Love affair with Amazon
It makes me feel old to look back on how many years I have been ordering from Amazon.com, and I must admit I have been ordering more and more as time goes by. I used to just order books here and there, since they have those nice less-than-retail prices. Now most of the gifts I buy come from Amazon, since shipping is free and fast. Of course, it’s perilous every time I visit; if the shipment is coming straight to me instead of straight to someone in another state, an item or two just for me usually manages to find its way into the trademark cardboard box.
Most recently, I actually had a $50 giftcard for myself. Surprisingly, instead of buying books, I got a lovely lumbar support cushion and a seat cushion to deck out my chair at work. (And man, am I glad I listened to those positive reviews.) It really is amazing what a wide range of products Amazon sells, and with the number of users I have some faith in the user reviews. So far they haven’t led me astray.
Yesterday I ordered my mom’s birthday presents – an excellent lumbar support cushion and a footrest to make her day at work a little bit more comfortable – and as usual I couldn’t resist adding one or two more little items for myself. I almost added three, but after clicking that “add to cart” button for the new Mistmantle book and seeing the total price update itself automatically, I was smart enough to check the public library to see if they have a copy. Surprisingly, they already had a couple of copies.
That’s another thing I love — the public library, and the way they have intertwined it with the internet. It’s so easy to see what books are available at every location, which is about 20 libraries. If the book (or movie) I want happens to be way across town, all I have to do is reserve it online, and within a few days they drop it off at the library which is oh-so-conveniently located one block away. They even send me a nice little automated email telling me when it has arrived. I don’t usually appreciate automated emails, but these make me feel all warm and fuzzy inside.
As a matter of fact, the last book I read was a brand-spanking-new library edition of Acorna’s Children. It was awfully kind of them to put the books into the computer even before they were covered and tagged. I got to reserve it before it ever hit the shelves.
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