ONE-STOP SHOPPING AT AMAZON

This morning I asked our houseguest Vincent where he would buy a fire extinguisher for the kitchen.  He said, “Amazon. I get everything from them.”

In the past few years, Vincent told me, he has purchased an incubator with a special thermostat and humidifier for his free-range chickens. Plus, a 23andMe DNA Ancestry Testing Kit, a leather strap for a decades-old Singer Treadle sewing machine, and a rear windshield wiper. 

                           Amazon ranks as the #1 e-tailer in the world.

                           It has more than 90,000 full-time employees across

                           its 50 fulfillment centers and 20 sorting centers, 

                           in the United States alone.

Remember when the Fuller Brush man came to the front door with his scuffed-up suitcase bulging with handy household cleaning products? Today, my sister-in-law orders her Fuller Brush products — wool dust mops and lemon furniture polish — from Amazon. 

Time was, I drove to Staples to get Canon printer ink cartridges and 8x11” manilla mailing envelopes. And to Williams-Sonoma to buy a roasting pan and Potlatch salmon seasoning. Not anymore. I just log on to Amazon and the product arrives at my house in a day or two.  

I savored spending an hour or two looking for a good read or the latest best-seller at fully stocked independent bookstores stores, like Crawford Doyle Booksellers in Manhattan, or the BookPort in Kennebunkport. The savvy staff always had a recommendation. There was usually a cozy spot to sit and leaf through the pages. I miss doing that but I also appreciate the instant availability (download now!) to my Kindle. 

Slowly, incrementally and surely, Amazon has become my go-to place for just about everything, including Bumble & Bumble shampoo, “Cars” themed Easter baskets, over-the-calf socks for Mr. Wonderful, Sears vacuum cleaner bags, lemon cucumber heirloom seeds, 3-way GE lightbulbs. Plus, a Star Wars Darth Vader desk lamp (NOT for Mr. Wonderful), a Hori Hori garden knife, Bushnell binoculars and holiday-themed mini loaf pans. Is there another store in the world that would have all that under one roof? 

                          Amazon warehouses have more square footage than 700

                          Madison Square Gardens. The company employs approximately

                          45,000 robots. Additionally, 80% of U.S. customers purchase

                          at least once a month from Amazon.

Amazon even says “Hello, Valerie” when I log on! What’s not to like? As an Amazon Prime member, I get free shipping. The item(s) I want is almost always in stock, or “available within a week.” And now, with Amazon’s recent acquisition of Whole Foods, I envision a new meaning to the term “meals on wheels.” Can’t wait to see what develops there.

Amazon's logo was designed to depict a smile that goes from A to Z, signifying that the company is willing to deliver everything to everyone, anywhere in the world.

They sure do!