This is getting *really* off-topic, but what the heck...
On Wed, 26 Jun 2002, at 8:39am, Ben Boulanger wrote: >> Being able to physically go somewhere, see a manager, and tie him or her up >> with your problem until it is solved is worlds better than a phone call. > > So then web vendors need to start recognizing this. How do they compete > there? I am not sure they do. One of the most expensive things a business has (in this country, anyway) is people. Aside from their salary, you have health-care, insurance, HR overhead, space for them to work, equipment to enable their job, power for all that, and so on. People aren't machines; they need breaks, they are not constantly busy, and so on. The benefit of people, of course, is that they are so much more flexible than machines. But one of the major selling points of a web-only operation like Amazon is that they eliminate all that overhead. Putting it back in would negate that benefit. There is, of course, the "other" web business model -- the hybrid model, where a brick & mortar outfit (e.g., BestBuy, Barns and Nobel) uses a web site to offer additional selections, easier searches, off-hours browsing, etc. You can elect to use direct-to-customer shipping, or pick-up/drop-off at the local office. There usually is no regular web discount in such situations, though. ObLinux: Amazon uses Linux. ;-) -- Ben Scott <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> | The opinions expressed in this message are those of the author and do not | | necessarily represent the views or policy of any other person, entity or | | organization. All information is provided without warranty of any kind. | ***************************************************************** To unsubscribe from this list, send mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with the text 'unsubscribe gnhlug' in the message body. *****************************************************************
