Poll of the Day > So killing retail wasn't enough for Amazon...

(+) Yeah! (+)

... they've started marking items as "exclusively for Prime members".

Welp, there goes about 3/4 of my wish list.

Good luck with that, Amazon. I'll not support strongarm tactics like that. They've gotten too greedy. It's a bold strategy, but let's see if it really pays off...
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Don't forget about Prime Pantry.

I think it's worth it. Fuck going to the store when I only need a few items.
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Yeah lol if they start forcing prime on people to buy shit. Ill just go somewhere else.
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It annoyed me... Until I got Prime. Now I don't care and I'm happy with the service. It's no different that Costco membership fees, except you get a streaming service and free express shipping as well.
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They have been doing this for a while on the UK site at least. I ditched them a while ago too.
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Xfma100 posted...

Don't forget about Prime Pantry.

so much Surge...

TheCyborgNinja posted...

It annoyed me... Until I got Prime. Now I don't care and I'm happy with the service. It's no different that Costco membership fees, except you get a streaming service and free express shipping as well.

Also some streaming music thing I keep getting emails about never using.

Avid reader, collector of multiple persuasions. I have zero interest in their streaming properties, and shipping fees are negligible. If they think I'll pay $100 a year for Prime when I don't want it in exchange for a tiny, tiny bit of convenience, they can go fuck themselves. I'm half tempted to smash my Kindle I'm so pissed off. This is literally some robber baron level cartoonish villiany on their part.
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WhiskeyDisk posted...

a tiny, tiny bit of convenience

Not having to waste a couple hours trying to find something that costs exactly $2.17 is pretty much worth it though.

Also the new Tick show is pretty awesome.

Questionmarktarius posted...

WhiskeyDisk posted...

a tiny, tiny bit of convenience

Not having to waste a couple hours trying to find something that costs exactly $2.17 is pretty much worth it though.

Also the new Tick show is pretty awesome.

How badly could you possibly need something that costs $2 and change that you'll bend over and spread your anus for $100/yr to get it?
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Questionmarktarius posted...

Xfma100 posted...

Don't forget about Prime Pantry.

so much Surge...

TheCyborgNinja posted...

It annoyed me... Until I got Prime. Now I don't care and I'm happy with the service. It's no different that Costco membership fees, except you get a streaming service and free express shipping as well.

Also some streaming music thing I keep getting emails about never using.

It's actually really awesome. I put the app on my phone and it's pretty great.
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Sorry you're so poor TC :(

Amazon Prime/Subscribe & Save are the best things that have ever happened to me.
I never have to leave my house and deal with people at the grocery store.
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SkynyrdRocker posted...

Sorry you're so poor TC :(

It's not a matter of being poor, it's a matter of principle. I'm not paying for several services that I do not need to get one I kind of need. I'll spend the gas and time on principle at this point to aquire an item rather than capitulate to arm twisting of this degree.
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TheCyborgNinja posted...

Questionmarktarius posted...

Xfma100 posted...

Don't forget about Prime Pantry.

so much Surge...

TheCyborgNinja posted...

It annoyed me... Until I got Prime. Now I don't care and I'm happy with the service. It's no different that Costco membership fees, except you get a streaming service and free express shipping as well.

Also some streaming music thing I keep getting emails about never using.

It's actually really awesome. I put the app on my phone and it's pretty great.

...huh.
Is it any good for someone who believes music died with John Lennon, John Bonham, and Bon Scott, in 1980?

Questionmarktarius posted...

TheCyborgNinja posted...

Questionmarktarius posted...

Xfma100 posted...

Don't forget about Prime Pantry.

so much Surge...

TheCyborgNinja posted...

It annoyed me... Until I got Prime. Now I don't care and I'm happy with the service. It's no different that Costco membership fees, except you get a streaming service and free express shipping as well.

Also some streaming music thing I keep getting emails about never using.

It's actually really awesome. I put the app on my phone and it's pretty great.

...huh.
Is it any good for someone who believes music died with John Lennon, John Bonham, and Bon Scott, in 1980?

