I started ordering books from AMAZON.COM back in the 1990s. I loved the selection and the discounted prices. Later, I became an AMAZON Prime person to get the free 2-day shipping perks. Brad Stone’s The Everything Store tells how Jeff Bezos founded AMAZON and stayed true to his vision of a web site that would literally sell EVERYTHING! Of course at the beginning, Bezos started with selling books. Later, he branched out to music CDs and DVDs. Later, there were successes and failures selling toys, pet food, and jewelry. Stone takes the reader through the good times and the bad times as AMAZON struggles with Bezos mantra of “Grow, grow, grow.” The stories of how 1-CLICK ordering, Look-Inside-the-Book, and the Kindle fascinated me. I liked this book so much I’m having my students read it next semester. If you’re interested in how the premier Internet company came about, The Everything Store delivers a full account. GRADE: A
I feel very ambivalent, although mostly negative, about Amazon. His theories have help put a lot of bookstores out of business. Although they are very good at what they do. I try not to use them but end up doing so since we have no good bookstores near us. If I go into the nearest B & N they are not likely to have what I want.
I’m with you on Amazon, George. Jackie has ordered such things as our DVD player and food she couldn’t find elsewhere from Amazon (at great discounts) and I’ve bought books and DVDs from amazon.uk. I wasn’t sure about the book but your review convinced me to read it.
Patti, I hear what you’re saying but the awful service we get at B & N doesn’t help the matter. If we had a good independent bookstore anywhere near us it might be a different story.
Anyway, it was the big box stores like Barnes & Noble and Borders that put independents out of business, not Amazon.
“Whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap”
Patti, I share similar feelings about the decline of independent book sellers. Like Wal-Mart, AMAZON crushes small businesses. On the other hand, Bezos saw the power of the Internet early on and pushed his organization to sell EVERYTHING!
Jeff, I learned a lot about the history of AMAZON and Jeff Bezos by reading THE EVERYTHING STORE. Bezos had the “Vision Thing” down cold.
Jackie reminds me we got our new computer from them. It was here two days later.
She was looking for B&B whole wheat pretzels (which have lots of fiber), which are imported from Israel and which we usually buy at Fairway. Our Fairway was closed for four months after Sandy flooded Red Hook. On a whim Jackie went on Amazon and found a link to a site (soap.com) which had them, cheap, and with free shipping. She ordered and we had them THE NEXT DAY!
It’s hard to beat that.
Exactly, Jeff! I’m an AMAZON Prime person and I love the free 2-day shipping! Instant gratification!
After the Big Chain bookstores drove my favorite independents out of business, in one case by buying the smaller chain out, then didn’t carry the things I’d been used to finding (non-bestseller mysteries), I started using Amazon. This was in the early days, when they still send an insulated cup to Best Customers (I have three) each Christmas. I signed up for Amazon Prime as soon as it was available. I still go to Powell’s and another local independent, but Amazon is my usual source.
We just got some World Harbor fajita marinade from them, after the local Safeway and Albertsons both dropped it. A six-pack cost the same as a couple of bottles at the market. Yes, six bottles is more than a year’s supply, but in sealed bottles it’ll keep in the pantry. We got a lot of things there now that we got locally in SoCal but can’t get here. Still it’s mostly books.
The library has this (I’m in 54th position) so it will show up one of these days.
Rick, like you I’ve had to resort to AMAZON on supplying products the stores around here don’t stock anymore. I mostly order books, but music CDs and Blu-rays are part of my orders, too. What impressed me about THE EVERYTHING STORE was Jeff Bezos figuring out early on that the Internet would change retailing completely. BORDERS and B&N resisted the changes…with disastrous results.
Amazon.com is great for text book. As a student, I easily saved hundreds of dollars by ordering through Amazon instead of the campus bookstore.
*I meant to say “textbooks”
Lauren, plenty of my students use AMAZON for discounted textbooks. AMAZON also has quick-delivery options.