Went on amazon dot com for the first time in a while. It’s like an old broken-down Kmart from my childhood over there: the shelves are cluttered and disorganized, everything looks outdated and yellowed and dirty, people are up to shady shit in the back aisles, and good luck finding an employee.
@restlesslens We still use it regularly (true confession!) but boy, the shopping experience has deteriorated shockingly. You've captured the feeling. When I request what I want exactly, and they have that exact item, but show it far down the page after reams of sponcon, what are they thinking?
@restlesslens totally accurate, unfortunately. But I still do most of my shopping there. Definitely not as pleasant as it used to be.
@restlesslens How about the inexplicables? I went to reorder Canon 045H high-capacity toner cartridges (black and all three colors), and inexplicably found one source roughly 75% lower than usual and from other offers; double-checked specifications, and then ordered.
They're due today, so we shall see if they were misrepresented or I misunderstood somehow.
@dejus So how do you do amazon living on the road, if you don't mind my asking? When we need something we just HAVE to get from amazon, we try to time it with pick up kiosks located along our route, but it feels fraught.
@JohnBrady No judgment on anyones purchasing habits intended! Its just unreal to me that such a huge company can apparently invest so little in its UX. I guess thats what market capture does for you?
@V_ I don't buy much other than groceries these days (and I love going to the grocery store), but I find there are a few things you cant really find anywhere but amazon. Like esoteric power cords.
@restlesslens I would be interested in your reasons for the love of going to the grocery store. Especially as a person who is on the polar opposite of it. I never find what I need, there is no optimal route through the store to minimise my time in there.
@restlesslens most commercial campgrounds will allow package delivery; that’s what we do most of the time. If a short stay, deliver to arrive just before or on arrival day. Other times we use Amazon Lockers, or General Delivery to post offices.
@dejus didn’t know commercial campgrounds had that option. Cool! I love how life on the road makes you think creatively
@V_ wow great question. hmmmmm…I like rummaging through the produce for the right items for the dishes we’ve planned for the week, bantering with the folks at the counters, wandering around watching people shop, snooping on the items in their carts. We dedicate our Sundays to acquiring the food we need for the week, so we don’t need to be efficient. I’m envious of people who live places with markets instead of supermarkets; I love the idea of buying veg from the green grocery, meat from the butcher, etc. I don’t live a life conducive to gardening (which I love), so engaging with people when I make my groceries is the next best thing.