#1864323 - 09/16/23 02:08 PM
I just evaluated how much stuff I buy online, compared to stores
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Marty Gilman
Official Planet Sax Monster - Planeteer/Artist # 117
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Registered: 04/05/00
Posts: 26135
Loc: Palm Beach, Florida- U S A
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My wife just came back from Kohl’s, where she said the store was almost empty. One of the sales people was saying this is typical. I would say that I buy 2/3 of my purchases online, obviously excluding groceries and such items. Why? Product availability, Rapid shipping, price, ease of buying, well you know.
I just ordered three things from Amazon, rather than drive the 4 miles to brick and mortar store to get some items. I’m sure these big national chains won’t miss $100 of my business. I do have a small ulterior motive in the fact that my son is a senior financial manager at Amazon.
Yesterday I tried to buy a battery charger for my boat, looking in Harbor freight, Home Depot, and Walmart. None of these places had a suitable model for my needs, so I went on Amazon, and easily found it, being delivered the next day.
It is my observation that malls are about 25% empty, and real estate people are repurposing the space from anything to Pickleball courts, satellite, university campuses, medical offices, etc.
The first mall in the country opened in the 1950s just 20 minutes from where I lived, in Framingham Massachusetts. Maybe that model is now outdated.
On the other hand, I have three boating stores, five scuba stores, two fishing stores, which I frequent in person, almost never buy these kind of items online.
Curious to what is your experience?
-m
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#1864331 - 09/16/23 02:49 PM
Re: I just evaluated how much stuff I buy online, compared to stores
[Re: Marty Gilman]
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Vanillagrits
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Registered: 11/09/04
Posts: 21216
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Most of my major purchases are in person, although initial contact is online more than 50% of the time....accessories and generic items I usually find online.
My area has several service oriented music stores that I always check with first before making an online purchase.
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Choose wisely
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#1864333 - 09/16/23 03:03 PM
Re: I just evaluated how much stuff I buy online, compared to stores
[Re: Vanillagrits]
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Marty Gilman
Official Planet Sax Monster - Planeteer/Artist # 117
Loquacious Planeteer
Registered: 04/05/00
Posts: 26135
Loc: Palm Beach, Florida- U S A
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Yeah, Bill, music stores in person. We have Sam Ash, GC, and a mom & pop I frequent. Shoulda mentioned that above.
-m
_________________________
Can you play that an octave louder?
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#1864347 - 09/16/23 04:59 PM
Re: I just evaluated how much stuff I buy online, compared to stores
[Re: Marty Gilman]
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Popmann
Loquacious Planeteer
Registered: 05/23/02
Posts: 32549
Loc: Twangville, TN
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Whats buying things?
Yes. Everything comes from amazon except food and some clothes. But, to be fair and temper that….its nearly exclusively unavailable locally. Example, when i need a heating element of fuse for my old dryer, youd THINK i could drive over to the (big) Appliance repair place and pick one up….nope—apparently most of their business is warranty repairs on newish models. They suggested they “could order it for me”…same thing the local record shop says when i ask if theyre getting some new release I want….and I just think “well, I can order it for myself-likely for less money and get it quicker. I dont come to a store to place a special order for something.”
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#1864350 - 09/16/23 05:40 PM
Re: I just evaluated how much stuff I buy online, compared to stores
[Re: Popmann]
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motown59
Planeteer/Artist # 238
Planeteer
Registered: 03/01/04
Posts: 17431
Loc: California
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Home Depot, Lowes, Target, Harbor Freight, and groceries I go in person, sometimes clothes and shoes too. The rest online, Amazon, B&H, Sweetwater. I never go to GC or Sam Ash anymore
_________________________
kel
"I love what you guys are trying to do up there" ...from an audience member at one of my gigs.
Gear: Fender Medium pick
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#1864351 - 09/16/23 05:46 PM
Re: I just evaluated how much stuff I buy online, compared to stores
[Re: Popmann]
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Ismellelephant
Loquacious Planeteer
Registered: 07/10/01
Posts: 52217
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Where I worked and continue to dabble with electronics, the internet has been awesome for purchases. No more searching through large catalogs from several vendors or making calls all day long.
