A survey regarding Amazon.com, discussion: shopping in general.

[Nouw]

Hello Escapists, for a school assessment my friend and I have the task of collecting information on the usage of Amazon.com through a survey. Now admittedly being a New Zealander Amazon.com is a poor choice but all the other viable sites were taken damn it x_x. According to my friend anyway...*ahem.* So when it came to the task of actually gathering information I knew just the place to ask: here.

So, if you took the time to fill it out we would be very grateful.

Part 1. [http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/8RWDSH2]
Part 2. [http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/8RNGP9Q]

Don't fret, it's all very straight-foward survey questions. Nothing to do with saving dogs or strangers from drowning I promise!


But wait, where is the discussion value? Well, in broader terms I am interested in how people shop nowadays. Are you the type to go down to a store with a vague idea of what to buy then looking for it and purchasing it? Or are you the kind to do weeks of research, compiling it into a document and then finding the cheapest online store that seems the most legit? I myself have been veering away from going to the shops to the point where I don't even consider it. Two years ago I would have gone down to my local mall to buy an album but not anymore. I suppose doing it online is more convenient and feels safer for me; it has become habit.

What's your stance?

 

[Queen Michael]

Almost all of the things I want to buy can't be found in any physical stores here in Sweden, so I have to do my shopping online.

 

[Wadders]

It really depends on what I'm buying.

If I'm after a book or an album, then I'll probably head online, as there are far better deals and a lot more choice.

Whereas when it comes to clothes, I have to get to a proper shop. I'm tall and thin so I really need to try things on to check they fit - my body shape doesn't allow me the luxury of ordering online safe in the knowledge something will fit. Also I like to spend a fair amount of money on my clothes, and if you're after designer stuff online stores rarely offer the clothes any cheaper.

Luckily I live about 5 minutes train ride from the Bull Ring in Birmingham so I have plenty of access to clothes. Even then, I'll still have an idea of what I want; I'll have looked at the store online and figured out if I like a certain item, but I have to see it in real life before I buy clothing usually.

Also, food is another area I've recently started to buy online. Given the lack of a large supermarket in my area, itmakes sense to order from a supermarket direct. For the small cost of delivery I save time and effort, and I get far more choice.

 

[Colour Scientist]

I rarely shop online.
I like to buy all my clothes in shops because I enjoy the experience of going into town, walking around, trying on stuff and whatever else. It's not the same experience sitting at home looking at a computer. When I have the spare cash and a day off work, I like to spend an entire day in the city just wandering around.

As for games, books and DVDs most of the stuff I want can be found in a physical shop. I probably should shop around for the best price but, up until recently, I didnt have a VISA so I couldn't order online and I was never bothered setting up Paypal or anything. I have had to occasionally order history books from the internet but that was for my Masters, so they were particularly niche.

I really am behind the times, huh?

 

[Angelowl]

Most things I order online novadays are honestly swords of all things. And my computer as well I guess. I did shop a lot of clothes online earlier, due to being to ashamed of my looks to go shop in stores. That part is fixed and honestly I'm not sure what I would buy... Oh right! Books and music-CDs, especially books (when I can afford it). There are loads of interesting weird books if you know how to look for them.

Not much else, games I buy in the store. As old PC-games are dirt cheap and PSP/PS3 games are usually ok after half-a-year. I have always been behind in the gaming curve, with the benifits of reduced price and not getting caught up in the hype.

 

[Bertylicious]

I have always firmly believed that the worst thing about going outside is that you are not in your house so having the ability to get anything I want online is a God send.

 

[bojackx]

Apart from clothes for obvious reasons, I buy everything online. Last year I had 50 orders on Amazon, and this year it's about 25 so far.

I just look for the best price, and if the best price happens to be for a store that I live close to (very rare), I'll go out and buy that in person.

 

[remingtonsteelflex]

I primarily used Amazon to buy used textbooks because they were a hell of a lot cheaper than buying them from the campus bookstore. However, once I got into my grad classes I found that most of the books are written by the professor who teaches the class and it's very hard finding a used copy unless you know someone who's taken the class previously.

One problem I did have, but I blame the postal service for is I ordered a t-shirt/record combo and it never arrived. It had package tracking, so I knew the date it was supposed to arrive and I waited a week before going to the post office. They said it did make it to that office and according to their records they delivered it to my address. The part that sucks is they said that once they make the delivery the whereabouts and condition of the package are my responsibility, so I wasted $20 and 3 weeks waiting.

 

[Private Custard]

Done and done

As for discussion, I found myself using amazon so much, I went ahead and got one of their credit cards! Now, for every pound I spend there, I get two points. Purchases elsewhere get me one point. 1000 points = a £10 voucher.

