[dikaiosune]

I'm curious to see what items this applies to. I buy most things from Amazon, and when I comparison shop the prime shipping usually negates any price difference with other online retailers, and the price is very rarely beat by any in store prices where I live. Anecdotal to be sure, and I stick to items fulfilled by Amazon or direct from Amazon (mostly due to prime), but I see a lot of savings this way. And that doesn't include my time savings which has a measureable value top.

[dayaz36]

Actually most stores now do price matches to Amazon (including best buy and target among others), so there is no use for Amazon for me now. I used to go to best buy just to test the equipment before buying on Amazon, now I just show them the Amazon price on my phone and they match it. No shipping fee no waiting and cheaper. I think I'm going to have to try Jet.com now that Amazon is worthless

[MichaelGG]

I guess you're one of the folks that would not pay a premium to simply not deal with ever having to set foot in a Best Buy. Returns? Gotta go to the store. Want a sightly different model (for instance the newer Canon Powershots are a downgrade) - wait for them to get stock. Plus the obnoxiousness of going to those stores.

It's great you like getting out, dealing with retail and advertisements. But I think you aren't representative.

[mattmaroon]

Returns are WAY better at a big box store. Here's the Amazon return process.

1. Go to site, fill out a form to get a shipping label.

2. Print said form. That's pretty much all I use my printer for in 2015. I even upgraded to a wireless one so I don't have to plug my damn laptop into it every time I want to return something.

3. I probably threw away the Amazon box. Gotta dig up a suitable one from the pile of spares I have in the attic just for returning stuff to Amazon.

4. Print packing slip, insert in box.

5. Gotta bust out the old packing tape. You know that stuff always comes out of the little guides on the side no matter how careful you were, so you have to unstick it. Do so while seething in rage that nobody has yet invented packing tape that doesn't stick to itself. Maybe a ratcheting roll that can't reverse?

6. Shellack that damn label to the box with tape. I don't have shipping labels for my printer because what am I, FedEx? So I cover it in like 8 strips of tape.

7. Go to whichever shipping service Amazon sent it from because unless you ordered a tiny USB cord, it's too big to fit into their drop box. It could be USPS, FedEx, or UPS, all of which are located next to the Best Buy where I could have just dropped the damned thing off in way less time and without having to fight a roll of packing tape.

[x0x0]

You can do a UPS pickup; they come to your door. You can leave the package in the mailroom at work for free. You can drop it off in a random UPS store by walking in, making eye contact with the clerk, then setting it down on the counter. It's a 3 minute process to rebox, particularly if you have a tape gun from the last time you moved (seriously, buy one of these!) http://www.amazon.com/Duck-Standard-Includes-54-Yard-669332/... (amazon link, natch :D)

or you can spend 40-60 minutes driving to best buy or some other store. Even if the drive is 10 minutes each way, that's how long it costs from the time I touch my car keys to the time I'm back in my house -- walk to the parking lot, drive, park, walk, counter, stand in line, reverse the process.

[nostromo]

Judging by the size of offline vs online retail, he's very representative.

[baddox]

I would gladly pay 20% markup to not have to go into a brick and mortar store for pretty much all products I buy.

[bcassedy]

Most of the time when I try to price match at Best Buy or the like it turns out the model available on Amazon with the exact same specs and similar lower price point has one char changed on the SKU. It's become pretty common for there to be BB version, Target version, and Amazon version of all kinds of electronics.

[mattmaroon]

That's usually only the case with large appliances or TVs or the like.

[rstupek]

Definitely not a new thing. Electronic stores, furniture stores, etc have always had store specific SKUs so they never have to match price

[sethherr]

There's no shipping if you have prime. So you're using sub-standard Amazon.

Here in Chicago I get everything within 48 hours of ordering, often less, and don't pay shipping fees. Some items are free same day shipping.

You must make wildly different hourly rates to think visiting a store and paying the same amount is cheaper than a few clicks on Amazon.

[mattmaroon]

I have had Prime literally since the day it launched. It makes little difference really. People without Prime in my area generally get stuff in a couple days. And few orders are below the free shipping threshhold. I'd bet the vast majority of Amazon orders have free shipping and as a result, the cost is factored in.

Maybe I'm lucky (price-wise) to live in suburbia. Example from yesterday, I bought some bromine for my hot tub on Amazon (cheapest they had because it's all the same) then in Lowe's later the same day saw it for less than half the price. Didn't even know Lowe's sold it!

Amazon prices are really only competitive on things that have a high cost to shipping weight ratio. Buy anything that is bulky or low margin (most stuff in Wal-Mart outside of electronics is one of those) and it's considerably more.

Also, there are a large number of items, like a Nest Thermostat, that for one reason or another have the same price anywhere. Those I buy on Amazon as well.