Many thanks, Steve... I will give that number a try next time I'm in the mood to get the runaround. :)

I don't think it's possible for small businesses to offer Amazon prices, literally, not possible without losing money on every sale. If you're a small business, and you buy item X wholesale for $10 and sell for $11. Amazon can go to the manufacturer and say "I want to buy 100 pallets of item X, but I'll only do it if you sell it to me for $7.50. And then Amazon sells that item for $8.50.

Then there's the issue of small businesses stocking EVERYTHING. They would have to put out millions of dollars to have every item in stock on the shelf which is not feasible for those businesses.

If I can pick up an item local for only a little more than Amazon, I am willing to do that. If the price difference is huge, $50 local - $30 Amazon, then I'm ordering from Amazon. Its funny though, sometimes Amazon is more expensive than local which I always find a little odd.

(fwiw, I used the Eastwood rust encapsulater direct on lightly rusted undercarriage and rust peeked through a year later. A little disappointed and not the cheapest of products. Maybe I didn't top coat well enough. Something more concentrated like a brush-on followed by zinc primer might last longer.)

Amazon isn’t always cheaper - usually they aren’t on much of what I buy. For me it comes down to convenience and don’t forget, Amazon still pays a courier to deliver… it’s weird because Amazon trucks go next door but have never come to my place… not one time.

For me, Prime is a necessity. Shipping to Hawaii is costly and Prime saves me tons of money. For this year, I have placed 136 orders and haven't had to pay a dime in shipping costs. I also think there is some weird algorithm on Amazon that raises the price if you keep checking a certain item without ordering.

Traffic, time, gas cost, selection, in-stock, and free same-day or next-day delivery, have driven me to making 70% or more of my purchases (other than food) online.

I got Amazoned yesterday. I ordered some cat food, the same as I have been buying for at least 2 years. It was delivered poorly, IOW not according to my instructions. I have a short wall around my front porch with locked gates. Just lay the package behind the wall next to the gate so it can't be seen from the street. The gate is just an iron gate with bars. You can see through it.

So, sometime during the night the driver dumped the box dead in front of the gate. I get it in the morning and notice it's been opened and retaped shut. Out of 48 servings there were only 38 and the top row was jumbled, not stacked neatly in the little plastic trays.

I'd already nicked them for the poor delivery when I discovered the shortage. I "chatted" with their AI after being turned down for a return because this is food. They accepted my description of the opened box and the missing servings. I got credit for the whole order and don't send it back. Again, food.

So here's my conclusion: IDT Amazon would send out a box that was tampered with. IDT they would have any inventory that was damaged as they don't take back food. I have seen many Amazon drivers in their own cars likely picking up work like an Uber.

These are not the pros that follow instructions and take pics of the delivery. I'd wager this dirtbag driver cut the box open after taking it from the distribution center and stole some food for their cat. Or worse.

That's just a WTF. Chances are they are not working for Amazon today.