This applies to most purchases nowadays for me, driving to a bunch of stores and often not finding what I need, I go to the internet.
I always thought bricks and mortar stores would disappear eventually, I am surprised it has taken so long. Maybe clothing stores might still have a chance.
Even office space, many can work from home so office space will become empty spaces as well.
This definitely is going to hurt a bunch of people and businesses but the car replaced the horse. You can't stop "progress" be it good or bad and this is exactly how capitalism works, be it good or bad.
_________________________
Archie Bunker was a lawyer.
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#1864366 - 09/16/23 06:45 PM
Re: I just evaluated how much stuff I buy online, compared to stores
[Re: Ismellelephant]
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Marty Gilman
Official Planet Sax Monster - Planeteer/Artist # 117
Loquacious Planeteer
Registered: 04/05/00
Posts: 26135
Loc: Palm Beach, Florida- U S A
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Brick and mortar stores are much more expensive to run and then on line. The hybrid model seems to be with things are going by my estimation.
The online stores are nothing but warehouses with much lower overhead in every category. The big difference is that there’s nobody selling you in person as there are in the brick and mortar store, Nor is there as much temptation when touching and seeing the new model whatever.
From my friends who worked in retail. Not many of them seemed to be happy with low pay and lots of customers crap.
-m
_________________________
Can you play that an octave louder?
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#1864382 - 09/16/23 07:34 PM
Re: I just evaluated how much stuff I buy online, compared to stores
[Re: Marty Gilman]
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C Jo Go
EMERITUS ~ VS Roland
Loquacious Planeteer
Registered: 11/05/01
Posts: 35201
Loc: carmel valley,ca
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AMAZON ---for about 70% -
- fresh foods > local -
- clothes on line with Costco
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Music doesn’t get old; we just get old around music🌟
**( ͡~ ͜ʖ ͡° )**
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#1864383 - 09/16/23 08:02 PM
Re: I just evaluated how much stuff I buy online, compared to stores
[Re: C Jo Go]
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Timster
Artist #'s - 130, 298, 412
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Registered: 03/06/03
Posts: 42609
Loc: Center of the Universe
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unless, I am working on a.project, Amazon baby. Just bought a pond fountain like a minute ago. Have a new coffee maker on my prch that just came from amazon. I do like to buy/look at instruments and musi al stuff in store.
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#1864385 - 09/16/23 08:08 PM
Re: I just evaluated how much stuff I buy online, compared to stores
[Re: Timster]
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Marty Gilman
Official Planet Sax Monster - Planeteer/Artist # 117
Loquacious Planeteer
Registered: 04/05/00
Posts: 26135
Loc: Palm Beach, Florida- U S A
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Joke:
The Amazon driver came over to me and asked if my wife was OK. I said sure, to which he replied well, she hasn’t ordered anything today. Something must be wrong. Lol.
-m
_________________________
Can you play that an octave louder?
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#1864388 - 09/16/23 08:17 PM
Re: I just evaluated how much stuff I buy online, compared to stores
[Re: Marty Gilman]
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Ismellelephant
Loquacious Planeteer
Registered: 07/10/01
Posts: 52217
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Not that it can be stopped, but online gambling and lottery is going to suck dollars from those who can't afford it. It is so easy to toss your money away now.
An Amazon delivery person said to me onetime "here's your package of something you don't need" hahaha
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Archie Bunker was a lawyer.
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#1864395 - 09/16/23 09:01 PM
Re: I just evaluated how much stuff I buy online, compared to stores
[Re: Ismellelephant]
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ulank
Forbidden 404 Not Found
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Registered: 02/03/08
Posts: 19705
Loc: Chicago, IL
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Yeah. I don’t buy much stuff in general.
Groceries
Shit for the house which sends me off to one of the 5 hardware stores (Home Depot, menards, Loews, true value or Ace.)
When I put new fart fans in the upstairs bathrooms I was looking for some Panasonics as they are quiet as hell and suck great. 
HD sells em but only one or two of the models in store. But I could hunt their website for all the models and get them delivered to me. Since I wasn’t sure which ones would work best for my purposes I ended up ordering 4 different fart fans. Once I was able to get a better look at the size and specs, I used the two that worked for me and was able to return the other two at the local Home Depot which was convenient.
