retail posts

Amazon begins offering same-day delivery in select cities

by Brad Linder Oct 15th 2009

Amazon has made a name for itself by offering a huge selection of goods for sale over the internet, available in many parts of the globe, often with free shipping. Now the company is offering super-fast shipping to sweeten the deal in a handful of locations.

Customers who live in New York, Philadelphia, Boston, Washington, Baltimore, Las, Vegas, and Seattle can select same-day deliver if they place an order early enough in the day (before 10:00AM in most areas, and before 1:00PM in Seattle).

Of course, same-day delivery ain't exactly free budget shipping. Amazon Prime members, who pay $79 per year for some extra perks will have to pay $6 per item for the speedier delivery. Non Prime members will have to pony up substantially more cash. The New York Times notes that a box of diapers will set you back $15 in shipping. When I checked the shipping charges for an HD media player, it was closer to $20.

What do you think? Are you more likely to buy something if shipping is fast? Or cheap?

Tags: amazon, retail, same-day-shipping

Filed under: Microsoft

Microsoft retail stores coming soon to a strip mall near you

by Brad Linder Feb 13th 2009

Microsoft is preparing to launch a chain of retail stores. Apple has had its own stores for a while, but while Apple has a whole line of hardware and software products to sell, Microsoft is first and foremost a software company. Sure, Microsoft could fill store shelves with Zune portable media players and Xbox 360 video game consoles. But it sounds like Microsoft will work out partnerships with hardware makers to sell computers and peripherals capable of running Microsoft products in addition to boxed Microosft software.

Still, I can't help but wonder why Microsoft thinks operating its own stores will be more profitable than selling software downloads and getting physical copies of its software into existing retail outlets. Maybe this is really just a branding initiative, since that whole Seinfeld thing didn't really work out.

Microsoft announced yesteday that it's hired former DreamWorks exec David Porter to head the company's retail store unit.

[via Engadget]

Tags: microsoft-store, retail, store

Filed under: Business, Internet, Web services

Borders launches new Amazon-free web store

by Brad Linder May 28th 2008

While Borders may be one of the most recognizable bricks and mortar book sellers in the US, the company has been nearly invisible online. For the last seven years, Borders has basically relied on Amazon for its online presence. But now Borders is relaunching its website with a heavy focus on recommendations and recreating the experience of browsing in a book store

While you can certainly use the site to search for books, the most prominent features of the new site are recommendations for books, music, and movies. There are "staff picks," new fiction and non-fiction, and customized suggestions based on your tastes in media.

One area where Borders has the advantage over Amazon is that the company does have bricks and mortar stores throughout the country. That means you can place an order online and have it shipped for free to your neighborhood store where you can pick it up. If you don't have a safe, secure spot for receiving deliveries at your home, this could be an attractive feature.

[via AP]

Tags: amazon, books, borders, retail, stores

Filed under: Hardware, Apple, iPhone

Paying cash for that iPhone? Not any more.

by Ted Wallingford Oct 30th 2007

Apple has decided to stop accepting cash payments for iPhones purchased from retail Apple stores. Instead, they're only taking credit and debit card payments, ostensibly in an effort to keep track of everybody who buys them. But why would Apple do such a thing? After all, isn't cash legal tender for all debts public and private?

Apparently not when the item being tendered is an Apple iPhone. It seems Apple is trying to cut down on unlocking and bricking, practices which, when employed together, allow the phone to be used more or less permanently with carriers other than AT&T, the firm with the exclusive (restrictive) distribution deal for the vaunted device. AT&T requires a two-year commitment just to purchase the iPhone, and unlocking/bricking lets customers out of that deal. So Apple has upped the ante on iPhone purchasers by making sure that they know each customer's identity.

Apple estimates that about 250,000 iPhone have been sold to non-AT&T customers. This means people are either unlocking them and then activating them personally on other carriers, or they're simply selling the unlocked units to folks who want to use them on another carrier. Apple is claiming 4.5 million bucks in lost revenue as a result of unlocking. Of course, we don't think the majority of iPhone purchasers were using cash to begin with, so the likelihood of this debit/credit thing having a negative impact on legitimate iPhone sales is pretty slim. Still, one wonders if there's a precedent for retailers not accepting cash for a sale. Don't think we've heard of that one before.

Tags: apple, iphone, retail

Filed under: News, Windows, Microsoft

Hong Kong likes Windows Vista

by David Chartier Feb 28th 2007

Sure, Vista sales might not be the greatest so far, and Microsoft has already made the bizarre announcement of "Vienna" to follow in 2009, but things aren't all bad for Microsoft's bouncing baby OS. While SFGate reports on Microsoft's efforts to squash rampant piracy in China, ButterBoom has some choice quotes from a South China Morning Post report that says Vista says are doing pretty darn well in Hong Kong. To quote Adam Anger, director of Microsoft's Hong Kong business marketing organization:

"Some retail shops have told us that they have been selling 30 times more than what they usually sell, especially during the launch weekend on February 3 and 4. Some even said that their sales were comparable to high-selling holiday seasons like Christmas."

However, in this blogger's opinion, those numbers might be somewhat skewed both from Microsoft's efforts to 'inspire' Chinese citizens away from their pirating ways, as well as the fact that Windows XP has been around long enough for nearly everyone who wants a copy to get one - legitimately or otherwise.

Tags: china, chinese, piracy, pirates, retail, sales, SCMP, vista, windows vista, WindowsVista

Filed under: Web services, Apple

Apple Store blocking MySpace

by Jordan Running Apr 24th 2006

What do malls have? Apple Stores and teenagers. What do Apple Stores have? Macs connected to the Internet. What do mall-prone teenagers like more than anything? MySpace. You get the idea. Apparently some Apple Stores have been so deluged with people using display computer to browse MySpace and not buying anything that they've begun to block MySpace from store computers, according to ifoAppleStore. Now, loiterers at those stores who try to visit MySpace.com are instead redirected to Apple.com. For some reason I find this hilarious.

[Via Digg]

Tags: apple, applestore, myspace, retail, store

Featured Time Waster

Graveyard Shift - zombie-busting Time Waster

With Halloween fast approaching, it's a great time to get in some practice defending your territory against zombies. In Graveyard Shift, you take aim at zombies and other creepy-crawlies, blasting them into splatters of cartoony green guts. It's a casual first-person shooter, and it's very easy to get the hang of - use the mouse to aim, click to fire. Graveyard Shift has at least 15 levels, and it might even have some secret stages I haven't unlocked yet. They key to getting good at Graveyard Shift is learning to use ...

View more Time Wasters

Featured Galleries

Defective by Design, London: Protest Pictures

Download Squad at the Crunchies After-Party

Android First-look: Amazon.com MP3 Store

Flickr Pool

www.flickr.com

Download Squad bloggers (30 days)

#	Blogger	Posts	Cmts
1	Jay Hathaway	114	6
2	Lee Mathews	77	34
3	Sebastian Anthony	52	164
4	Brad Linder	37	7
5	Jason Clarke	31	0
6	Grant Robertson	8	8
7	Dolores Parker	7	2
8	Victor Agreda, Jr.	7	1
9	Nik Fletcher	3	0
10	Matt Heerema	3	3
11	Paul O'Brien	2	0
12	John Burke	1	0
13	Download Squad Staff	1	0

More Tech Coverage

Control Shift It's all about the experience
Somewhat Frank Perspectives on tech as it fuses in everyday life
Switched Gadgets, web news and commentary
Urlesque Exposing bits of the web

Download Squad