I’ve just spent another good chunk of money on Amazon.com… I’ve come to the conclusion that Amazon is the new online Wal-Mart (minus the child labor): it sells practically everything under the sun at a lower price than you can find anywhere else. On top of that, there are some super useful tools that effectively persuade you to buy even more than you wanted to start with! Things like “Customers who bought this item also bought”, “What Do Customers Ultimately Buy After Viewing This Item?”, and “Subscribe & Save Items” that offer even steeper discounts. 1-Click Checkout and Free Shipping never hurts. And features that used to creep me out like “Recommendations for You” have slowly become an addictive game instead; I’m always curious how the next item I add to my cart will affect my recommendations.

I try repeatedly to shop elsewhere: eBay, craigslist, Target.com, and sometimes even Wal-Mart.com when I get really really desperate…but I somehow always end up at Amazon. It’s inescapable.