So yah, I usually only order online when it’s shit I can’t find in store.
I am due for a new pair of daily shoes. I think mine are 6 years old now. I actually went to the shoe store a couple months ago but after an hour of checking out shoes and trying on a bunch of em none of em tickled my fancy so I left sans new shoes.  So, no way I would try ordering online and just *hope* I like em and they fit well.
Before that, I think the last shit I bought for myself were 4 new pairs of jeans at the outlet mall last year cuz my rotation of jeans were getting pretty shoddy. This mall is right near Ohare airport so it actually gets a lot of traffic from tourists, especially Asians for some reason. My mother in law used to work at the Michael Kors there and would sell shit like crazy. One of the top grossing stores in the country. It was pretty common for rich Asians to go in there and by $10,000 worth of purses and shit like that. 
But anyway. I mostly don’t buy anything. I pretty much have what I need and don’t want for much else (except a new bathroom, family room and deck which are hard to buy online.) Generally though, my preference is to see it, touch it, smell it, examine it before I buy instead of ordering it, deciding if I like it and returning it if I don’t.
My wife on the other hand…Amazon and UPS folks stop by quite often. 
She likes books, so that’s a common item that shows up on our front stoop. She’ll also get clothes and what not but sometimes ends up having to return things.
A joke related to Marty’s…back in the day, one of my uncles used to say that when my aunt, his wife, didn’t go to Macy’s for a while they’d start getting Get Well cards from Macy’s in the mail. 
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#1864401 - 09/16/23 10:25 PM
Re: I just evaluated how much stuff I buy online, compared to stores
[Re: ulank]
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C Jo Go
EMERITUS ~ VS Roland
Loquacious Planeteer
Registered: 11/05/01
Posts: 35201
Loc: carmel valley,ca
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I only hope AMAZON does not change their return policies ~!
I buy 3 or 4 of many things --- send all but one back ..
_________________________
Music doesn’t get old; we just get old around music🌟
**( ͡~ ͜ʖ ͡° )**
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#1864406 - 09/16/23 11:33 PM
Re: I just evaluated how much stuff I buy online, compared to stores
[Re: C Jo Go]
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Ismellelephant
Loquacious Planeteer
Registered: 07/10/01
Posts: 52217
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Just a guess, you are why they are changing their return policy?
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Archie Bunker was a lawyer.
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#1864408 - 09/17/23 12:20 AM
Re: I just evaluated how much stuff I buy online, compared to stores
[Re: Ismellelephant]
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C Jo Go
EMERITUS ~ VS Roland
Loquacious Planeteer
Registered: 11/05/01
Posts: 35201
Loc: carmel valley,ca
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[s][/s]Just a guess, you are why they are changing their return policy?
Comes with on line purchases  -- how do sell clothing/etc ~~ without it ??
_________________________
Music doesn’t get old; we just get old around music🌟
**( ͡~ ͜ʖ ͡° )**
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#1864410 - 09/17/23 12:51 AM
Re: I just evaluated how much stuff I buy online, compared to stores
[Re: C Jo Go]
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Ismellelephant
Loquacious Planeteer
Registered: 07/10/01
Posts: 52217
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That is why clothing stores will probably survive and Amazon will charge for returns. Not everything is online feasible.
_________________________
Archie Bunker was a lawyer.
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#1864414 - 09/17/23 01:50 AM
Re: I just evaluated how much stuff I buy online, compared to stores
[Re: ulank]
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C Jo Go
EMERITUS ~ VS Roland
Loquacious Planeteer
Registered: 11/05/01
Posts: 35201
Loc: carmel valley,ca
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Way spoiled here """"
I remember buying at a Bordeaux men's fashion shop >> in France --
Quickly learned ::: there were no returns -- I was going to a big wine event -- black tie only --
Walked out the door and my bow tie fell apart -- walked back in and they said , in some French slang --- You buy --- you own it
Edited by C Jo Go (09/17/23 01:51 AM)
_________________________
Music doesn’t get old; we just get old around music🌟
**( ͡~ ͜ʖ ͡° )**
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