Amazon is purchasing Whole Foods.

Amazon is buying Whole Foods for $13.7 billion

It continues to amaze me (shouldn't at this point I guess) how far Amazon has permeated the market in..........everything. I was a fairly early adapter, I have orders on my account stretching back to early 1999. At first I bought mostly books, with a few electronics scattered in. Over time, as their offerings expanded, their shipping times shortened, and shipping costs were reduced, I purchased more and more from Amazon.

At this point though, I'm almost worried about how huge a place in the market they take up, and how massive their presence will be in the future. Not that they are a nefarious corporation or anything, I just see them turning into a bigger version of Walmart, invading all markets, pushing out local and small business, then being dominant in the marketplace.

While the value of my Amazon stock loves the moved they've made the last few years, and I am guilty of being a frequent customer, it is just something I've thought about a lot more lately. This Whole Foods purchase makes me feel even more that way.

Any thoughts?
What do you buy from Amazon?
Are you a frequent customer, occasional, or not at all?
Any fears of one company being a huge supplier in so many markets?

 

Yeah, we buy a massive amount of things from them right now.


Did you know you can pull your entire spend history with Amazon since 2006?


Click on "Your Account" and sign in.
Look at the box "Ordering and Shipping Preferences".
Click on "Download order reports".
You can customize the report however you like.

*goes to generate report*


837 orders since 2006. $31,276.27
Yikes.

 

The best jokes on Twitter about Amazon buying Whole Foods

 

I'd buy all of my drugstore-type items (that I can't get from Costco) from Amazon if I could. Subscribe and save is my favorite.

And I've only spent $6579.61. Not bad! I was afraid it would be more

 

When your order got messed up, did you address it with their customer service?

I've had a few experiences where things were late, damaged, or otherwise less than satisfactory. Every time that I've complained their CS has went over the top to make it right. I think I posted once about my Pantry order ($150-200 in food) being late by one business day, so they gave it to me for free. Another time a record's sleeve was damaged, so they ended up giving it to me free.

Though I'm starting to be sceptical of their market intrusions, their service has always been incredible for me.

 

I find this combination especially odd.
1) I was shocked that Whole Foods had much appeal, and grew enough in my lifetime to be a national chain.
2) It seems that a lot of people who shop exclusively at whole foods are not huge fans of amazon. Perhaps this is a wrong assumption based on my small sample size.
3) I'm curious what this will mean for Amazon's Pantry options.
4) There was a small piece in the Investor's Business Daily this weekend that highlighted the similarities and differences between Walmart and Amazon, and how they are both expanding in ways that make them increasingly similar.

 

For the last couple of years I've kind of viewed Amazon as the cooler online cousin of Walmart, with long term plans to basically be the Walmart of online commerce before Walmart realizes online commerce will some day be more important than brick and mortar commerce.

 

For those not afraid of Amazon taking over the world, and who haven't gotten an Echo yet, a refurbished one is on sale today.


View: https://www.amazon.com/Amazon-SK705DI-Certified-Refurbished-Echo/dp/B00Y3QOH5G/ref=gbps_rlm_s-3_1712_d3f62320?smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_p=d3152026-148f-4b24-a686-6518d33b1712&pf_rd_s=slot-3&pf_rd_t=701&pf_rd_i=gb_main&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_r=785BM30X6AYDXCTW6HR7


$165 list price, usually on "sale" for $135, down to $89.