First let me say, I love Amazon and order all the time from them, but I do think they are pushing the envelope with this strategy. I thought you might be interested in this article from the people at Gawker.com
Amazon Launches Christmas Attack on Local Shops
Apparently concerned that it’s not already doing enough to undermine local physical retailers across the country, Amazon.com announced it will pay customers up to $5 to go into a local store, scan an item, walk out, and buy the same item on Amazon. Please don’t do this cheap, sad thing.
To get 5 percent off, up to a max of $5, you’re supposed to use Amazon’s “Price Check” iPhone and Android app to scan in the bar code of certain qualifying items and then indicate what price the item is being sold at. This gives Amazon valuable intelligence on how various retailers are pricing various items. “We scour online and in-store advertisements from other retailers, every day, year-round,” an Amazon director said on All Things D. But now Amazon won’t have to work so hard in the future, since hordes of consumers will (theoretically) sell out the merchants who pump sales taxes into their localities with sales taxes, all to save a measly five bones.
Read the rest: http://gawker.com/5865612/amazon-launches-christmas-attack-on-local-shops - interesting comments, too.
Talk tomorrow,
Kathy
Filed under: article, Book Stores, News Tagged: Amazon, Gawker.com, Indie Book Stores
Agreed to the “greed” aspect here. I think this is pretty sleazy, actually. Scruples? Ethics? Are these words even IN the dictionary anymore? I shop at Amazon and probably still will, for my own convenience, but will hate that I’ll be feeding their greed *sigh*
people have always done this sort of thing…especially when times are tough. It’s NOT fair and doesn’t make the person feel good about themselves, but it’s part of ‘survival’. To have Amazon TELL people to do this and make it sound ‘OK’ …even ‘smart’…. is what is SO appauling. thanks for bringing it out…..
I agree. That’s really low and very unnecessary. I, too, shop Amazon, but also will visit a local bookseller and buy books when I’m there. Amazon, with all its money and ingenuity, ought to be finding a way to support and/or partner with local booksellers to help keep them alive.
jeanne