Google Play? It's amazing.
I frequently find stuff on there that isn't even on YouTube.
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Don't forget "Add-on items". Want to buy something really cheap? Can't do it unless you spend more money.
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No different than Sams club or Costco
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WarGreymon77 posted...

Don't forget "Add-on items". Want to buy something really cheap? Can't do it unless you spend more money.

It's actually possible to assemble an entire order of "add-on" items. It's essentially a "super saver shipping" you're paying $100 ahead of time for.

SmokeMassTree posted...

I think it's worth it. Fuck going to the store when I only need a few items.

but Amazon has their own stores

MICHALECOLE posted...

No different than Sams club or Costco

Except I have to GO to those places where they have to pay a cashier to ring my items, ask me a dozen questions, and try and hook me on their high interest credit card on top of their loyalty program before I can leave with my 96 tv, a dozen rolls of duct tape and the 5 gallon bucket of Vaseline I went there for.

I get that Amazon has their wage slaves in the warehouse pulling my orders and all, but I shouldn't have to sign up for a half dozen other miscellaneous services just to order a pocket knife and a flatcap when I already have their proprietary e-reader just to read books. Hell, there were e-books on my wish list that I deleted because they just became Prime exclusive. That's beyond greed at that point.
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their e-reader isn't proprietary for anything, what

download a mobi, convert an epub, and just put that shit onto it

Amazon Prime is bomb as fuck, dude
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WhiskeyDisk posted...

MICHALECOLE posted...

No different than Sams club or Costco

Except I have to GO to those places where they have to pay a cashier to ring my items, ask me a dozen questions, and try and hook me on their high interest credit card on top of their loyalty program before I can leave with my 96 tv, a dozen rolls of duct tape and the 5 gallon bucket of Vaseline I went there for.

I get that Amazon has their wage slaves in the warehouse pulling my orders and all, but I shouldn't have to sign up for a half dozen other miscellaneous services just to order a pocket knife and a flatcap when I already have their proprietary e-reader just to read books. Hell, there were e-books on my wish list that I deleted because they just became Prime exclusive. That's beyond greed at that point.

Why? The fact that you have to go to those places makes it different? You have to go to amazon, whether in person or online.

If anything, amazon is a better model because it still offers products without a membership
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you don't half-ass a monopoly.
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I only buy something online if I can only get it online, fuck waiting a week for it to get here, I'll go to the store and have it in 30 minutes
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Bear posted...

their e-reader isn't proprietary for anything, what

download a mobi, convert an epub, and just put that shit onto it

I'm going to let you think about what you just said before I tear it to shreds.
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mobi isn't proprietary to Amazon

oh I guess it is, but it wasn't originally started by them

RCtheWSBC posted...

Amazon Prime is bomb as fuck, dude

That's not the point though. This is tantamount to installing a quarter slot on a game console and demanding that I insert a quarter to continue everytime I die. I don't condone the game industry's attempt to reinstate arcade pricing with dlc and microtransactions, and I'm damn sure not going to support Amazon walling off the majority of it's items to force me to subscribe to their services which I have done just fine without thus far to save a fifth of what Prime costs yearly on shipping. If I wanted or needed a goddamned thing Prime offered, I'd already have signed up.

Nade Duck posted...

you don't half-ass a monopoly.

Extortion is not a valid business model that I can support.
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Nade Duck posted...

you don't half-ass a monopoly.

Quote of the century
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RCtheWSBC posted...

Amazon Prime is bomb as fuck, dude

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Questionmarktarius posted...

TheCyborgNinja posted...

Questionmarktarius posted...

Xfma100 posted...

Don't forget about Prime Pantry.

so much Surge...

TheCyborgNinja posted...

It annoyed me... Until I got Prime. Now I don't care and I'm happy with the service. It's no different that Costco membership fees, except you get a streaming service and free express shipping as well.

Also some streaming music thing I keep getting emails about never using.

It's actually really awesome. I put the app on my phone and it's pretty great.

...huh.
Is it any good for someone who believes music died with John Lennon, John Bonham, and Bon Scott, in 1980?

Yes. There are a remarkable number of options and you can heavily customize things.
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MICHALECOLE posted...

