The online giant offered a one-day discount to people who use a smartphone “price check” app to let them know what brick-and-mortar stores are selling, and for how much
Are you a store owner, paranoid that Amazon is sending people to spy on and destroy you? It might not be paranoia. During the Christmas sales season, the online giant offered a one-day discount to people who use a smartphone “price check” app to let them know what brick-and-mortar stores are selling, and for how much. “With every in-store price you share,” Amazon’s U.S. website chirped, “you help ensure our prices remain competitive for our customers.” It also encourages people to go into a store, use their phone to get the bar code information, and then buy the same product for less online. And as a bonus, it could help Amazon cut down on its workforce. “We scour online and in-store advertisements from other retailers, every day, year-round,” Sam Hall, director of Amazon Mobile, told All Things Digital. Why pay people to do that, when you can give them a $5 discount and have them do it for you?