Surprised to hear that. In the UK it’s very good and popular so it’s not just a US thing. I’d never really thought about it before but I had assumed it was like that everywhere in the western world.

Eh, I think this depends on what you're shopping for?

I'm in Australia as well, and Amazon is good for certain products, regularly price matching (or slightly cheaper than) other stores.

That said, Amazon's product and shipping coverage is much better on the east coast of Australia than the west coast.