There aren’t even a million people living in South Dakota, but the state’s efforts to collect sales tax from online retailers could eventually have an impact on the hundreds of millions of Americans in other states who shop online. [More]
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‘South Park’ Screws With Viewers’ Google Home, Echo Devices
By 9.14.17
Fans of the show South Park who watched the season premiere last night got more than the usual fart jokes and foul-mouthed rants: Amazon Echo and Google Home devices were woken up throughout the episode, triggered by commands from the characters. Of course, hilarity — or headaches, depending on your point of view — ensued. [More]
Walmart Hopes Exclusive Toys Will Get You To Do Your Christmas Shopping There This Year
By 9.11.17
Walmart doesn’t want to share — hot holiday toys, that is. In a bid to undercut competitors and attract more shoppers this holiday season, the big box store is betting big on exclusive toy offers. [More]
Whole Foods Seeing More Shoppers In Wake Of Amazon Merger
By 9.7.17
Maybe it’s the slightly lower prices, or the curiosity of seeing Amazon Echo speakers being sold in the produce aisle, or even the ground beef sculpted into Amazon logos — whatever the reason, it looks like Whole Foods is seeing a boost in foot traffic in the weeks since it officially became part of the Amazon family. [More]
Amazon Seller Offering Expensive, Potentially Contaminated Soy Butter 6 Months After Recall
By 9.6.17
When a product has been recalled and disappears from store shelves, that includes virtual store shelves. Yet jars of I.M. Healthy’s recalled soy butter, a peanut butter substitute, were available from a third-party seller on Amazon’s site last week, meaning that customers could potentially get a large helping of E. coli along with their sandwiches. [More]
Guy Accuses UPS Of Trapping Him In His Home With Precarious Package Placement
By 9.5.17
There are delivery drivers who throw packages over gates or chuck from the window into someone’s yard. But there are also apparently drivers who place a package in just the right spot… to trap you in your apartment. [More]
Twitch Streamers Will Now Sell You Stuff On Amazon
By 9.1.17
You might pay extra to interact with your favorite streaming stars on Twitch, but would you click over to Amazon to buy products that those stars recommend? Amazon hopes that you will, and announced this week that broadcasters on Twitch will be able to earn up to 10% commission on items that they recommend to viewers. [More]
Amazon Sued Over Allegedly Defective Eclipse Glasses
By 8.31.17
Before the nationwide solar eclipse earlier this month, experts, including some at NASA, warned that solar eclipse glasses on the market may not meet normal standards for eye protection that one should normally wear when staring at the sun. The decentralized nature of Amazon’s marketplace meant that the site was a popular source for potentially insufficient eclipse glasses, and now people who bought them have filed a class action lawsuit against Amazon. [More]
Google Assistant Begins Takeover Of Home Appliances; Alexa & Cortana Make Friends
By 8.30.17
It was a big day in news for connected-home devices, with Google announcing plans to put its Home technology on a slew of new appliances, while two competing digital assistants — Amazon’s Alexa and Microsoft’s Cortana — began to make nice with each other. [More]
Whole Foods Meat Guys Sculpt Amazon Logos Out Of Ground Beef
By 8.30.17
What’s that old saying, again? “When you love someone, say it with meat”? That’s how employees at one Los Angeles Whole Foods welcomed their new e-commerce overlords, sculpting Amazon and Prime logos out of ground beef in the display case. [More]
Amazon Really Wants Echo Devices In The Hands (And Dorm Rooms) Of College Students
By 8.29.17
If you want future developers of technology to create new things for your product, try giving it to engineering students for free. Amazon is experimenting with that at one college, giving away an Echo Dot (list price $49.99) to every student in a new dorm at Arizona State University. [More]
Whole Foods Stores Start Week With Lower Prices, Echo Speakers Next To Vegetables
By 8.28.17
It’s the beginning of a new week for most of us, but the beginning of a new era for Whole Foods and Amazon. The grocery store’s acquisition by the Everything Store closes this week, and the companies have already kicked off their in-store relationship with Echo speakers in the produce section and lower prices on selected items around the store. [More]
Amazon Warehouse To Rise From The Ashes Of Former Ohio Mall
By 8.25.17
For years, retailers, analysts, and others have theorized that Amazon — and the conveniences of online shopping — have killed the mall. In a development that seems to bring the idea full circle, Amazon will operate a new warehouse on the gravesite of one the country’s largest former malls. [More]
Walmart Imagines Floating Warehouses That Could Rain Down Delivery Drones
By 8.21.17
While Amazon has dreams of delivery drone beehives and parachuting packages, it’s not the only one looking upward: Walmart has plans for a floating warehouse capable of launching flying delivery vehicles so it can rain discount goods on you from the skies. [More]
Watch Out For Great Deals From Brand-New Amazon Sellers
By 8.17.17 — Updated: 8.18.17
The most effective scams take advantage of our greed, so it’s always good to have a reminder that deals that seem too good to be true probably are. The problem is that even if you know that an amazing deal from a seller who just joined Amazon last week and has no feedback is a red flag, Amazon’s “buy” button doesn’t necessarily understand this. [More]
There Are 210 Million Reasons Why You Should Expect More Amazon Brand Products
By 8.15.17
Amazon may call itself the “everything store,” but a growing chunk of that “everything” is now made by Amazon. A new report gives some idea just how much the online giant is making from its store brand products, and a hint at the potential market for everything from electronics through apparel. [More]
Amazon’s New ‘Instant Pickup’ Service Should Just Be Called ‘Going To The Store’
By 8.15.17
Here’s the newest concept from Amazon: A place where customers can quickly pick up a snack or a roll of toilet paper without having to wait in long lines. It’s called “Instant Pickup,” but you might already know it by a more familiar name: “Going to the store.” [More]
Amazon Considering Ready-To-Eat Meal Delivery That Doesn’t Require Refrigeration
By 8.11.17
Although the idea of ready-to-eat-meals may sound more like military rations than your average dinner at home, Amazon is reportedly talking about delivering dishes that are already prepared and don’t need to be refrigerated as part of its push into the grocery business. [More]
