I’ve probably done it a million times, but I never knew what I was actually doing or better yet that there was a term for what I was doing. When I started at Multichannel Merchant as the new Content Producer, I learned what “showrooming” meant with articles I had written.
Just a few weeks ago I joined the many consumers who showroom. I was in Target one night and saw “Lincoln” was on DVD and at first I was going to purchase the item on the spot, but thought I could probably find it cheaper on Amazon, and I was right. I pulled out my phone and scanned the barcode to see how much cheaper it would be.
So instead of filling my need of instant gratification at Target, I went home and ordered it on Amazon. I wasn’t in any rush, so I didn’t mind that it would arrive on April 2. Once I did order it, I remembered that I had wanted the DVD “Tuck Everlasting” as well. So I ordered it alongside “Lincoln, since that movie is no where to be found in brick-and-mortar stores.
While I knew I had to wait until April 2, I didn’t realize I had to wait longer than the scheduled date of delivery. I didn’t receive any notification from Amazon it would be later than expected and that was when I grew impatient. I looked at the tracking history of my package and found the package was re-routed. By April 10, I called Amazon. Finding their number wasn’t an easy task either.
I had to Google “what is Amazon’s number” to get access to a phone number which I couldn’t find on their actual site. The customer representative was very helpful and apologetic and promised me it would be delivered to me the next day, on April 11. It arrived on April 11.
You would think that was the end of that, on April 12, I had finally received my original order in the mail. So now I have two packages.
I have nothing against Amazon, I actually love it. Since I am book collector (of sorts) I rely on Amazon to tell me what the most up-to-date books are on the New York Times bestsellers list or the best price for other products.