# Amazon Doesn’t Just Want to Dominate the Market—It Wants to Become the Market



## Annie (Dec 5, 2015)

This article had me thinking about the potential of having one huge monopoly in which everything is bought and sold. Does that remind you of anything? Perhaps like the mark of the beast mentioned in Revelation? They're undercutting their competition by selling items at a loss in order to put the little guys out of business. I've bought tons of stuff on Amazon, I even have the Prime membership. It's so convenient. but I'm thinking maybe I need to be rethinking that...

The company is a radically new kind of monopoly with ambitions that dwarf those of earlier empires.
By Stacy Mitchell


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## RedLion (Sep 23, 2015)

Yep, Amazon is a monopoly that needs to be busted up like Google.


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## Sasquatch (Dec 12, 2014)

Amazon is a great business model and the fact someone hasn't copied it and given them some competition makes me wonder why. 

Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk


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## Annie (Dec 5, 2015)

Sasquatch said:


> Amazon is a great business model and the fact someone hasn't copied it and given them some competition makes me wonder why.
> 
> Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk


Remember when all they sold were books? Now look at them.


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## Smitty901 (Nov 16, 2012)

I avoid google all I can and I do not shop Amazon


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## Kauboy (May 12, 2014)

Sasquatch said:


> Amazon is a great business model and the fact someone hasn't copied it and given them some competition makes me wonder why.
> 
> Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk


Someone has.
Alibaba has taken the Amazon model and opened it to the East.
With the gigantic market that site holds in the technology areas, it is a strong competitor with Amazon. Unfortunately, their sellers are often offering cheap products at cheap prices, so it builds a negative connotation. However, there are still plenty of good sellers there. If you're willing to wait 3 weeks for an item to arrive, you can save some serious money.

I've not seen anything too nefarious from Amazon yet. It is true, they want to be a marketplace, but they are still open to all kinds of competition within that marketplace. I don't see much favoritism being played between sellers. If they can keep a level playing field where the market sets the price of goods, I'm on board with it.


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## Tango2X (Jul 7, 2016)

Any time I want to buy something-- I look for a source other than Amazon!
I do not like what Bezos is trying to do!!


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## 1skrewsloose (Jun 3, 2013)

maybe Amazon got the idea from kwiktrip. Don't see any mom and pop corner stores anymore. We've been hoodwinked for a long time. Same with Walmart.


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## Lunatic Wrench (May 13, 2018)

The are headed to be the next Telephone company. Some of us remember when it Ma Bell controlled all phone calls.


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## KUSA (Apr 21, 2016)

I can’t help but shop there, it’s too convenient.


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## StratMaster (Dec 26, 2017)

I have no problem shopping there either. A monopoly is an almost mythological creature. The few anti-trust cases the government did made against US companies (ESPECIALLY ALCOA) were a boondoggle agenda of a government attempt to assert its power and be relevant in (very bad) economic policy. When there is a HUGE market share to be sliced off, new capital rushes in and new companies vie for a piece of the action. Amazon would have to own the net, or own a legislature which decided to unlawfully apportion use of it only to those companies they preferred.


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## Inor (Mar 22, 2013)

Sasquatch said:


> Amazon is a great business model and the fact someone hasn't copied it and given them some competition makes me wonder why.
> 
> Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk


I don't like Bezos at all. But I have to give him credit for building a truly GREAT company with Amazon. For those who say "it is a monopoly that needs to be broken up by the government", I suggest you move to the Bronx so you can vote for your fellow totalitarian socialist, AOC.

The free market, and nothing else, should threaten Amazon (or anybody else).


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## Slippy (Nov 14, 2013)

I agree with @Inor in regards to monopolies and government over-reach. We The People need to make sure the government stays the hell out of business. PERIOD.

Regarding AMAZON specifically, me and Mrs Slippy do buy from AMAZON and we find it very efficient in sourcing hard to find things. Their service is spectacular.

