There was a rumor a couple of months back that Amazon was interested in opening Brick and Mortar stores. This would line up with that. And I would love them to crush Best Buy.
However, all that business will not shift to the local stores though. Some sales will shift to other online retailers where there is no sales tax, as long as the total cost(merchandise + sales tax + shipping) is less than the local store and Amazon. Texas's big payoff is the streaming media and e-books, consumers wouldn't be going to local stores for Amazon Instant Video or Hulu Plus anyway. DVD retailers are losing sales to online streaming. It will only get worse for DVD sales with the new smart tvs that have streaming services available without having to buy an additional device.
I just renewed my Prime membership.... Welp, looks like I'm about to do some splurging during early summer. Fry's is already accomplishing that.
Yeah I don't like it. Didn't Texas threaten Amazon when they had a warehouse in Dallas, then Amazon just pulled out of the state? I'll just buy direct from the Amazon partners now or look for other ways to purchase items. I don't see brick and mortar Amazon stores competing with anyone. They have a differentiator, they need to stick to it.
This is a huge deal breaker. I'm almost an amazon-exlusive shopper. Probably 90% of my purchases are from amazon. Best Buy has actually been keeping up with amazon's prices. The only difference is tax. Best Buy may be winning more comparisons, now. I am devastated.
fry's is a nice alternative if all you buy are electronics. amazon is truly a one stop shop. my purchases range from clothing to toiletries to books and electronics. going to really miss the 8.25%.
Sucks for the individual but good for the state and competition. Just not fair that they could have an 8% cut off of their prices for no reason.
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