Amazon's online dominance may actually spark joy for brick-and-mortar

March 04, 2019 / 12:04 am

caption: Customer Kirsty Carey, left, gets ready to swipe her credit card for clerk Marissa Pacchiarotti, as she makes one of the first purchases at the opening day for Amazon Books, the first brick-and-mortar retail store for online retail giant Amazon, Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2015, in Seattle.

Many people say Amazon online retail killed the bookstore. So it was a bit of a head scratcher when the company turned around two decades later and built their own brick-and-mortar book store.

But it's Amazon, so you know there's more technology, data and tracking in their shop then the one around the corner.

Are you ready for a future where you browse for knick knacks while cameras watch and analyze your every move? Well, it may already be here.

In this episode of Prime(d), we look at how Amazon got back into the in-person game and how that's sparking changes for other storefronts.

Listen to the podcast by clicking the play button above or wherever you get your podcasts.

Our theme song is "Ripples on an Evaporated Lake" by Raymond Scott. You also heard "Heartline" by Pezzner, a Seattle artist.

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Joshua McNichols
Growth and Development Reporter

As KUOW's Growth and Development reporter and co-host of KUOW's Booming podcast, Joshua's "growing pains" beat sits at the nexus of housing, transportation, urban planning, government and the economy. His favorite stories also include themes of history, technology, and climate change.
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