Why? The fact that you have to go to those places makes it different? You have to go to amazon, whether in person or online.

If anything, amazon is a better model because it still offers products without a membership

Sure, if you're going to be a pedantic ass about it, but we both know you at least have to put on clothes to go to Target or Walmart (about the only department stores Amazon hasn't buried at this point). Meanwhile, until about 6 hours ago you could order a 55 gallon drum of sex lube while nude in the privacy of your own home without shelling out $100/yr to do so with a dozen other services tacked on that add no indispensable value whatsoever.
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Walmart got its shit together, and is being Amazon's Skeletor now. Or, perhaps Amazon's He-man.

I have no idea how this works out.
Who do you root for when they're both evil empires?

WhiskeyDisk posted...

MICHALECOLE posted...

Why? The fact that you have to go to those places makes it different? You have to go to amazon, whether in person or online.

If anything, amazon is a better model because it still offers products without a membership

Sure, if you're going to be a pedantic ass about it, but we both know you at least have to put on clothes to go to Target or Walmart (about the only department stores Amazon hasn't buried at this point). Meanwhile, until about 6 hours ago you could order a 55 gallon drum of sex lube while nude in the privacy of your own home without shelling out $100/yr to do so with a dozen other services tacked on that add no indispensable value whatsoever.

1. If you use even a couple of those services, it's a good deal. The free shipping and Prime Video will recover that easily, for instance.
2. The prices on Amazon tend to be lower. If you save $10 per month on things you buy there, before factoring in your time's worth or the gas to drive to the store, you're ahead of the game. Is your time not worth anything to you?
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Questionmarktarius posted...

Walmart got its shit together, and is being Amazon's Skeletor now. Or, perhaps Amazon's He-man.

I have no idea how this works out.

Hell, Sears is currently in a death spiral but I can still order literally anything no strings attached thru their web portal and I'm supposed to give in to Amazon's extortion why, exactly?
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TheCyborgNinja posted...

The free shipping and Prime Video

Name one god-damned thing on Prime Video worth $100/year.

TheCyborgNinja posted...

2. The prices on Amazon tend to be lower. If you save $10 per month on things you buy there, before factoring in your time's worth or the gas to drive to the store, you're ahead of the game. Is your time not worth anything to you?

Not if I can actually handle an item first that I'm not sure about purchasing in the first place. Would you buy a bridal diamond sight unseen? How about a hunting bow? A fishing rod? A mattress?

Would you buy a suit off the rack? Shoes without trying them on? Is it equally worth your time running around to ship faulty/defective/poor-fitting items back?
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netflix is more than $100/year though

and amazon prime comes with so much more

Bear posted...

netflix is more than $100/year though

and amazon prime comes with so much more

Quantity isn't quality though. At least Netflix and Hulu have value...despite my long running gripe with Hulu and ads.

Hell, if you're going by sheer quantity, YouTube is free ffs.

Again, name one god-damned thing on Prime Video that is worth $100/ year.

You can't.
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name one thing on netflix or hulu that is worth over $100 a year

you wont be able to, because this is a loaded question. it is entirely suggestive and based around opinions that you may or may not share.

i could list everything, and you could say no because you personally don't like any of that.

while you could also list everything, and i could say no, because i don't personally like any of that.

you're better than this, whiskers.

Bear posted...

you're better than this, whiskers.

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I don't get it.

If it wasn't offering you more things for that 100 dollars a year would it matter? Like other people said it's literally no different than a Costco membership, except this gives you more benefits.
You're saying you don't see the point of shelling out 100 dollars, and that they are essentially extorting you to get prime to buy certain items. Yet it's literally been doing that prime exclusive order thing for almost 2 years now... And other stores are literally doing similar with their own membership things even though you have to GO there and buy items versus having them delivered to your door.

What exactly is it that you want to buy from them that they won't let you buy that has put you into such a bad mood?
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WhiskeyDisk posted...

