Please sit down before reading the stunning list of new features that Amazon has unveiled this morning for the new Kindle Paperwhite:- (ready)...
- Front-Lit
- Changeable Fonts
- Better Resolution
- Better Battery
Compelling stuff! No happy-ending? No buying of Spanish bonds, and (pseudo) sterilized money printing? No coffee-making attachment? Odd, it seems the news is being sold as AMZN slides from intraday highs...
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What features were you expecting?
Finally, via the LA Times, here is one reason why soon not even Amazon will be able to offset its negative profit margins with volume: California Sales Tax which is coming to a virtual Amazon store near you in 9 days.
With Amazon.com set to begin collecting sales taxes on California purchases Sept. 15, many tech-savvy consumers are cramming in some last-minute tax-free shopping.
Chris Cheng doesn't need 40 hand warmers right now, but the longtime Amazon.com customer is loading up on them anyway.
With the Internet retail giant set to begin collecting sales taxes on California purchases Sept. 15, the San Francisco resident is among many tech-savvy consumers trying to cram in some last-minute tax-free shopping.
Depending on where they live, Californians pay 7.25% to 9.75% in sales taxes, so the savings are substantial — especially on big-ticket items such as electronics. But bargain hunters are also stocking up on inexpensive goods such as food, DVDs and carpet cleaner.
"I've ordered nine things in the last two weeks," said Cheng, 32, whose purchases include a hands-free roaming camera for $199.99, five pounds of protein powder for $53.99 and exercise resistance bands for $26.99. "Any time you can save money, that's a good thing."
He's not the only one looking for a deal.
Abdel Ibrahim, a tech entrepreneur and trader from San Diego, said he would buy a MacBook Air and MacBook Pro with retina display on Amazon before the cutoff, a move that will save him about $270 in sales taxes.
"It makes a huge difference," the 30-year-old said. "If there's anything else I can think of where I can fork up some money and save a couple hundred bucks, I probably will."
Amazon won't say whether sales to California customers have spiked in recent weeks. But judging from comments on social media sites and reportedly increased buying activity in other states before similar sales tax laws went into effect, many shoppers see these final days as an excuse to shop freely
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It remains to be seen how shoppers will respond once the sales tax law kicks in. Many said Amazon's convenience still couldn't be beat. Others said they'd be more inclined to shop at local stores and get their purchases right away.
Self-professed "Amazon junkie" Lauren Anderson, 27, isn't taking any chances. The Burbank resident has been splurging on Amazon purchases in recent weeks, buying a coffee maker, video games, cable connectors and a phone charger. She might also buy a laptop.
"When I first read about the fact that Amazon was going to have to start collecting taxes in September, I seriously thought I was having a bad dream," she said. "My mailman probably thinks I've lost my mind, all these packages coming and coming."
One can only hope Lauren did not use her EBT card to pay for all those purchases...
Read on here. [4]