It’s really nice for my 3D printing hobby since most of the brands I’m buying are based in China or Europe (mostly China). They send over a shipping container of printers and Amazon handles fulfillment so I get the stuff in a few days instead of waiting 45 days and pay $100 shipping to get a 20 pound device delivered. They also have all the replacement parts and stuff in their warehouses.
Also, their returns process is painless. I thought I’d support local workers and had been shopping at Hobby Lobby instead of using Amazon. For my trouble, when I tried to return an airbrush that didn’t suit my needs (I used it once) they treated me like a criminal, it was a whole production.
With Amazon I just head to the Whole Foods down the street (or Kohls sometimes?), return it, and get credited almost instantly.
I do think Walmart is putting a lot of effort into their online offerings and if you can return online purchases in store that’d be a huge win. We bought my wife’s MacBook Air off Walmart’s online store and it was super convenient.
> Also, their returns process is painless. I thought I’d support local workers and had been shopping at Hobby Lobby instead of using Amazon. For my trouble, when I tried to return an airbrush that didn’t suit my needs (I used it once) they treated me like a criminal, it was a whole production.
I had the same experience. I ordered a $70 worth of cleaning supplies directly from the manufacturer, thinking I'd support the brand and cut out the middle man. My package was stolen (box opened and left right there) so we contacted the seller and told them the situation and they said they can't do anything about it, even with a police report. Amazon would have refunded it immediately. Half the time when I return something they even let me keep the item and donate it rather than dealing with the return.
I want to support smaller online retailers but not so bad that I'm okay with getting ripped off with no recourse every once in a while.
The fact that they can afford to take a loss on many returns while their smaller competitors cannot kind of implies you're getting ripped off in some other way, doesn't it?
Where does the money to pay for your stolen cleaning supplies come from? Why would you even think to contact the manufacturer about this? Why not the shipping company? Or your building's management? I've fumbled a soda and broken it on the ground right after checking out and the grocer replaced it for free, but I recognized this as a generous act of kindness and not an expected baseline of customer service. I've also lost a soda in the parking lot and I can't even imagine feeling entitled enough to go back into the store to complain about it.
Also, their returns process is painless. I thought I’d support local workers and had been shopping at Hobby Lobby instead of using Amazon. For my trouble, when I tried to return an airbrush that didn’t suit my needs (I used it once) they treated me like a criminal, it was a whole production.
With Amazon I just head to the Whole Foods down the street (or Kohls sometimes?), return it, and get credited almost instantly.
I do think Walmart is putting a lot of effort into their online offerings and if you can return online purchases in store that’d be a huge win. We bought my wife’s MacBook Air off Walmart’s online store and it was super convenient.