I loathe Amazon for its treatment of staff and for its behaviour on tax, however I use it a lot and am a Prime member. The main reason I shop there is that their refund and return policies are second to none and I never have arguments with miserly people in shops about returning things either because they don't do what I need them to do, don't work or don't fit. I don't return much, but when I do it is stunningly easy.
As an example I bought an expensive Logitech keyboard and mouse set (£129) almost two years ago from PC World. The keyboard now has a problem with several keys not working. I do not have the receipt because if I kept the receipt for every retail transaction I have made in the past 2 years I would be knee deep in paperwork in the house. I now have the unenviable task of getting PC World to honour a 2 year warranty which they probably won't do without proof of purchase. Actually I have just purchased a replacement keyboard - this time from Amazon!
By contrast I bought a small dehumidifier from Amazon earlier this year for use in a damp wardrobe. It has just failed. I logged on to Amazon chat, they sent me a return code for use at my local post office and the refund is probably already in my account!
Also for years I have struggled to get footwear to fit my size 12 feet on the high street. I needed slippers, ordered 2 pairs from Amazon, returned the pair that didn't fit as well and never had to trawl around the high street trying to find shoes to fit at a succession of small shoe shops.
The only local stores I still make an effort to support are HMV and local record stores, Hi-fi shops, WH Smith/Waterstones/bookshops, plus John Lewis whose customer service has always been second to none. Frankly most other shops have made the high street shopping experience an absolute misery over the years with lousy customer service, poor stock levels, inflated prices and a bad attitude if you want to return anything while fawning over you when you're buying (especially clothes shops!
The world has changed and Prime membership in particular has spoiled me. I have ordered stuff at 7pm in the evening and it's been delivered at 10.30am the following morning and I live in the wilds of Sussex. That is a very compelling service offering indeed.
Birdseed