Having said that, I just ran across the article below. Hmmm

https://www.wnd.com/2019/02/amazon-no-1-for-sexual-exploitation-of-kids/

Hmmmm


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## A Watchman (Sep 14, 2015)

The reason Amazon has its market share is simple. They deliver on customer service, what you want, reviews, and 2 day delivery. I use them every single month.


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## Lunatic Wrench (May 13, 2018)

Inor said:


> I don't like Bezos at all. But I have to give him credit for building a truly GREAT company with Amazon. For those who say "it is a monopoly that needs to be broken up by the government", I suggest you move to the Bronx so you can vote for your fellow totalitarian socialist, AOC.
> 
> The free market, and nothing else, should threaten Amazon (or anybody else).


I wonder how much of that is blown out of proportion. I've never seen it, but I only search for prep gear, car parts, tools etc.


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## Lunatic Wrench (May 13, 2018)

A Watchman said:


> The reason Amazon has its market share is simple. They deliver on customer service, what you want, reviews, and 2 day delivery. I use them every single month.


In this day and age of piss poor to non existent customer service, Amazon has taken CS to the top tier, and customers seem to like that _for some odd reason_.


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## Sasquatch (Dec 12, 2014)

Inor said:


> I don't like Bezos at all. But I have to give him credit for building a truly GREAT company with Amazon. For those who say "it is a monopoly that needs to be broken up by the government", I suggest you move to the Bronx so you can vote for your fellow totalitarian socialist, AOC.
> 
> The free market, and nothing else, should threaten Amazon (or anybody else).





Slippy said:


> I agree with @Inor in regards to monopolies and government over-reach. We The People need to make sure the government stays the hell out of business. PERIOD.
> 
> Regarding AMAZON specifically, me and Mrs Slippy do buy from AMAZON and we find it very efficient in sourcing hard to find things. Their service is spectacular.
> 
> ...





A Watchman said:


> The reason Amazon has its market share is simple. They deliver on customer service, what you want, reviews, and 2 day delivery. I use them every single month.


Playing devil's advocate with this post.

Do any of you have an Amazon Alexa? If not, why not?


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## Inor (Mar 22, 2013)

Sasquatch said:


> Playing devil's advocate with this post.
> 
> Do any of you have an Amazon Alexa? If not, why not?


Of course not. Outside of how I make my living, I purposefully live a low-tech life.


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## Slippy (Nov 14, 2013)

Sasquatch said:


> Playing devil's advocate with this post.
> 
> Do any of you have an Amazon Alexa? If not, why not?


HA, HA, HA!

Negatory Pig Pen! I don't care for big jungle girls, not my thang...:vs_blush:


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## Prepared One (Nov 5, 2014)

I do business with Amazon on a regular basis. Can't beat the convenience and customer service. I am not a fan of Bezos but you can't deny what he has done is nothing short of astounding. Free commerce and competition was a strong principle of our founding fathers and one of the reasons this country achieved the heights it has. The market will make any necessary corrections over time. Or, we could put AOC in charge of it, she will fix it for ya.


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## A Watchman (Sep 14, 2015)

Sasquatch said:


> Playing devil's advocate with this post.
> 
> Do any of you have an Amazon Alexa? If not, why not?


No, I prefer my assistants to have real boobs.


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## Inor (Mar 22, 2013)

A Watchman said:


> No, I prefer my assistants to have real boobs.


