Amazing Amazon

I love Amazon. There, I said it. I have a Kindle which is my incessant companion. My Kindle was my introduction to Amazon. My first non-Kindle experience was to buy some shooting accessories. I never expected Amazon to have them. They did and the price was right. The romance began! 

I go to Amazon daily. Sometimes to research something. Frequently, to buy a Kindle book. Sometimes just to browse. Often to purchase. I am never disappointed. I can no longer walk the aisles of brick and mortar stores, but I have a world of choices while sitting at my desk.

Jeff Bezos is a genius. At least I think that he is. He started selling books on line out of his garage and now drives an enormous retailing steamroller giving people exactly what they want. Painlessly. Quickly(2 day shipping). And at great prices. (No this isn't a commercial.) In fact, I fear that in a few years they may be challenging my second favorite on-line shopping source, Peapod.

If you were paying attention, you may have noticed that I said, "at least I think Jeff Bezos is a genius". You see, Amazon makes little or no profit. Everything is plowed back into growth and low pricing. In spite of this, their stock is popular. In 2010 they were about $150 per share. Today, they are around $325. Double in four years. Not bad at all. People seem to have faith that there will be a break out year coming up. I hope so. 

For many reasons, on-line shopping is here to stay. Amazon came into the picture with a business plan styled to be an on-line powerhouse, not an add-on to a brick and mortar store. They brought innovative thinking to the table and continue to innovate. They are today what Sear and Roebuck was sixty years ago. They have become the store for every man. If you live out on the backside of nowhere and you have a computer or a smartphone, you have access to a wealth of merchandise inconceivable in earlier times. This wasn't a commercial, but I guess it did turn out to be a love story.