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Comment by mintplant | Hacker News Reader

I believe there are a number of entrenched players in this space already. They're called "shops".

Except for my number 1 issue with shops...there is no way to check the inventory before you go. Their websites often suck at the store level inventory and if you do call customer care - and they do happen to send someone back to check it can take 10 minutes to find out if they have it, not just in their system - but on the shelf.

The elegance of Amazon is its logistics.

Don't forget wandering aisles looking for the Chromecast Fry's helpfully stocks in the back corner of the car radio department.

> Chromecast

Hah. You'll be looking for a lot longer at any of Amazon's stores.

And most shops have open/closed hours. With this I can order something at 11pm and go pick it up immediately. Or order it at 2pm and pick up later that day.

Depends on the shop. Target, Walmart and CVS are really good about being able to check inventory at the local store online, then buy the item online, and pick it up at the customer service counter in an hour or two.

This is the model that Amazon will have to beat. And the only way it can do that is through offering a better selection. Which should be possible since Amazon won't have aisles to stock.

I have discovered that the inventory numbers at Home Depot are disappointingly bad however.

Shops have to present goods in an attractive and easily accessible way. An Amazon pickup location can be dramatically more dense with products;in other words they can offer much more variety in the same footprint.

Also if Amazon become good at having the items ready, it becomes a very different experience than traditional shopping.

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