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Amazon Closing All of Its 87 Pop-Up Stores As Its Retail Strategy Shifts (npr.org)

Posted by BeauHD on from the change-of-heart dept.

Amazon is closing all 87 of its U.S. pop-up kiosks, which let customers try and buy gadgets such as smart speakers and tablets in malls, Kohl's department stores and Whole Foods groceries. It's the latest change in Amazon's brick-and-mortar retail strategy. NPR reports: "Across our Amazon network, we regularly evaluate our businesses to ensure we're making thoughtful decisions around how we can best serve our customers," an Amazon spokesperson said Thursday. Instead, the company is expanding Amazon Books and Amazon 4-star retail stores, the spokesperson said. Amazon 4-star stores, currently in New York City, Denver and Berkeley, Calif., sell various products, including consumer electronics, kitchen products and books that are rated 4 stars or above by customers on Amazon.com. The pop-up kiosks are expected to close by the end of April, The Wall Street Journal reported.

The news comes days after a Wall Street Journal report that Amazon plans to open dozens of grocery stores in several major U.S. cities. Those stores would be separate from the Whole Foods Market chain, which Amazon bought in 2017 in a $13.7 billion deal. The Amazon spokesperson declined to comment on the report. Amazon said it launched Amazon pop-up stores in six European countries during the 2018 holiday season. It was unclear if those stores would be affected by the closings.

12 of 35 comments (clear)

  1. Have we seen Peak Amazon? by rmdingler · · Score: 2

    I didn't even realize these Pop-Up stores existed, so their extinction event is somewhat less than devastating for me.

    A bit of googling with rather middling skill appears to reveal this outcome is not extremely surprising:

    The pop-up store is a store that opens suddenly and usually exists for a short amount of time. Or; A temporary pop-up store often appears when retailers take advantage of empty retail space.

    The lack of success of the Whole Foods acquisition seems much more disturbing in Bezo's World.

    --
    Happiness in intelligent people is the rarest thing I know.

    Ernest Hemingway

    1. Re:Have we seen Peak Amazon? by radarskiy · · Score: 1

      "The lack of success of the Whole Foods acquisition seems much more disturbing in Bezo's World."

      Lack of success? Whole Foods' revenue was up 6% in 2018, versus 1.2% for the grocery industry as a whole.

      I'd love to have the kind of "lack of success" that is five times the growth of my industry.

  2. They need to change the business model... by Patent+Lover · · Score: 4, Funny

    They should try something new like delivering products to people's homes.

  3. i like Amazon, but by mapkinase · · Score: 1, Interesting

    I like Amazon (shopping experience) and I like their original entertainment content, but their purchase of Whole Foods killed the store. Quality went down dramatically, especially the most sensitive part: fresh fruits and vegetables.

    --
    I do not believe in karma. "Funny"=-6. Do good and forbid evil. Yours, Oft-Offtopic Flamebaiting Troll.
    1. Re: i like Amazon, but by w1z7ard · · Score: 1

      What's your evidence of this? Very curious.

      --

      "Recursive bipartite matching"- try it!

    2. Re:i like Amazon, but by jetkust · · Score: 1

      I haven't noticed a single difference. Just them giving a slight discount for Prime members.

  4. Temporary problem by Vanyle · · Score: 1

    This is the problem with all these new companies. They drop things they start all the time without any form of commitment. My office uses google suite and have been left in the lurch because they have suddenly decided to end a service. Nothing builds confidence like uncertainty!

    1. Re:Temporary problem by Type44Q · · Score: 1

      This is the problem with all these new companies.

      Just the opposite: the more they fuck up and suffer the consequences, the less of a monopolistic threat they are to society.

      Let's encourage Bezos to experiment with his evil, all-consuming "baby." ;)

    2. Re:Temporary problem by Hognoxious · · Score: 1

      I don't have the figures to hand, but I wonder how many of these it will need before Bezos has to sell one of his yachts.

      --
      Confucius say, "Find worm in apple - bad. Find half a worm - worse."
  5. So long and thanks for all the fish. by quenda · · Score: 1

    First Tesla, now Amazon.

    What do Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos know that we don't? What do they have in common? Are they getting ready to leave?

    1. Re:So long and thanks for all the fish. by Opportunist · · Score: 2

      They don't know anything we don't. All they did was get lucky with their first business endeavors. It worked out for them. It didn't for the 99.9999% others who tried, failed, and you never heard about them.

      --
      We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
  6. Re:Let me fix that ... by Hognoxious · · Score: 1

    That statement is inaccurate. It presumes that they have a retail strategy.

    --
    Confucius say, "Find worm in apple - bad. Find half a worm - worse."