Why Amazon Wins

I recently went to one of the big box home improvement stores on an errand for my mom. She needed two lights above her stove and I felt confident it would be quick and easy to get what she needed and have her lights on before heading back home. Once at the store, I walk the lighting aisle for 5 minutes trying to find the particular light she needs with no luck. I go to the customer service desk, because no employees ever came by, and waited another 3-4 minutes for someone to ask if they could help me. Once they paged someone else to come to the aisle to meet me, I waited 16 more minutes and no one showed up. I stood at the front of the aisle and at least 4 employees walked by never asking if I needed help. After 16 minutes, while still standing in the aisle, I pulled up the Amazon app on my phone, found the lights and ordered them and then left the store. Two days later they arrived and mom got a friend to swing by and install them. Wonder why Amazon wins?

I have a phone made by a company with a logo representing fruit. The battery life is down to 4 hours now and I get online to make an appointment with the store for a battery replacement (this is after stories come up about how battery life is manipulated). No where on the website did I see instructions to order the battery before going to the store. In my appointment notes, I mentioned that my wife and I were both bringing phones only to be told when we arrived at the appointed time, which was one week later, that there was no battery there for me. This began a Twitter conversation with support for the fruit company where they ran me through several tests only to agree that I needed a new battery. 4 weeks later I finally got an email that my battery had arrived at the store and I had one week to show up and leave the phone for 4-6 hours or they would repurpose the battery I had waited 4 weeks to get. Wonder why Amazon wins? (This is more of a statement about customer service at the retail level.)

Amazon is winning because people are tired of wanting help and not being helped. People are tired of having to do all the work to get what they need when it isn't convenient. As much as I want to like retail, after spending 20 years in it, I find the convenience of Amazon too great when I cannot get service or get bad service in the retail environment.

While visiting my mom I went to Racquet and Jog in Tyler, Texas, a store that sells different types of running and outdoor apparel and footwear. I needed a new footbed for my flat feet. I wondered through the store and a young man asked how he could help. I told him what I needed and he walked me to the footbeds. He was helping someone else and couldn't leave them but said he would be right back. In the meantime, a nice young lady carrying a load of products in her arms stopped and asked if she could suggest anything. I told her what I needed and she made two suggestions, pointed me to a bench to try them out and said she would be back after putting the products away. She came back by a few minutes later with more products but stopped to ask if I had questions. I told her no, I'm still trying these out and she promised to be back by. She did what and stopped by again as I was making a decison on what felt best. She asked what else I needed and then offered to walk me to the register. Guess where I am going next time I need shoes? No, not Amazon because service wins.