Amazon says it has more than 100 million Prime members

[Skybird]

Originally Posted by Onkel Neal

That's true. Amazon is so big and smart now, it sucks all the O2 out of the room for many other vendors. But like Warhawk said, it's pretty hard to justify spending more time and cash to fight it. I will buy from non-Amazon frequently, when it's close in price.

Thats pretty much how I handle it with many product categories. I give a local shop - that is no chain shop! - a certain bonus, if they are friendly, but price differences I accept to my disadvanatge of course have an upper limit.

Stores belonging to some major shop chain - if that is the term used in English - that has flattened small family-run shops themselves in the past, I am not hesitent to "abuse". Why should I listen to their complaints about Amazon if they themselves have done with smaller shops like Amazon does with themselves now?

Books I almost always order in one or two local book shops now, both independent and not belonging to a book shop chain.

What I increasingly order via Amazon, however, are food specialities that are almost impossible to buy locally. Conimex Ketjap Manis is impossible to get in Germany now, if you can get Conmimex outside Holland at all, back in the 80s we could buy it in every supermarket over here. Italian Tipo 00 flour by Antimo Caputo for making Pizza dough and baking Ciabatta bread. Semola di Grano Duro. A certain - and expensive - Aceto Balsamico, the flask with 250ml costs over 40 Euros. Greek olive oil by Jordan. Roasted sesam oil by Yeoh that even Asian food traders over here often have in short supply, since it is the best. Stuff like that, that I cant get neither in local supermarkets nor on the weekly public market or in a specialised delicatessen shop. There are some essential ingredients without which my kitchen simpy does not run anymore.