Real boobs! Yeah! Let's hear it for real boobs! (Nice Wednesday morning talk...) :devil:


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## Prepared One (Nov 5, 2014)

I happen to be a real fan of real boobs myself! :devil:


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## Maine-Marine (Mar 7, 2014)

Success should not be punished (We call it capitalism)

Amazon is doing to walmart what walmart did to sears and the small mom an pop stores 

Amazon allows people to sell on their site for a fee... So it is a platform that allows me to compete with the big guys.. in fact I (the company I work for) buy things via alibaba and sell them in the US - often they are OEM type products that we have OUR label/part number on

we saw a niche for a certain of antenna and had them produced in hong kong
we also saw a niche for a certain type of ethernet switch gear toward a certain market had them made in China labelled for us so we could sell them on ebay, amazon, and directly to our customers 

Amazon is an equalizer


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## Sasquatch (Dec 12, 2014)

A Watchman said:


> No, I prefer my assistants to have real boobs.


Whatever floats your boat I guess.









Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk


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## StratMaster (Dec 26, 2017)

Prepared One said:


> I happen to be a real fan of real boobs myself! :devil:


In my youth I did on occasion find myself in Silicone Valley... and lived to tell the tale.


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## rice paddy daddy (Jul 17, 2012)

We buy paper towels, toilet paper, canned tuna, and other stuff by the case from Amazon.
It is cheaper than the grocery store in town and we don’t have to crank up the truck and drive there. 
Just crank up the wife’s riding mower with the cart hitched up and drive out to the gate.

As far as Alexia, or other gizmos of that type, you do know they eavesdrop on everything that happens in your house, right?


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## Sasquatch (Dec 12, 2014)

rice paddy daddy said:


> As far as Alexia, or other gizmos of that type, you do know they eavesdrop on everything that happens in your house, right?


That was the point I was trying to make. Why would someone trust that Amazon is a fine upstanding business with no nefarious plans to monopolize the market but they also want to be semi evil and listen to your conversations?

Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk


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## rice paddy daddy (Jul 17, 2012)

Sasquatch said:


> That was the point I was trying to make. Why would someone trust that Amazon is a fine upstanding business with no nefarious plans to monopolize the market but they also want to be semi evil and listen to your conversations?
> 
> Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk


I am under no illusion that it's a fine upstanding business, but I do chose to use them for some things rather than drive 10 miles into town to the store and 10 miles back.
Neither do I think it is substantially different or worse than any other American business.


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## inceptor (Nov 19, 2012)

rice paddy daddy said:


> As far as Alexia, or other gizmos of that type, you do know they eavesdrop on everything that happens in your house, right?


I was not aware of that when my wife bought Alexa. Not long after that was the first case where the police wanted to use the recording for a murder investigation. That's how I found out they recorded everything. Since then it's been unplugged and in the back of a closet.

We have been Amazon Prime members for years. BUT one must not assume they are the best price. I check nearly everything.

One thing I can't fault is their customer service. Even if it's the postal services fault, they will make it right.


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## T-Man 1066 (Jan 3, 2016)

As far as alexia, I refuse to have devices that "listen in" at all times in T-Man's shack. Yep, I know cell phones can listen to you as well as your laptop, but I don't need to bring in additional items in. No smart TV's refrigerators, or crap like that.


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## Inor (Mar 22, 2013)

inceptor said:


> I was not aware of that when my wife bought Alexa. Not long after that was the first case where the police wanted to use the recording for a murder investigation. That's how I found out they recorded everything. Since then it's been unplugged and in the back of a closet.


Or, you could just stop killing people, unless they are muslims. (In that case, please just unplug Alexa.) :tango_face_grin:


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## inceptor (Nov 19, 2012)

Inor said:


> Or, you could just stop killing people, unless they are muslims. (In that case, please just unplug Alexa.) :tango_face_grin:


Boy you make some unreasonable demands.


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## inceptor (Nov 19, 2012)

T-Man 1066 said:


> As far as alexia, I refuse to have devices that "listen in" at all times in T-Man's shack. Yep, I know cell phones can listen to you as well as your laptop, but I don't need to bring in additional items in. No smart TV's refrigerators, or crap like that.


All you can do is minimize your exposure. Although it's not as commonly known like China but you are under surveillance all the time.


