• atlasraven31@lemm.ee
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    148
    arrow-down
    15
    ·
    1 year ago

    My neighborhood stores have huge markups and bad customer service. I don’t love Amazon but they are a better alternative for most things.

    • SkepticalButOpenMinded@lemmy.ca
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      85
      arrow-down
      7
      ·
      1 year ago

      People should check again. After I decided to avoid Amazon, I’m surprised by how many things are cheaper and/or better quality at my local stores. I think Amazons reputation for lowest prices is less true every year.

      • RBG@discuss.tchncs.de
        link
        fedilink
        arrow-up
        55
        arrow-down
        3
        ·
        1 year ago

        How about both arguments are true. You just have to price check constantly and you will find some stores are cheaper and some are pricier than Amazon.

        • SkepticalButOpenMinded@lemmy.ca
          link
          fedilink
          arrow-up
          19
          ·
          1 year ago

          Yes, sometimes Amazon is cheaper. But one reason I quit amazon was because, even when it’s cheaper, I got so much counterfeit and super low quality disposable junk.

          Seriously, take another look at your local stores. I suspect many people aren’t and are just making assumptions. I was surprised to find my local pet store offers free delivery, and literally everything at my local mom and pop hardware store is cheaper and better quality.

          • NovaPrime@lemmy.ml
            link
            fedilink
            arrow-up
            12
            ·
            1 year ago

            Local hardware stores are a must. And if you find a good one where they know what they’re talking about you can get a lot of great advice depending on the project you’re working on.

        • misterdoctor@lemmy.world
          link
          fedilink
          arrow-up
          5
          arrow-down
          1
          ·
          1 year ago

          It’s almost like every single independent store in every single city in every part of every country sets their own prices.

      • AlexWIWA@lemmy.ml
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        3
        ·
        1 year ago

        Amazon was better in 2012, but now it’s all just drop shipped shit that arrives broken. Local stores are surprisingly way better these days

      • Blastasaurus@lemm.ee
        link
        fedilink
        arrow-up
        4
        arrow-down
        1
        ·
        1 year ago

        Did they ever have a reputation for lowest price? I assumed I was paying more for the convenience of not having to go to 5 different dollar stores to find the thing I need.

    • Che Banana@lemmy.ml
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      30
      arrow-down
      3
      ·
      1 year ago

      Try using them as a reference guide instead of buying from them. I find what I’m looking for rhen loom up the products own website. A couple extra steps but it’s not like I’m out hunting and gathering, I’m in air conditioning and chair or taking a huge dump.

    • MrSqueezles@lemm.ee
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      9
      ·
      1 year ago

      I’m sure most people here don’t remember when power strips and HDMI cables were $40 and coin batteries were like $15 each pre inflation because stores wanted to make money on them. We could only read, listen to, and watch what our local stores decided to stock and most things didn’t have reviews. If we needed a new power adapter for that one device with a special shaped connector, too bad. It’s literally impossible to buy it.