Avid reader, collector of multiple persuasions. I have zero interest in their streaming properties, and shipping fees are negligible. If they think I'll pay $100 a year for Prime when I don't want it in exchange for a tiny, tiny bit of convenience, they can go fuck themselves. I'm half tempted to smash my Kindle I'm so pissed off. This is literally some robber baron level cartoonish villiany on their part.

With how often I use Amazon, it pays for itself with how much I save on shipping
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Muscles posted...

I only buy something online if I can only get it online, fuck waiting a week for it to get here, I'll go to the store and have it in 30 minutes

Thats not an issue when you plan a little bit ahead. You get what you need and you can spend your free time doing something other than being in a store.

I know some people enjoy that atmosphere but I hate shopping. Always have. I dont let things get to the point where I need them in 30 minutes. I order a few days before I need it and then when I do need it, its already at my house.
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TheCyborgNinja posted...

Questionmarktarius posted...

Xfma100 posted...

Don't forget about Prime Pantry.

so much Surge...

TheCyborgNinja posted...

It annoyed me... Until I got Prime. Now I don't care and I'm happy with the service. It's no different that Costco membership fees, except you get a streaming service and free express shipping as well.

Also some streaming music thing I keep getting emails about never using.

It's actually really awesome. I put the app on my phone and it's pretty great.

I didn't even think of this. I've never used the prime music thing. Maybe I'll try it
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3rd party sellers are takin' over!

TheePieMan posted...

What exactly is it that you want to buy from them that they won't let you buy that has put you into such a bad mood?

2/3 of my wishlist just vanished behind what amounts to a paywall. Not just physical items, even Kindle editions of books which literally cost them nothing to ship to a proprietary device that I bought from them in the first place. That's grimy no matter how you spin it. What's next? "Alexa exclusives" where you can only buy an item if you also have their creepy assed AI listening in on your entire home?

There's a principle here, and part of that is not trading shipping charges for the one item I order in a month at best for the added cost of $8.25 a month for the "privilege" of giving Amazon my money. I don't shop at Sam's or Costco either. I damn sure don't support that business model for brick and mortar stores, I damned sure won't support it for an online retailer.
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I hear ya Whiskey. Amazon has quickly become a monopoly and the govt hasn't done a thing to stop it. Start up businesses have been on the decline for decades and competitive pricing along with it. And as you can see, the majority of consumers just don't care and rationalize it that they are getting the best deal. Meanwhile the middle class is further exploited while the 1% get even fatter.
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WhiskeyDisk posted...

How badly could you possibly need something that costs $2 and change that you'll bend over and spread your anus for $100/yr to get it?

Technically not really $100 a year. The primary account of the Prime account can still add I think three or so other people to the account to benefit from the free/reduced shipping cost. My friend is the primary account holder but its shared between him, his brother, another friends of ours, and myself. I don't know about the others but I give my friend $25 each year for the access. $25 a year for the amount of items I order is worth it in my opinion.

WhiskeyDisk posted...

Quantity isn't quality though.

And quality is purely subjective. One man's trash is another man's treasure. For some folks, $100 a year for the music streaming, movies, and free/reduced shipping is worth it.

Firewood18 posted...

the majority of consumers just don't care and rationalize it that they are getting the best deal.

It's not just the better deals but also the availability of products to choose from and the ease of searching for them. When I go to any retail stores I want to have more than just a handful of brands to choose from or to compare with for any particular product. Unfortunately of course physical stores can only carry so much items so customers are stuck choosing only among what is available when there might be better products out there.

I know some retail stores have websites where one can order directly from but even then their selection is pitiful compared to Amazon. For better or worse, I feel these retail stores jumped on to the online market too late. Is it really Amazon's fault that other retail stores didn't shift their approach to fit the online market when it started to bloom? Many of stores were established well before Amazon exploded. Why didn't these stores take advantage of the online market before Amazon did?

It's kinda like how I see it with Steam nowadays. I know many of folks do not like Steam and/or digital distribution in general but as far as I know no one else really took advantage of the online digital distribution medium as well as they did and now most developers release their products through Steam. For better or worse, some developers are stuck using Steam as medium if they want to get the name of their product out there.

Website navigation and search algorithm is also horrendous on some retail stores website but that's a separate issue.
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