“And you’re done.”
The slogan of Amazon.com seems to sum the online retail company up well in many buyers’ opinions.
“It’s much more convenient for me to order school books online and have them delivered rather than finding the time to go out to a store and not even be sure you’ll find what you need,” said sophomore Alex Irby.
Amazon was founded in 1994 and started out as an online bookstore in 1995, but has since grown immensely since then to become a retailer of many products, including furniture, electronics, clothing, jewelry, sports equipment, and more. Time magazine named its founder, Jeff Bezos, the Person of the Year in 1999 for popularizing online commerce.
Amazon has been successful in expanding and improving their services. They operate in dozens of countries all over the world, and serve millions of customers every day.
Amazon Prime is one of the company’s most popular services. For a $79 fee, customers received free shipping for a year on most products as well as streaming of many movies and rental of a free e-book every month.
This year, Amazon has announced a $20 price hike in the membership fee for Prime. While this initially caused outrage among many customers, it is only a $1.85 increase per month for a service unlike any that other companies offer.
Customers are currently considering the issue and its possible effects on their future use of Prime. Some don’t believe that the price hike will be detrimental to Amazon in the end, while others are seriously concerned about the effects on themselves.
“I don’t have Prime just because I don’t buy enough things on Amazon,” said freshman Ethan Miller, “But to me it seems like it’s a good selling point and definitely worth the money if you use the site a lot.”
Many Carlmont students are familiar with Amazon and frequently use the site.
“I get everything there,” said sophomore Thomas Chin. “Well, everything except clothes. But for electronics, school books, anything I need – I go to Amazon.”
Some students find the site very useful for purchasing supplies for school, such as literature required for English class or even just binders and backpacks. Amazon is also viewed as a go-to for many who are looking for electronics or phone cases.
“I’ve gotten every case I’ve had for my phone on Amazon,” said sophomore Gaby Belarde. “They’re about two bucks each, which is perfect.”
The customer service available is another trait of Amazon that leaves many customers satisfied. Many unhappy reviews left on their products have been updated with a note that Amazon had noted the dissatisfied buyer’s complaint and followed up with offers on how to fix the issue.
“Recently I ordered a book for class, then realized I already had a copy from my brother. I canceled the order, but they sent it to me anyway for free,” said sophomore Clara Romani. “I figured it was because they had already shipped it, but it was still nice to get a free book.”
“Amazon is great,” said Miller. “They have everything, and they have good prices. Their reputation speaks for itself.”
