News - Amazon to offer Sunday delivery in UK and US cities

[HEXUS]

For UK it’s London only, but in the US several cities will get the Sunday service.

Read more.

[Jay]

London only... what a surprise!

[Terbinator]

If the death knell for retail wasn't there before...

[Saracen]

I guess it's an improvement if it increases choice and options for consumers, but personally, I very rarely pay for Saturday, never mind Sunday. But then, I can usually either be here, or arrange for someone to be here, mid-week.

I can't see it as a death knell for retail, though, as I expect this to be a premium-priced option, and the death knell for retail as it used to be sounded several decades ago when Tesco broke out beyond it's cheap'n'cheerful origins, and Sainsbury decided to sell more than meat, etc. Supermarkets killed retail as it used to be, and Amazon just took it the next logical step.

[Aidman]

Yep regular business can't compete with a juggernaught that pays no tax! Personally I boycott amazon completely and try to support the small guys even if they cost a bit extra. The world would be a far better place if it wasn't ruled by tax avoiding monopolies..

[crossy]

London only... what a surprise!

As you say - quelle surprise! (Possibly annoying for those folks who happen to have an Amazon depot handy). Us yokels will just have to make do with mere 6-day delivery possibilities! Not a big deal for me anyway, because I work from home.

If the death knell for retail wasn't there before...

Not so sure - I'm hearing more and more folks who pick Amazon for convenience sake, but are just as "loyal" to the supermarkets or local business. Heck, I've deliberately taken the decision to not place all my business with Amazon - quite like the "retail experience" of a real bookstore for example - so my last four purchases have been from the local Waterstones. Also liked browsing record shops - before HMV got the rest closed locally, then closed up shop themselves.

Strangely enough, when I was looking for a 500GB SSD, it came down to a straight fight between Dabs and Amazon - and Dabs got the business because they could do a Saturday delivery, but Amazon couldn't. Normally Scan would have got this business, but "out of stock" and that 'improved' website had me looking elsewhere.

If Amazon wanted to do something "new" then they could allow customers to collect from their depots.

[Saracen]

Yep regular business can't compete with a juggernaught that pays no tax! Personally I boycott amazon completely and try to support the small guys even if they cost a bit extra. The world would be a far better place if it wasn't ruled by tax avoiding monopolies..

Well, it would, but it would also be a more expensive place.

Also, I wonder how many people earning a salary and paying 30%, or more, of it in direct taxes (income tax and NI) would continue to pay 30% if someone came along and told them of a perfectly legal way to pay 5%, or 0%?

The moralistic tone of some in Parliament really makes me want to puke, like Margaret Hodge. If they don't like the tax laws, then as the body that makes them, change the damn laws. Don't blame companies that just follow the laws, blame the opportunistic and incompetent muppets that wrote them.

[Saracen]

As you say - quelle surprise! (Possibly annoying for those folks who happen to have an Amazon depot handy). Us yokels will just have to make do with mere 6-day delivery possibilities! Not a big deal for me anyway, because I work from home.

Not so sure - I'm hearing more and more folks who pick Amazon for convenience sake, but are just as "loyal" to the supermarkets or local business. Heck, I've deliberately taken the decision to not place all my business with Amazon - quite like the "retail experience" of a real bookstore for example - so my last four purchases have been from the local Waterstones. Also liked browsing record shops - before HMV got the rest closed locally, then closed up shop themselves.

Strangely enough, when I was looking for a 500GB SSD, it came down to a straight fight between Dabs and Amazon - and Dabs got the business because they could do a Saturday delivery, but Amazon couldn't. Normally Scan would have got this business, but "out of stock" and that 'improved' website had me looking elsewhere.

If Amazon wanted to do something "new" then they could allow customers to collect from their depots.

Ditto. I don't even have an Amazon account any more. I got them to close it. Books I buy in print form, though I do also have some in ebook. As for music, I buy it on CD or I don't buy it. I've never bought a track or album on downliad, and never will.

As for computer hardware, the vast bulk of it I get locally, not mail-order. Why? My local shop either has, or can get, nearly everything I want, and their prices are reasonable. They sometime match mail-order, though sometimes there is a small premium. But for me, it's FAR more convenient, and customer service is extremely good. I doubt I get more than 3 or 4 deliveries of mail-order a year. I'd rather buy locally. For larger and especially household items, that usually means John Lewis, and for lots of other things, it means local small businsss if I can, and mainstream supermarkets if I have to.

[Apex]

It must be my age that is catching up with me but am getting to hate the 'always on' world we live in.

Amazon started to get a lot more of my business when i finally got fed up of ebay and just the amount of crud that is on there but thanks to Amazons tax dealings i am starting to look elsewhere.

This weekend for example i bought myself a nice shiny pair of Sennheiser PC350SE headphones from Maplins, they had them in stock and at the same price that Amazon wanted, nice friendly staff, no pressure sales

I was in no rush for them so could have waited but made the choice to pick it up locally.

