I will start with ours feel free to add any of which you know:
Small Business Saturday offers by De Soto:
http://goo.gl/3fozIk
Includes:
$96 white Skin Cooler Jersey for $30
$500 Black Pearl Wetsuits for $270
Extreme Sleeves for 50% off
TODAY ONLY.
If you do not buy from us that is fine, but please read what I see when I look into my crystal ball. In the not too distant future I see two stores left in the world; Amazon and Alibaba (notice that Target, Walmart, Costco are also gone as those stores are even going to suffer extinction. These two stores will control the inventory from the brands that, at that date, still exist. They may or may not have their own Amazon/Alibaba brick and mortar stores, but they will have their own freight trucks, planes, and drones (bye-bye to UPS, USPS, FedEx, DHL, and all the smaller freight companies), so they will be able to get you your product the same day you order it.
What does this mean to you as a consumer? Well if you figure that Amazon is selling products for so cheap that they cannot turn a profit, eventually they will have to raise their prices on you because they need to be profitable eventually. Right now they are putting a choke hold on all other stores, and on all brands. You will have nowhere else to shop but with them and Alibaba. Stuff is cheap now, it will not be in my crystal ball. They will control the price, the availability of the products you want, and all aspects of the suppliers who make them.
You don't think this is going to happen? It already has started to happen about 5 years ago. NPR reported earlier this week that 50% of you are planning on doing your holiday shopping on Amazon. That number has risen steadily over the years and will continue to.
Never heard of Alibaba? Alibaba is China's — and by some measures, the world's — biggest online commerce company. Its three main sites have hundreds of millions of users, and host millions of merchants and businesses. Alibaba handles more business than any other e-commerce company. They already make Amazon look like a local bodega, they are that big.
Am I being an alarmist and extremist? Well this could happen, but even if it never gets to just the two stores, we have already seen this happen in many towns across the country, and you will soon see here in La Jolla, Bird Rock, North County, State Street Santa Barbara, and Ocean Avenue Carmel (you name it your favorite quaint town) the demise of streets with sidewalks with small local shops restaurants, and corner stores. Those scary strip malls in suburbia with their large anchor stores that typically consist of a grocery store, a drug store, a starbucks, and a handful of chainfood restaurants maybe all that are left, if you are lucky to have that.
What can you do? Shop small and shop local, as much as you can. If you buy from not-so-local and online, make sure you are buying from websites that do not sell to, or on, Amazon. Pay a little more now (it will still be cheaper than it will be later) for your products and support those small shops, stores, restaurants, people, farmer's markets, taco shops, independent coffee houses, and yes, small brands like De Soto Sport.
Emilio De Soto II
Maker of triathlon clothing, T1 Wetsuits, & Saddle Seat Pads and AXS since 1990
emilio@desotosport.com http://www.desotosport.com
Small Business Saturday offers by De Soto:
http://goo.gl/3fozIk
Includes:
$96 white Skin Cooler Jersey for $30
$500 Black Pearl Wetsuits for $270
Extreme Sleeves for 50% off
TODAY ONLY.
If you do not buy from us that is fine, but please read what I see when I look into my crystal ball. In the not too distant future I see two stores left in the world; Amazon and Alibaba (notice that Target, Walmart, Costco are also gone as those stores are even going to suffer extinction. These two stores will control the inventory from the brands that, at that date, still exist. They may or may not have their own Amazon/Alibaba brick and mortar stores, but they will have their own freight trucks, planes, and drones (bye-bye to UPS, USPS, FedEx, DHL, and all the smaller freight companies), so they will be able to get you your product the same day you order it.
What does this mean to you as a consumer? Well if you figure that Amazon is selling products for so cheap that they cannot turn a profit, eventually they will have to raise their prices on you because they need to be profitable eventually. Right now they are putting a choke hold on all other stores, and on all brands. You will have nowhere else to shop but with them and Alibaba. Stuff is cheap now, it will not be in my crystal ball. They will control the price, the availability of the products you want, and all aspects of the suppliers who make them.
You don't think this is going to happen? It already has started to happen about 5 years ago. NPR reported earlier this week that 50% of you are planning on doing your holiday shopping on Amazon. That number has risen steadily over the years and will continue to.
Never heard of Alibaba? Alibaba is China's — and by some measures, the world's — biggest online commerce company. Its three main sites have hundreds of millions of users, and host millions of merchants and businesses. Alibaba handles more business than any other e-commerce company. They already make Amazon look like a local bodega, they are that big.
Am I being an alarmist and extremist? Well this could happen, but even if it never gets to just the two stores, we have already seen this happen in many towns across the country, and you will soon see here in La Jolla, Bird Rock, North County, State Street Santa Barbara, and Ocean Avenue Carmel (you name it your favorite quaint town) the demise of streets with sidewalks with small local shops restaurants, and corner stores. Those scary strip malls in suburbia with their large anchor stores that typically consist of a grocery store, a drug store, a starbucks, and a handful of chainfood restaurants maybe all that are left, if you are lucky to have that.
What can you do? Shop small and shop local, as much as you can. If you buy from not-so-local and online, make sure you are buying from websites that do not sell to, or on, Amazon. Pay a little more now (it will still be cheaper than it will be later) for your products and support those small shops, stores, restaurants, people, farmer's markets, taco shops, independent coffee houses, and yes, small brands like De Soto Sport.
Emilio De Soto II
Maker of triathlon clothing, T1 Wetsuits, & Saddle Seat Pads and AXS since 1990
emilio@desotosport.com http://www.desotosport.com