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## BookWorm (Jul 8, 2018)

I'm not a prime member, I never used ebay to buy or sell. I bought and sold on craiglist once each. I average 3 purchases a year from Amazon. On a heavy year I might buy online 5 times total. (DVDs, glowsticks) 
My point... if 5,000 stand in line to be the first person to buy a particular item... chances are, I'm not buying that product and may not even buy from that store. 

Names of manufactures I have been faithful to: Nikon, Glock, Savage, Winchester, Kenwood, Infinity, Toyota. Am I old school... depends on the category.

I'm not against change, I don't care for monopoly's and a single person being worth hundreds of billions of dollars. Nobody is worth that. Period.


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## Prepared One (Nov 5, 2014)

Inor said:


> Or, you could just stop killing people, unless they are muslims. (In that case, please just unplug Alexa.) :tango_face_grin:


Unplug every time you kill a muslim? That's a lot of unplugging to do. :devil:


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## NotTooProudToHide (Nov 3, 2013)

Like others have said, Amazon has a business model that works and consumers love it. They've made other major retailers like Walmart make changes to their online stores in order to compete. There will always be a demand for brick & mortar retailers although they are going to have to change the way they do things, such as start paying to have competent employees that know the products and can provide expert advice along with great customer service rather than see how much overhead they can cut to reduce prices. Still shopping on the internet with quick shipping is the future, no point in running from it.


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## Annie (Dec 5, 2015)

Kauboy said:


> Someone has.
> Alibaba has taken the Amazon model and opened it to the East.
> With the gigantic market that site holds in the technology areas, it is a strong competitor with Amazon. Unfortunately, their sellers are often offering cheap products at cheap prices, so it builds a negative connotation. However, there are still plenty of good sellers there. If you're willing to wait 3 weeks for an item to arrive, you can save some serious money.
> 
> I've not seen anything too nefarious from Amazon yet. It is true, they want to be a marketplace, but they are still open to all kinds of competition within that marketplace. I don't see much favoritism being played between sellers. If they can keep a level playing field where the market sets the price of goods, I'm on board with it.


I do business with them, sometimes I buy fabric from them. Aliexpress isn't exactly like Amazon, though. Obviously you can't get groceries from China, lol. Nor books, nor music and movies, etc. Just the usual sort of thing that China ordinarily pedals to us. Whenever possible I do buy "made in the USA" fabrics, but honestly I can't get the kind of really fine laces here in the states that I'm buying from them. Sometimes you can get nice stuff from Europe...

I gotta watch those sneaky Guangdong, China fabric sellers. They'll call me sweetie and dear and then go and swipe photos of my work using their fabric, turn around and sell my product--using my pics--at a lower price. Oh,the nerve. Ask me how I know....


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## Smitty901 (Nov 16, 2012)

This is Good news IMO. To much power and money is located in NY already time to spread it around. "Amazon pulls out of plan to build New York City headquarters after backlash".
I think Amazon wised up saw the back stabbing that would come latter.

https://www.foxnews.com/tech/amazon-pulls-out-of-plan-to-build-new-york-city-headquarters


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## jimb1972 (Nov 12, 2012)

Sasquatch said:


> Playing devil's advocate with this post.
> 
> Do any of you have an Amazon Alexa? If not, why not?


No If I need something to listen to me I talk to the dog. (I have 4 kids, but the dog listens and seems to enjoy our conversations)


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## Smitty901 (Nov 16, 2012)

Sasquatch said:


> Playing devil's advocate with this post.
> 
> Do any of you have an Amazon Alexa? If not, why not?


 No. You don't have to be an IT Guru to know every APP every thing they put out has away to monitor you and spy and you. Even when they try to claim it does not. No need for Alexa or any of the others out there.


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## T-Man 1066 (Jan 3, 2016)

Just because some techie gadget is out there doesn't mean I need it or want it. Alot of times I think the simple life was much better.


