There is growing news coverage and online activity about Amazon's price-check app that has been created to lure shoppers into local Main Street businesses to browse, but to "reward" them for shopping online. Below you will see the letter that American Bookseller's Association CEO Oren Teicher wrote to Amazon Founder and CEO Jeff Bezos.
An Open Letter to Amazon :
Dear Jeff Bezos,
We’re not shocked, just disappointed.
Despite your company’s recent pledge to be a better corporate citizen and to obey the law and collect sales tax, you created a price-check app that allows shoppers to browse Main Street stores that do collect sales tax, scan a product, ask for expertise, and walk out empty-handed in order to buy on Amazon. We suppose we should be flattered that an online sales behemoth needs a Main Street retail showroom.
Forgive us if we’re not.
We could call your $5 bounty to app-users a cheesy marketing move and leave it at that. In fact, it is the latest in a series of steps to expand your market at the expense of cities and towns nationwide, stripping them of their unique character and the financial wherewithal to pay for essential needs like schools, fire and police departments, and libraries.
But maybe we've misunderstood.
Even though you've spent millions on lobbyists, fired affiliates in seven states, and threatened to shut warehouses to avoid collecting sales tax, maybe you really mean it now when you say you support a level playing field.
It's up to you to show us.
In the meantime, indie retailers remain the heart of countless communities -- offering discovery, energy, support, and unique experiences. See you on Main Street.
Sincerely,
Oren Teicher, CEO
American Booksellers Association www.bookweb.org
Oren Teicher, CEO
American Booksellers Association www.bookweb.org
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