Posted 2 days ago

Should we be using big companies for the best deals?

Should we be using big companies for the best deals or are we being led to a position where we won't have much choice because they monopolise big sectors. I've been thinking this for a while since finding out about Amazon scandals where they have in the past kicked people of their platform and then proceeded to sell the same items themselves because they could see it was a popular product. This video on YouTube highlights a few valid points which could be food for thought for where we choose to spend our money as we are the consumers who essentially fuel the markets. Interesting to hear what other people think

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26th Apr
Wished I did not have too, but, cannot afford not to use them.
26th Apr
You need to be a little bit careful with Amazon because a lot of their deals are price matches which means someone else is selling them for the same money where you could get discount codes & cashback.

This applies to nearly all of their electrical, electronic & IT deals especially.
26th Apr
Just look back to the late 80s early 90s and see how big supermarkets killed off small retailers. Went after the staples then electronics, clothes etc. Those same supermarkets say they don’t have a level playfield with Amazon because they pay business park rates, Tesco CEO a couple of years ago was screaming about this. Oddly his company was the worst at moving out of town for cheaper rates. Tesco even on the early 90s put a blacksmith in a rural store, they tried everything from banking to pharmacies and even tried to best Amazon at their own game once.

Will changing your habits change things, now there are so few retailers now and retail has changed so much with the loss of the big names. Independents may grow but that will probably be niche markets.

And let’s not forget that the very single offer at supermarkets is paid for by suppliers nothing to do with the supermarkets. The supermarkets who even against the biggest consumer goods companies get paid for the offers before they pay for the actual goods.

Sadly all of this is called progress but is it really.
26th Apr
Yes of course the issue with Amazon price-matching is that it potentially loses the other retailer custom . . . and if that were to continue to happen to a high degree, and that retailer were to go out of business . . . they would no longer be around for Amazon to price-match, so the consumer loses

I have on many occasions posted Additional Info on Amazon gaming Deal posts, as they so often price-match TheGameCollection.Net to make others aware of it
26th Apr
I was thinking the same. You can't even build a tech business because these guys can copy you and do it better and faster in a week.
26th Apr
"It's a jungle out there" Rudyard Kipling
27th Apr
I was thinking more about the theme tune to Monk...
27th Apr
We should all be trying to shop more local, sometimes you can't avoid using big companies as they already have destroyed smaller manufacturers etc.

What's worse is Temu and them all. Undercut everyone, force the manufacturer to make a loss and promote even worse working conditions.

It's also true that huge companies (usually American) like Proctor and Gamble, coke, mars etc.. just about control the bigger supermarkets. (edited)
19 h, 40 m ago
Get your point completely - the more we do it, the more we are in trouble going forward. That being said, many of us live and survive in the moment and most will not pay more today just to ensure small and local businesses survive. Price is King