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## Lunatic Wrench (May 13, 2018)

Sasquatch said:


> Playing devil's advocate with this post.
> 
> Do any of you have an Amazon Alexa? If not, why not?


No, I might be getting older, but I am still physically fit enough to get up, walk over, lift my arm and turn on/off the lights, turn the radio dial, adjust the thermostat and search the internet from my laptop by pushing the little buttons on the keyboard.

W/O getting long winded, Alex and just about all this other technology is hackable. The other night the news did a story about someone's wifi home security cameras and the video doorbell getting hacked.
A while back I watched a show of some guys hacking into a car and taking control of the accelerator and steering.


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## Sasquatch (Dec 12, 2014)

Lunatic Wrench said:


> No, I might be getting older, but I am still physically fit enough to get up, walk over, lift my arm and turn on/off the lights, turn the radio dial, adjust the thermostat and search the internet from my laptop by pushing the little buttons on the keyboard.
> 
> W/O getting long winded, Alex and just about all this other technology is hackable. The other night the news did a story about someone's wifi home security cameras and the video doorbell getting hacked.
> A while back I watched a show of some guys hacking into a car and taking control of the accelerator and steering.


I've seen them hack cars and having technology should be a concern for everyone.

But the point I was trying to make with the post was a few of the people here were posting they believe Amazon is a fine company only doing what any American company should strive to do YET these same people who believe that would never put an Alexa in their home because they're afraid Amazon, or the guberment through Amazon, would use the device to spy on them. I can't see how the two different trains of thought can exist. Either Amazon is good and would never try to monopolize the market or listen to you through Alexa or they are bad and will do nefarious things either way.

That is what I was getting at with the Devil's advocate question.

Plus, it's a moot point anyway because we all carry "smart" phones and we already know those can be hacked or used directly from the company or government to spy on you.


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## Inor (Mar 22, 2013)

Sasquatch said:


> I can't see how the two different trains of thought can exist. Either Amazon is good and would never try to monopolize the market or listen to you through Alexa or they are bad and will do nefarious things either way.


I sure _*hope*_ Amazon, and every other company, is trying to monopolize their respective markets! Building a monopoly is why companies exists in the first place. I also hope companies like Amazon and Google are using the technology they invented to increase their grip on their customers. That is the whole point of spending billions of dollars building the software.

The fact that I choose not to participate in their game does not diminish the respect I have for the company and how well they have played their game.

P.S. I only carry a smartphone when I travel. The rest of the time, it sits in my garage on my workbench. And more than half the time, the battery is dead besides.


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## inceptor (Nov 19, 2012)

Sasquatch said:


> I've seen them hack cars and having technology should be a concern for everyone.
> 
> But the point I was trying to make with the post was a few of the people here were posting they believe Amazon is a fine company only doing what any American company should strive to do YET these same people who believe that would never put an Alexa in their home because they're afraid Amazon, or the guberment through Amazon, would use the device to spy on them. I can't see how the two different trains of thought can exist. Either Amazon is good and would never try to monopolize the market or listen to you through Alexa or they are bad and will do nefarious things either way.
> 
> ...


Amazon is free enterprise working whether you like Jeff Bezos or not. Never assume Amazon has the best price. I shop around but all things being equal, I'll choose Amazon for their fast delivery and their customer service.

I try to buy American when and where I can usually. Too many people hate China but they support their economy. Sometimes you have no choice, other times you do. People complain about the cost of American made products. But these companies are paying a fair wage and provide decent working conditions. The added advantage is a quality product.

Here is one good example. One of my goals when I retired was to learn fine woodworking. I'm a decent rough carpenter but not so much on the finer stuff like furniture, boxes, etc. Woodcraft's in house brand is Wood River. Wood River products are made in China. Veritas is made in Canada and Lie-Nielson is made in the US. You may pay more for Lie-Nielson and Veritas but you are also getting a quality product. And you are supporting our economy, not helping to further China's agenda.

