So What, Who Cares (vol 2, issue 93)
Hello! I apologize for the lateness of this morning's newsletter. I'm covering the Microsoft Worldwide Partners Conference this week (where, I note, there are a healthy ratio of male-to-female presenters during the keynotes), so my routines are all upended and this newsletter is going to be very short. ANYWAY. Let's get on with the show ...
*
Walmart to Amazon: "Oh, it's ON." I've covered the rivalry that's in full force between these two retailing giants as: Amazon moves into bricks-and-mortar retail (vol 1, issue 31); Walmart tries to maintain an edge with price-conscious consumers who are increasingly starting their shopping online for price-checking and bargains (vol 1, issue 20); Amazon moves into branded groceries right as Walmart tries to launch an Amazon Prime-like subscriber service (vol 2, issue 55).
The latest volley? In response to today's Amazon Prime holiday-cum-insane-sale-day (vol 2, issue 92), Walmart is rolling out a massive sale this week, with the pointed message that "You shouldn't have to pay $100 to get great deals."
So what? If you want to do some Christmas shopping in July, today is your day. $49 Kindles for everyone on your list! And whatever you can grab at Walmart...
Glibness aside, what's also notable about this is how quickly Walmart was able to respond to Amazon's planned event. Imagine the scale of effort that went into getting this campaign launched quickly. This is going to become the norm in retail if Walmart's gambit pays off with sales.
Who cares? The business ecosystems around both Walmart and Amazon. If they're busy slashing prices and wooing budget-conscious consumers with sales events, those cost savings have to come from somewhere.
The long-term thing to watch here -- and an emerging topic for personal finance writers -- is how online membership services like Amazon Prime benefit shoppers in the long run, and what net effect they'll have on a retailer's bottom line. The numbers on Amazon Prime:
Amazon Prime members surveyed said they spend $538 per year, on average, at Amazon—68% more than the $320 per year that non-Prime respondents said they spend on Amazon. Some 61% of respondents said they’ve spent more money on Amazon after becoming Prime subscribers than before. And Prime subscribers were more likely to have spent more than $200 over the prior 90 days.
may make more retailers think, "Hmmm, time to start linking sales perks to a class of shoppers that's paying for the privilege of spending money with me."
*
Your pop-culture note of the day: I loved the New Yorker's comedy piece "The Spinster Agenda," because it is such a fun little poke at the elliptical dialogue surrounding spinsters and the book Spinster: Making a Life of One's Own by Kate Bolick.
Speaking of which: Briallen Hopper's review of the same for the Los Angeles Review of Books is a joy to read. This should be making the rounds on Facebook, same as "The Spinster Agenda."
However, if you're ready for an intermediate course in spinster lit, I am going to recommend that you read the conservative writer Florence King. Back in 1986, she was waving the banner for spinsters with:
Of all the old maid's blessings, the greatest is carte blanche. Spinsterhood is powerful; once a woman is called "that crazy old maid" she can get away with anything.
And she's embroidered the theme ever since: her essay "Spinsterhood is powerful," in 1990's Reflections in a Jaundiced Eye, is a wonderful, caustic meditation on autonomy and privilege.
I first read Miss King as a college student, and I have always admired the clarity and rigor with which she approaches her subjects, her acerbic voice, and her irreverent humor. She deserves to be mentioned in any conversation about spinsters.
*
Are there typos? Copyediting is the only editing class I did not earn an A in. And I can't change any typos in the archives. I know. It irritates me too.
Suggestions for links gratefully received -- hit me up via Twitter and email.
Feedback is welcome. Again --hit me up via Twitter and email.
Really like this newsletter? TELL A FRIEND TO SUBSCRIBE! Then you can make pointed comments about how some people like receiving expressions of gratitude after they've passed on life-improving tips and oh, look, you have a bit.ly link for your Amazon wishlist right here!