[Broncho]

129 so far with plenty more to go!

[chris-c]

Christmas is coming. I'm filling my sack with Amazon goodies.
I refuse to look at total cost this year.

[Watsey]

132 orders in 2018 and Chrimbo is approaching fast...

[teaston]

My Amazon buying peaked in 2014 with 143 orders!!

[Broncho]

How many so far in 2019? I’m on 14.

[zofinger]

Anyone fancy supporting UK companies and the high street?

[mikeoz]

Originally Posted by zofinger

Anyone fancy supporting UK companies and the high street?

Sure would, Just wish that the councils didnt make the High Street such a hostile environment to park in.

[TouringPleb]

Originally Posted by mikeoz

Sure would, Just wish that the councils didnt make the High Street such a hostile environment to park in.

Some places are offering free parking to get people back to the High Street.

Bedford offers 2 hrs free on weekends although they would need to pay me to shop in that shit hole.

[Lincoln61]

Originally Posted by zofinger

Anyone fancy supporting UK companies and the high street?

I would if they were competitive and actually stocked what I wanted. It seems the high street is only interested in stocking cheap and poor quality products. So often I get the old chestnuts of, its in our other store, we can get it next week etc etc.

Add that to the parking charges etc and the High street just fails to meet my needs.

It's a shame, but the world is changing and it seems the high street is possibly a thing of the past for general consumer products. I do still go to shops that have something different or unique to offer, but shops trying to do the same thing they did 20 years ago isn't going to work anymore and to be honest I don't think its the customers fault that they haven't moved with the times.

[Broncho]

Originally Posted by zofinger

Anyone fancy supporting UK companies and the high street?

Nah.

[R0B]

Originally Posted by zofinger

Anyone fancy supporting UK companies and the high street?

There's a lot more to it that a simple suggestion of support or no support.

The e-commerce world has evolved. The high street hasn't.

Let's take a light bulb as an example. If I need one, I have three choices:

Amazon: probably the cheapest, delivered to my door.

Supermarket: probably cheap enough, and I will get a free of charge parking space.

Indie shop: Pay to park (more often than not), often closed by 6pm I.E. before people finish work, not often the cheapest, can't see if they have what I need before I go.

SO much has to change to level this that in reality it won't really happen;

Parking needs to be free, but councils are money grabbing short-sighted idiots.

Shops need to adjust opening hours and instead of standing around between 9am and 5pm to service two hours worth of customers, they should adopt the continental approach of taking time off during the day and opening again in the evening.

I do use Amazon, but also try and use indies. I'll go to an indie coffee shop before Costa, the hardware shop before Homebase, and so on. But I will also use Amazon because making a stand and not using it makes one about as stuck in the past as those blue-haired idiots with placards who think working for a living is not the way to go.

It'll only get worse. Major retailers are talking about using signal jammers to stop people using their phones to price-check items while in store. Wholesalers will be a thing of the past within 5 years and indie shops won't be able to place the minimum orders that manufacturers require.

10 years ago any manufacturer who also had a B2C trading platform was treated as the devil. Not it's a default position and they just hope they get good enough trade prices to be able to maintain some form of margin.

[Broncho]

I like it when one of my local shops closes as they’re usually bought up and turned into a wine bar or restaurant, these are local businesses that I spend my coin in rather than the crap shops that I’d never go to.

In the last few years we’ve had around 5 restaurants and 4 or 5 bars open up in the village, it’s absolutely belting and does wonders for the house prices

[mikeoz]

Originally Posted by TouringPleb

Some places are offering free parking to get people back to the High Street.

Bedford offers 2 hrs free on weekends although they would need to pay me to shop in that shit hole.

I was about to say, Why would you want to go there

[Broncho]

Resurrection!

I’m on 125 so far this year which is piss poor considering the lockdown jazz. I’m assuming if you buy more than one of an item it’s classed as just one because I was buying wine at as many as I could at a time.

Where are you lot up to?

[Panchoa]

113 for me......hadn’t realised I had ordered so much from Amazon...!

[SantaEugence]

Originally Posted by goodbyalfa

I do use Amazon for convenience don't get me wrong, but I've noticed, especially over the last 12 months or so that amazon is often not the cheapest place to buy, by quite some margin in many cases. I'm sure you used to be able to click with impunity knowing it would close enough on price not to worry. Now, not so much and it's always worth checking with other retailers who can also deliver as required.
Has anyone else noticed this upwards pricing trend (to cover the near loss making Prime delivery perhaps?)

I'm actually amazed as well, I was literally chatting to a friend recently slagging Amazon off wondering how they make any money. In my experience - Every product I've searched for is cheaper elsewhere, their search function is crap, filter function is crap, full of questionable knock off Chinese products with seemingly thousands of 5 star reviews (but when you Google search them for real reviews it's obvious how bad they are).

Only things I bought recently were a book (local store didn't have it) and a DP>USB-C cable because I absolutely couldn't get it anywhere else (and it was the best one).
I always assumed they were making their big money through WS...

Is it the convenience you guys use it for or are the things your buying actually cheapest on there?

[Broncho]

Originally Posted by SantaEugence

I'm actually amazed as well, I was literally chatting to a friend recently slagging Amazon off wondering how they make any money. In my experience - Every product I've searched for is cheaper elsewhere, their search function is crap, filter function is crap, full of questionable knock off Chinese products with seemingly thousands of 5 star reviews (but when you Google search them for real reviews it's obvious how bad they are).

Only things I bought recently were a book (local store didn't have it) and a DP>USB-C cable because I absolutely couldn't get it anywhere else (and it was the best one).
I always assumed they were making their big money through WS...

Is it the convenience you guys use it for or are the things your buying actually cheapest on there?

I find for the stuff I buy it’s usually the same price or a bit cheaper than elsewhere and it’s very convenient.

CBA trawling around the place trying to find a slightly better deal.

[JD6]

I'm on 279 orders for 2020 and only about half of those are LED Lensers

[pmgreenwood]

171 so far this year cf 91 2019 previous high 140 in 2017. 5 in 1999 and 2000, 0 in 2001 and 2002 then single figures until 2008, low 20'ds next 3 years, then just above 50 until 2017.

Have 4 LED Lensers in house and car.

My 25-year-old Panasonic combination microwave's turnable getting very erratic yesterday. Amazon cheaper than AO, JL and Curry's to replace with the current equivalent model

I find the delivery dates reliable and the recent Prime ability to order something reliable in stock sat early in the week but choose a Prime day delivery of a Saturday or a Sunday when I know I will be home very useful. The ability if the app to warn delivery a few stops away became very useful a few years ago as god as the then best DPD delivery service

What I do not understand is why the delivery Amazon local depot has changed about 2 weeks ago from where it has been as long as I can remember in Littlehampton 7 miles away to Swindon 100 miles and 100 minutes drive even if no issues on M4, A34, M3 and M/A27

[Goneinsixtyseconds]

79, not on the same league as those above. Adds up to about £1750. Bigger purchases this years, bbq, heaters, swing seat, wine fridge all found cheaper and better elsewhere.

I do always check when I’ve found something elsewhere to see if it’s on Amazon, if it is I buy from Amazon for ease.

[Broncho]

Originally Posted by Broncho

Resurrection!

I’m on 125 so far this year which is piss poor considering the lockdown jazz. I’m assuming if you buy more than one of an item it’s classed as just one because I was buying wine at as many as I could at a time.

Where are you lot up to?

Just had another look, 125 was for 2019, it’s actually 198 so far this year, I knew it seemed low!

[JustChris]

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