Is it feasible to always support our economy? Nope. I wouldn't give you a plug nickel for one of the big 3 vehicles. And our money isn't going to China there either. But, that being said, you are going to help stimulate China's economy whether you like it or not. With the low wages they pay, many companies are outsourcing to there and other countries who do the same.


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## Prepared One (Nov 5, 2014)

I am under no illusions that Amazon is all unicorn farts and rainbows. They are a business, and as such, are in the profit business. Bezos is no different then Rockefeller, Carnegie, Ford, Gates, or Morgan. They built a business from the ground up and they took chances. They were shrewd, cunning, motivated, highly competitive, and yes, brutal and ruthless. 
They bought and sold other businesses, and put others out of business. That's the game, it's sometimes not fair or pretty. 

Their job is to monopolize their market, as all business try to do. Their job is to sell me. My job, is to decide if I want to be sold, and the terms under which I agree to buy. 

I don't have an Alexa or any other such device in my home. If it weren't for work I would more then likely not have a smart phone or an IPAD. A simple flip up mobile phone would suffice.


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## inceptor (Nov 19, 2012)

Prepared One said:


> If it weren't for work I would more then likely not have a smart phone or an IPAD. A simple flip up mobile phone would suffice.


I didn't see this but it sure made the news. A lot of people are making fun of Lindsey Graham because he uses a flip phone. What they fail to realize is that he is not being tracked or recorded.

Adam Schitt is about to learn this lesson.



> >>5127462
> Life Lesson - [AS]
> The next time you 'leak' classified information, don't have your phone (or allow phones of the 'unknown' go-between 'students') present.
> FISA works both ways.
> Q


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## Lunatic Wrench (May 13, 2018)

Sasquatch said:


> I've seen them hack cars and having technology should be a concern for everyone.
> 
> But the point I was trying to make with the post was a few of the people here were posting they believe Amazon is a fine company only doing what any American company should strive to do YET these same people who believe that would never put an Alexa in their home because they're afraid Amazon, or the guberment through Amazon, would use the device to spy on them. I can't see how the two different trains of thought can exist. Either Amazon is good and would never try to monopolize the market or listen to you through Alexa or they are bad and will do nefarious things either way.
> 
> ...


I hear ya, I was rambling, been a long week.


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## notaprepper (Jul 27, 2020)

Amazon is a good company, I have used it myself. But the points about it taking away business from the street is a negative, for employers and employees. This is why people like Andrew Yang made good sense on this. He sees the future that many can't see, because they still live ten years ago.


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## StratMaster (Dec 26, 2017)

Inor said:


> I sure _*hope*_ Amazon, and every other company, is trying to monopolize their respective markets! Building a monopoly is why companies exists in the first place. I also hope companies like Amazon and Google are using the technology they invented to increase their grip on their customers. That is the whole point of spending billions of dollars building the software.
> 
> The fact that I choose not to participate in their game does not diminish the respect I have for the company and how well they have played their game.
> 
> P.S. I only carry a smartphone when I travel. The rest of the time, it sits in my garage on my workbench. And more than half the time, the battery is dead besides.


I have no issue with near monopolies IF the come into existence via the best goods and services at the best price point. I DO have issues with monopolies obtained via purchased political influence interfering with a free market (such as Pharma companies "evergreening patents, suppressing competition).

A good example is ALCOA. Because of the dire need for aluminum during WWII, ALCOA invested heavily in greatly expanding their ability to produce. As a result, they became so efficient and productive that no others could compete: they were not locked OUT of the market, they just could not produce at the price point of ALCOA. Generally, in a juicy market, capital rushes in to tear off a piece of it... competitors arise relatively quickly. ALCOA was hit with an antitrust suit by the government regardless. Judge Learned Hand : " He ruled that evidence of greed or lust for power was inessential; monopoly itself was unlawful, even though it might result from otherwise unobjectionable business practices. " Certainly unobjectionable: they ramped up and invested to provide much needed aluminum for the war effort. They came out of THAT providing America with the very best aluminum at the lowest price point possible... so good and so cheap that no other capitalists wanted to try and meet their ability. And it was ruled criminal.


