How Brick-and-Mortars Compete
Any brick-and-mortar that’s trying to compete with Amazon’s prices is clueless. No need to get all fired up with righteous indignation about Amazon’s latest play. If you have people in your store, and they’re leaving without buying a product thats in their hands because they can order it on Amazon for $4 cheaper and get it in a week, then you’re seriously doing it wrong.
People buy things from local stores because they like the experience of going out and shopping at a cool place, they like being greeted by the owner, they like the small curated set of merchandise, they like the knowledgeable suggestions the staff can make, they even like the fact that in a high-end art store they see high-end art people and in a grungy skate shop they get rung up by some dude with a million piercings and tattoos.
Long story short, brick-and-mortars compete on character, not price. Amazon’s latest move will hasten the demise of people doing it wrong, but will have basically zero effect on anyone who knows what they’re doing. I believe that’s a good thing, and should be celebrated. I love the fact that old ideas can get killed off by newer better ones in our free economy. If it worked any other way, we’d never have any progress.
