So much for "it's the thought that counts" element of acknowledging someone and diminishes the specialness of the occasion. And, nice to know bigbrother is watching you.

I have no such devices in my personal environment, I like that I still have a little privacy somewhere.

After seeing such a reminder recently, I left Amazon for Etsy.com, where I searched for a gift for my wife. She was very pleased with the work of the jewelry maker who created the anniversary gift I gave her.

So, you see, I don't have to buy from Amazon just because it reminded me that I have done so in the past for an occasion. It's my choice - always. On the other hand, for that pair of shoes, those would have been the ones I searched for, but didn't have to.

Such websites often suggest things, but you can easily ignore their suggestions. Lots of retailers used to do things like that. If you patronized their store regularly, you could count on being greeted by name when you went in and also count on the long-term staff to know a bit about your preferences, etc. "Hi, George! How can we help you today?" There's no difference, really, between that and Amazon's much more precise memory of your purchases.

The alias has it's own e-mail address, cell phone and number, and on-line accounts at Amazon, Walmart, Lowes, Home Depot, and Target. When paying, I just use non-reloadable or gift cards which I get at nearby Dollar General and Family stores. Merchandise is sent to another place and not my home.

Using an alias is perfectly legal as long as you aren't using it to commit fraud or other crimes.

do anything of that sort, transactions online, I have an alias as you have. I also use prepaid gift credit cards for everything I do with regard to purchases online. If anything costs more than the amounts allowed for gift cards, I wouldn't be buying it online in the first place.

I do not like machines that talk to me and I certainly wouldn't want a monitoring device of any kind in my home. The price for convenience is often unseen until it's time to pay up.

to your IP address which I guess can show your identity due to your account with your ISP?

thanks for the info.

You can also delete the archive of previous pages you've visited. It doesn't prevent them from starting a new archive, but at least they won't keep ghosting you with old ones.

I do find it annoying at times, but it's also (occasionally) helpful. Whenever I see something on Amazon that I really want to remember I save it on my wishlist. Then I'm OK deleting the stuff that Amazon tries to save on me.

Amazon has been a real boon to me. Amazon makes my life easier. Maybe they are too big and powerful but they reliably deliver the goods. Jeff Bezos is a visionary capitalist in the mold of Thomas Edison, Henry Ford, Steve Jobs and Bill Gates.

Don't drive much and can't tolerate the cold or malls. I use Amazon for ordering my splints. Reward points have covered the entire cost of products at times. I can we also get new entertainment and books quickly.

Remembering waiting for the new Sears and Penney's catalogs to arrive each season.

few times in the last years, with no family around, Amazon delivering groceries was a boon for me...not allowed to drive, and no friends/buddy around....I hobbled to the front door, in between pain meds..to get my groceries
I agree about Jeff Bezos...

first. I think a lot of retailers slowly forgot about the customer. Amazon is doing a lot of things for customers that their competitors don't do as well. I think that's why so many people use Amazon. That's why I use Amazon. They have stuff in stock. They deliver quickly and consistently and economically. They have most of the things I want to buy and can't find elsewhere. And, they do all these things better than most any of their competitors for the kinds of things I buy from them. Their competitors need to step up the quality of their service, or people are going to go to Amazon to get their stuff.

for retailers and corporation to increase sales, targeted customers etc..works very well
Salesforce is a billion dollar revenue company..

I often send flowers to my 95-year-old mother, since I can't visit her nearly as often as I'd like. I use Teleflora, because their member florist in her town always does a great job. I recently sent a Christmas arrangement to her. I picked one from the Christmas page, but didn't buy it, because Teleflora reminded me that I had bought that exact same arrangement two years ago.

Now, my mother, who has advanced Alzheimer's wouldn't have remembered that, but I still didn't want to send the same thing, so I looked for another arrangement to send this year.

