Amazon Will Open 100 Retail Stores (businessinsider.com)

An anonymous Slashdot reader writes: Amazon plans to open "as many as 100" retail stores in shopping malls by the end of next year, according to Business Insider. The 300- to 500-square-foot stores will sell familiar Amazon hardware products like Kindles and Fire TV, "but the broader goal is to drive more traffic to Amazon's online store, as these devices make it easier to purchase items there" -- and to promote Amazon's Echo personal assistant.

Amazon stores have already quietly opened in 12 states, including six stores in California and more stores in New York, Texas, Virginia, and Massachusetts. But now the brick-and-mortar stores "have emerged from the test phase with a goal to expand and grow," according to one Amazon job posting, and Business Insider reports that new Amazon stores "are popping up almost every week in shopping malls across the country."
The article has pictures of the new Amazon stores, and points out that the company also experienced disappointing results from an earlier experiment with Amazon trucks.

Comments

Bad Idea, Really Bad Idea

[WindowsStar]

Anyone Remember CompuAdd?? or Gateway??, not many do, but after being giants in computer sales on line they opened retail stores and it crippled them and cost them going out of business. Amazon needs to be extremely careful, what is that quote, "those who don't remember the past are doomed to repeat it".

Re:Bad Idea, Really Bad Idea

[93 Escort Wagon]

I buy my clothes online. Places like LL Bean have no hassle, free returns; clothes that last; and once you know the sizing you can pretty much depend on it. I've even been buying shoes, socks, and boxers on the web.

Shopping online is much more pleasant than going to the mall. I might still go if I needed a suit... But I work in IT, and didn't even wear a suit to my last few job interviews.

Re:Biggest effect will be on nearby Best Buys

[amxcoder]

This only works with items that don't have retailer specific model numbers... (I'm looking at you TV's!!). The common ploy for a long time with the big retail chains is to make deals with the manufacturers to basically sell them the items under custom model #'s that are specific to their store. So you'll see the same exact TV at BestBuy will be a XYZ-65-01, and at WalMart it will be a XYZ-65-02, and at Amazon.com it will be an XYZ-65-03. Therefore, even though it's the same device, the model numbers don't match exactly, giving the retailer an excuse to not price match. This has been a standard ploy for a very long time, going all the way back to when GoodGuys and Circuit City were still in business. Not all electronics manufacturers participate in this practice, for instance a Sony PS4 is a Sony PS4 everywhere, but my point is, it doesn't always work.

Re:Biggest effect will be on nearby Best Buys

[TheRaven64]

Seriously? Do you live in the middle of nowhere? Amazon here gives free delivery on every purchase over about £20 (maybe £25?). Delivery on cheaper things is typically about £1. I've never had to pay anything like that for Amazon delivery, even when ordering from Amazon France for delivery to the UK. I don't think I've ever paid close to $75 for delivery of anything I've ever bought online from anywhere.