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## dwight55 (Nov 9, 2012)

I have used Amazon in the past . . . probably will in the future . . . 

But I'm also an Ebay shopper . . . and I'm going to say unequivocally that 8 or 9 times out of ten . . . if I find the same item on both sites . . . Ebay will have it beat, price wise. Especially if you don't have enough shopping in a year's time to offset the annual Amazon subscription rate.

AND . . . most of the time . . . shipping is quicker . . . or at least it seems so on my end.

Thus: I'm an Ebay shopper.

May God bless,
Dwight


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## Annie (Dec 5, 2015)

Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos makes $2,489 per second. 
https://www.businessinsider.com/how-rich-is-jeff-bezos-mind-blowing-facts-net-worth-2019-4


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## notaprepper (Jul 27, 2020)

That is a lot of money. 

While some have suggested that an Amazon outlet could keep the streets viable for shopping, that wouldn't for other businesses. I read this from one newspaper, and then I read another article from another about the negatives on Amazon, how the employees have been treated, and so on.


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## ND_ponyexpress_ (Mar 20, 2016)

my wife's company sells a lot on Amazon. evidently one thing they like to do is if a small business sells a ton and has a small niche business, Amazon will boot them off their platform and then take over that niche.. so You can do good selling on Amazon... as long as you don't do too good!


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## Triumph (Aug 18, 2020)

Annie said:


> This article had me thinking about the potential of having one huge monopoly in which everything is bought and sold. Does that remind you of anything? Perhaps like the mark of the beast mentioned in Revelation? They're undercutting their competition by selling items at a loss in order to put the little guys out of business. I've bought tons of stuff on Amazon, I even have the Prime membership. It's so convenient. but I'm thinking maybe I need to be rethinking that...
> 
> The company is a radically new kind of monopoly with ambitions that dwarf those of earlier empires.
> By Stacy Mitchell


Amazon is the devil. I try to buy from local stores but when it half the price it's hard to not buy from them. Especially when living in NJ mybtax bill is 2 mortgages in a free state. That is what they count on though. If its 10 on Amazon and 20 locally if buy locally but when it 100 Amazon and 200 local and I need it that 100 towards an student loan bill for my son. I don't want to be but I'm part of the problem.

Sent from my SM-N970U using Tapatalk


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## Robie (Jun 2, 2016)

Triumph said:


> Amazon is the devil. I try to buy from local stores but when it half the price it's hard to not buy from them. Especially when living in NJ mybtax bill is 2 mortgages in a free state. That is what they count on though. If its 10 on Amazon and 20 locally if buy locally but when it 100 Amazon and 200 local and I need it that 100 towards an student loan bill for my son. I don't want to be but I'm part of the problem.
> 
> Sent from my SM-N970U using Tapatalk


Same here. I try my best to buy locally. It seems my buying is pretty eclectic and a good 75% of the small stuff I buy just can't be found locally. It's tough for me to justify driving 2 hours and provably spending more when what I want is a click away and less expensive.

It's a love.hate relationship for me with Amazon.


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## 65mustang (Apr 4, 2020)

Lunatic Wrench said:


> The are headed to be the next Telephone company. Some of us remember when it Ma Bell controlled all phone calls.


Yeah, I remember when my phone bill was cheap. I also remember them busting up Ma Bell's monopoly so they'd have competition and lower prices, we all know how that went. Now they need to do something about cable TV/phone and internet rip-off artists....errr....providers.


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## KUSA (Apr 21, 2016)

I could find most anything I wanted locally but now that is not the case. If I check a couple of stores and can’t find something, I just order it off Amazon. It’s just too damned easy to find what I need there.


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