As I pointed out to someone else in this thread, that kind of personalization is the same as retailers have always used, when they could. In small retail businesses, the most successful were the ones who remembered you when you came in another time. The better their memory, the better they could serve you. It's just automated now.

without going through Teleflora. I don't mind, really. Back in the early 90s, Teleflora did a solid for the shareware software industry. When I was the Chairman of the Board of the Association of Shareware Professionals, my main accomplishment was finding someone who would handle credit card orders for our members. This was pre-internet, and the banks and other credit card processors wouldn't even talk to us about online orders, and stuff like that.

The CEO of Teleflora, though, was interested in the shareware marketing concept. I met with him and convinced him to come up with a way we could handle credit card orders. Before long, there was an MS-DOS program that let us enter the orders, along with the customers CC info, and send them via modem through Teleflora's credit card system. The software emulated a card swipe machine. Once a month, we got a check from Teleflora, with just a modest processing fee.

So, I'm pretty loyal to that company. They understood the concept of small businesses (their local florists) and their needs. They took a chance and gave us a way to accept credit card purchases. It was a major breakthrough for many of our members. I used that processing system for many years, until Intuit offered credit card services to small businesses.

My grandson wants some of those strawberry candies that are in the Hickory Farms boxes, so I looked on Amazon, and Amazon thought I might be interested in a pooping Trump candy dispenser. Amazon is wrong about this, but I still laughed.

but I do find them very helpful when it comes to shopping, much like a good sales clerk in a store, something we rarely encounter anymore. I appreciate the things they do well, though I wish they paid their share of taxes and treated their employees better.

Meanwhile, I do make an effort to shop elsewhere when I can. There are so many excellent small businesses struggling to compete. I'll pay a little bit more if it gives money to a small business.

market their goods there. I found a unique piece of jewelry there for my wife's anniversary. The person who made it was also the seller. I looked at many, many items before choosing it, and she loved it.

Many small businesses are operating with the help of online retailers and websites. Even Amazon has many small businesses who depend on Amazon's search capabilities to offer customers unique products. I order from those as often as I can.

a lot, as their are many small businesses who sell there. Some turn out to be Amazon, but I've learned how to recognize them. I rely a lot on online shopping as I don't get out as much as I used to.

I agree Etsy is a great site, so many unique items to choose from.

I found a charming pair of antique Edwardian cameo earrings for my wife there.

I'll go to Amazon and read the customer reviews. I bought most of my camera equipment, new and used, on Ebay. The service of these sellers has gotten really competitive. They really do try harder. Not wanting to get a bad review, they'll go out of their way to accommodate their customers.

Meanwhile, I buy everyday items mostly on Amazon and occasionally Target.

However, if I'm looking for old stuff or antiques, that's where I go first. I tend to look first at Buy It Now items. I dislike the auction format, and I often find things in the Buy It Now listings that are actually underpriced. If I'm looking for something in particular, I search daily for BIN items until I find one that is selling at a price I like and then buy it instantly.

I almost always go for "buy it now" items. The auctions are often too much like a game and you could end up paying more for something in the heat of the competition. Target's online service has really come a long way. With a their red card, you get free shipping and 5% off, plus you can return items at any store. It took awhile for them to get the hang of it, but for the most part, they are excellent.

Ebay is a great place to shop for books. There are some wonderful used book sellers there.

You’re supposed to WAIT for Christmas for your gifts!

That's my rule. I am an impatient man.

I really need nothing, but you never know...

You might not need it, but they have it waiting for you.

I often don't know two days in advance what country I'll be in. If Amazon does, they're welcome to let me know. It would help me plan my week better.

I must not use them enough.

But you left out the part where they treat their employees like garbage

I know a couple of people who work at an Amazon distribution center. They're not complaining about it. I guess mileage varies.

I'm just an Amazon customer. The company saves me time and money.

and it knows what you've ever shopped for online.

... and has suggested merchandise to use for either.

plus I cant drive and dont get out that often so its very practical as well.

Can Amazon deliver us a President Pelosi? And a ton of coal to Mar A Lago?