Postage and Packing
Ebay and amazon are incredibly annoying to use when it comes to postage and packing. Every customer should only care about the total price they pay, but both amazon and ebay make this value less obvious than the price before shipping. This is especially stupid on ebay, where I've seen a £1 item with £40 shipping.
Other on-line sites have problems too - complex, and maybe stupid, postage costs. On a few occasions, I've been just about to pay for something when it says "Spend just £1, and get free shipping". On most occasions, the net result is I don't buy their item. Why? Various reasons :
- Looking for the additional items distracts me, and I just don't go back to the check-out
- I look for another item that I want to buy, but the combination of the two items is cheaper from a different seller.
- While looking for the additional item, I change my mind, and buy something else - from the lowest seller, which is often somebody else.
Yes, I realise that different people shop differently, but if there were a shop that offered cheap prices, and no hidden costs, that would be my first point of call.
2024 Update
I used to shop at Tesco. When they introduced their loyalty card, I stopped shopping there. Aldi, is by far my preferred supermarket. Cheap. No loyalty card. No buy one get one half price BS. Cheap (it is worth mentioning that twice. It is cheaper, even when other supermarkets have so called special offers).
I have a Tesco at the end of my road (100m away). I never use it, I cycle to Aldi instead).
I was pissed off at my council, who rejected Aldi's planning permission to open a new store (which had laid empty for years). Their reason being : Aldi already had a (small) shop in the same area. Meanwhile, Tesco has two giant stores, and lots of small stores. The reason given makes no sense at all. I suspect the real reason was related to Tesco being British, whereas Aldi is German.
Since then, another store opened across the road from Tesco. I was really hoping it was an Aldi or Lidl, but alas, its a Co-op. Really expensive.
When the British stores all suck, let's encourage the foreigners in! I nearly said all British stores except Asda suck, but then I remembered that Asda is now American (taken over by Walmart).