My first purchase was in my first 90 days, so I got three points. I spent over 2.5k on camera gear.......lots of free money!

The only time I wouldn't use an online store is when I eventually get a serious distance lens for my DSLR. I'd be looking at spending over 5k on a single, small item, so I'd want to pick it up from a store myself and wrap it in a duvet!!

 

[Aris Khandr]

Amazon is my go-to for everything that isn't games. I've got a Prime membership with the site, so all shipping is free. Though I don't do a whole lot of physical buying anymore, it is still nice to have for when I do want things to be shipped. The main appeal, for me, is the digital content. Almost all of my movies, books, and music comes from Amazon these days (with iTunes picking up the slack where Amazon fails). In the fifteen months since I made the switch to digital only, I've picked up eighteen movies, eleven complete seasons from television, and a handful of individual episodes via Amazon Instant Video. I've purchased just over 500 tracks from their MP3 service, and 39 books from Kindle. The only reason I don't use their digital game service as much is because I do prefer to go to Steam directly. Otherwise, much love for Amazon.

Though I am a bit disappointed in the fact that their video player for iOS won't let me use my iPad's HDMI output to run movies on my mother's television. Seems a bit silly to restrict that.

 

[Daft Time]

As an Australian, Amazon is useless.

Yeah, that's it. I'd like to know why they don't ship to Australia though.

Edit: Survery taken, your age selection is awful. Why are 25 year olds lumped in with 13 year olds? There's a significant difference between those of Age of Majority and those who aren't.

 

[Rednog]

Because I live in the US, amazon is absolutely amazing. For me, it hands down beats any other site for online shopping. Granted with the impending doom of online tax it might not be the clear choice anymore, but I still love it. Granted I do have some gripes, navigation is a little meh, especially when you have to click through 4 different subsections to get to the one you want; and they really need to crack down on some non amazon retailer shipping costs.

 

[SaetonChapelle]

I don't purchase anything from markets or stores anymore. It's sad really. Besides being a dirty hermit, I've found that purchasing things online just ends up being cheaper for me in the end.

Example: I buy comics and manga. In the store I can pay from $11 to $20 for a book. On amazon.com I can purchase one for between $4 to $8 while still getting free shipping. As a full time student paying for her own house, car, and phone bills, I'm forced to save all the money I can. xD The great thing is as well as having almost everything available and cheap, my packages arrive in only a few days time. It's fantastic (and totally doesn't help the hermit thing).

 

[mParadox]

I look up the product online, check the various prices and decide on the best one. Now, since I'm a paranoid character, I do prefer buying the said item by myself. So, after surveying the online scene properly, I'll go the main market and scout out my chosen product and hopefully get a few Rupees knocked off it.

Yay bargaining.

ALSO, Amazon doesn't operate here. Suck to be me.

Also, sucks to be you Nouw. Now your survey will never be graced by my presence. FOR SHAME.

 

[Zykon TheLich_v1legacy]

Depends what it is. Amazon is usually my first stop for expensive stuff. Otherwise I go to my old FLGS's website for anything PnP RPG related, Discogs for music. Otherwise I go to local shops for tools, paint, car parts etc

Amazon is generally a lot cheaper in the UK because they ship from the channel Islands and therefore avoid a fuckton of tax.

 

[ClockworkPenguin]

Amazon provide a good service. I'll start using it again when they treat their employees properly and pay their Goddam taxes.

Same goes for you Itunes.

Steam is still in my good books for now, so I buy most of my games online.

 

[Da Orky Man]

Although I tend to prefer to visit physical retailers for things, I live in rural mid-Wales, so realistically I can only get most things online.

 

[Total LOLige]

I buy pretty much everything onine nowadays, including clothes. I mostly buy T-shirts of my favourite bands, which aren't readily avaliable in shops. As for music the only shop is HMV and the selection is piss poor at best expensive too, so again I just buy online.I can't be doing with all the crowds when it comes to the high street, too much dodging, it's like I'm playing fucking Frogger.

 

[Legion]

With the exception of food and clothing, pretty much all of my shopping is done online. Normally because it is cheaper. Books for example, in stores almost always cost the recommended retail price, but online are normally around a third cheaper at least. Games are similar, with the main retailers in the UK (GAME and HMV) being around £44.99 but online averages around £37.99-39.99.

Food and clothing are done in brick and mortar shops for the obvious reasons.

The survey has also been answered.

 

[Agayek]

For everything but food, I shop online. I'm a colossally lazy fuck and can't be bothered to drive to stores in order to get things. It's so much more convenient to just order it online.