at traditional retail stores, however, I can tell the salesclerk that I don't need a shopping bag. Instead, I just place the purchased item in a backpack. In the rare case that I do get a shopping bag, I can easily reuse it in my house, unlike a large box.
Amazon said 1 million small and medium businesses sold their goods on the site and, of those, 20,000 made more than $1 million in sales in 2017. But some small business owners argue that Amazon is actually a threat to their business. According to Forbes, two out of three business owners say their growth is negatively affected by the online retailer. Although Amazon allows small businesses to reach a global audience, the company charges a 15% commission fee.
In other words, I think it's better to directly shop at my local small business than to buy their goods via Amazon.
While free, fast shipping may seem like an added perk, it comes at a cost. Amazon delivery drivers told Business Insider that they felt the need to drive fast, blow through stop signs, and urinate in bottles on their trucks to make deliveries on time. The drivers also said they have not been paid for overtime and many of their wages are missing.
I wouldn't want a delivery driver to risk his life in dangerous situations just because I needed toiletries. Instead, I just do the work myself and purchase the item at a traditional retail store.
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