Like many people I have been blowing up Amazon with orders for things I think will make the start of the school year a little less bumpy, and I picked up the box on my front porch without even looking at it when I came home from the pool, but a little while ago my neighbor knocked on the door. "Did you get a package from Amazon that had my name on it?" she asked.
I laughed and assured her that if that happened I would have brought the package over. "I did get a package today," I told her, "but it was for me!"
"That's funny," she said, "because you know how they send you a picture when they deliver? My picture was of your front porch." She swept her hand across the stoop. "I certainly don't have a basketball or umbrella by my door."
I apologized again, and she walked away, but as I closed the door, I tried to remember just what was in that box, and I gasped when I realized I had no idea. So I dashed over to the chair where the package still sat, upside down and unopened. Sure enough? It belonged to my neighbor.
I heard on the radio the other day that only 6 retailers made up almost 30% of the retail market share for the second quarter of 2020. Should I pause for a moment and let you guess who consumers turned to when the quarantine hit?
If you said Amazon, Walmart, Target, Home Depot, Costco, and Lowes, then you were right. With the exception of the grocery store and the drug store (oh, and the coffee roasting and pet supply places) those were really the only businesses I personally shopped and ordered from in April, May, and June. You too?
At any rate, as much as I was grateful for those big box places maintaining the supply chain, I've also come to resent their muscle flexing a little bit. With such incredible demand, customer service seems to be an after thought. For example, our local Target, Home Depot, and Lowes are very unreliable when it comes to inventory, and I'm not just referring to disinfectant wipes. Walmart seems to be pretty lax on mask wearing, and Costco has really long lines.
Amazon, too is unapologetic when it comes to stocking items or honoring prime delivery. But at least they send you a picture so you can track your own stuff down.
I laughed and assured her that if that happened I would have brought the package over. "I did get a package today," I told her, "but it was for me!"
"That's funny," she said, "because you know how they send you a picture when they deliver? My picture was of your front porch." She swept her hand across the stoop. "I certainly don't have a basketball or umbrella by my door."
I apologized again, and she walked away, but as I closed the door, I tried to remember just what was in that box, and I gasped when I realized I had no idea. So I dashed over to the chair where the package still sat, upside down and unopened. Sure enough? It belonged to my neighbor.
I heard on the radio the other day that only 6 retailers made up almost 30% of the retail market share for the second quarter of 2020. Should I pause for a moment and let you guess who consumers turned to when the quarantine hit?
If you said Amazon, Walmart, Target, Home Depot, Costco, and Lowes, then you were right. With the exception of the grocery store and the drug store (oh, and the coffee roasting and pet supply places) those were really the only businesses I personally shopped and ordered from in April, May, and June. You too?
At any rate, as much as I was grateful for those big box places maintaining the supply chain, I've also come to resent their muscle flexing a little bit. With such incredible demand, customer service seems to be an after thought. For example, our local Target, Home Depot, and Lowes are very unreliable when it comes to inventory, and I'm not just referring to disinfectant wipes. Walmart seems to be pretty lax on mask wearing, and Costco has really long lines.
Amazon, too is unapologetic when it comes to stocking items or honoring prime delivery. But at least they send you a picture so you can track your own stuff down.
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