[peterb]

It must be my age that is catching up with me but am getting to hate the 'always on' world we live in.

Its age - and I feel the same way!

weekend for example i bought myself a nice shiny pair of Sennheiser PC350SE headphones from Maplins, they had them in stock and at the same price that Amazon wanted, nice friendly staff, no pressure sales

I was in no rush for them so could have waited but made the choice to pick it up locally.

But were they the same price when you factor in 'delivery'? You went to the store to pick them up - how far was it? Petrol costs? Car parking? Time? That isn't to say that going to Maplins and browsing whats there isn't worth that hidden cost, but it is an additional cost on the price you paid.

On a related note, there are complaints about the cost of sending a letter (60p 1st class) or a parcel - but for 60p, you could travel about 3 miles (and back) assuming petrol at about £7.50/gallon and a car doing 40mpg. So anything over 3 miles away it is cheaper to drop it in the box. Of course, if it needs to get there immediately, that is probably the only option. But set against that criteria, postage is remarkably good value for money.

[Apex]

Bout 1 quid in diesel, no parking costs and about 15mins of my time and i was going some where else afterwards so combined the stop so worth it imho.

[Noxvayl]

I use Amazon a lot, they provide a great service, but I can settle for next day delivery on a Saturday to be honest. If I only got the idea to order it on the weekend then I can wait for delivery later, or if need be make use of local stores that may offer the item I am interested in. I can see the appeal for some but I am still happy to use local stores for items that I require immediately and can wait for items not available locally.

[Saracen]

Its age - and I feel the same way!

....

Me too. I would comment more, but I'm busy right now .... I forgot where I left my pipe and slippers, and I need to brew a cup of cocoa.

[Saracen]

....

But were they the same price when you factor in 'delivery'? You went to the store to pick them up - how far was it? Petrol costs? Car parking? Time? That isn't to say that going to Maplins and browsing whats there isn't worth that hidden cost, but it is an additional cost on the price you paid.

....

That's true, but .... you also often have to factor in delivery costs. And note, I said "often" not always.

But even if delivery is free, like Scan's offer or Amazon free delivery, it's about what things are "worth". My local computer shop is a 10-min walk. Maplins is 5 mins in the car for the one I prefer, or a 15 min walk for the closest. John Lewis is about 15 mins in the car, plus 2 min walk once parked .... but I go past it several times in most weeks anyway, so it's not a dedicated trip.

But even if it did cost more, there's the hassle factor. Personally (and I accept this won't be true for everybody) it's FAR less hassle for me to travel to the shop than faff about with couriers. For example, I can decide exactly when to pop down to Maplin, or to JL, and I can do it at a moment's notice, rather than having to commit, one or even several days in advance, to be here for a courier.

It only needs me to be unable to respond to a callout once due to waiting for couriers for it to potentially cost me £100, or a lot more.

But mainly, it's about sheer convenience, the luxury of going when I want and not when I don't, and not being tied down by couriers, never mind the hassle when something needs to go back. How do you put a monetary value on that?

Personally, I put quite a high value on that convenience, and from customer service standards from JL (though, granted, Amazon seem to score well on that, too) and would continue to buy in a way I find convenient even if buying online is cheaper. Price is not the prime motivator for my choice of where I buy, but it is the prime motivator for buying online.

[peterb]

That's true, but .... you also often have to factor in delivery costs. And note, I said "often" not always. ---snip>

True, and I wouldn't argue with that if that is your choice - and it is more convenient for you - but the point I was trying to make was that most buying choices come at a 'hidden' cost, whether it is time, convenience or actual cost of delivery, whether online or from the high street.

Bout 1 quid in diesel, no parking costs and about 15mins of my time and i was going some where else afterwards so combined the stop so worth it imho.

So win-win this time! (and the pleasure of a browse in Maplins - with the attendant risk of another impulse purchase )

[crossy]

So win-win this time! (and the pleasure of a browse in Maplins - with the attendant risk of another impulse purchase )

I'm banned from Maplins - not by them, by el missus. At least, I'm not allowed to go in without a chaperone unless I leave my wallet behind.

One good point is that the online retailers seem to have forced the "conventional" ones to up their game wrt customer service. They finally realised that they can charge a wee bitty more than online if they start treating customers like valuable people, rather than a temporary obstruction of 1m2 of their valuable floor space.

Downside though is that more and more (or is it just me) are doing these "how did we do?" customer surveys. This week alone I've had Pets@Home, Mountain Warehouse, Argos and Odeon all asking.

Further downside is, of course, the continued slump in the high street. My local one seems to have a 50/50 split of working and "to let" units, and even the local retail park is having to reconfigure itself to get rid of some long-dormant units - notably JJB Sports and Comet.