No need to wonder why retail stores are failing
 

My kid just dragged me to Staples; Needs something she has to have right now. I figure I'll go because I need printer ink. Much to my surprise, the printer ink I need is $39. For a little bit more I can buy a brand new printer with ink. I go to Amazon and the same ink is $17.

I should add in Staples was next to Toys R Us, which was completely empty at 7PM.

It's sad how the printer industry has turned into such a scam. I've been through so many fucking printers and I hardly ever print anything. The latest is a Kodak Hero printer that expires your ink cartridge after a certain period of time even though it's perfectly fine to use. I packed it but still the printer industry and the ink industry such a fucking rip-off fuck all those fucking assholes!

Many years ago I worked for Tektronix in their printer division. The area I worked in made printers that used solid ink. The printers sold for $1500 and at that price the company was selling them at a loss. However, they sold the ink for about $100 per color and it needed 4 colors so it was about $400 for three sticks of ink. Their cost on that $400 ink was less than $5. Pretty crazy margins.

That reminds me I have to buy a new dog lead online.

That's something I can relate to, sitting on a HP officejet pro 8600 plus now and I seem to get shocked every time the printer tells me an ink is depleted. I'd be cool if only the ink lasted as long as it's supposed to last, they don't far from. If you don't print much, just saying it could be that ink has clogged up from being idle for too long. For me following has worked a few times, pull out the cartridge and shake it softly, you'll notice if there's still ink inside and clean headers, put it back and reboot printer. Printer might not see the cartridge as depleted any longer which means something was indeed clogged. But yea overall speaking printer industry is a scam. I've also had problems with multiple printer brands in the past. HP software are also quite intrusive in the way it communicates with the consumer. All-in-all I dislike shopping for a new printer, cause I keep getting disappointed every time.

We now have refiill stations in Costco for the ink. But if its too old the sponge wont take the ink the right way and it wont work.

Its about half the price.

I print to PDF files usually.
Most documents can be digitalized and archived now.
WTF is a file cabinet now?

Notarized documents just go in my fireproof safe.

Really you can make a *.html and convert it into a .pdf or scan and archive any image -- don't really even need a printer now :2 cents:

My shopping lists are a note pad app on my smartphone.

Office paper is a fire hazard ...

Therefore I switched to a laser printer with scanner many years ago, now I have to buy a cartridge only every few years.. but I don't need to print photos or colors so it is not the best solution for everyone..

I have always been loyal to Epson printers but as others have said the ink costs are extortionate.

They started realizing this a few years ago due to China's black market inks which are half price or less, but will fuck up your printer if you get a bad supplier or bad batch of ink. Now Epson at least are moving in the right direction with the Eco Tank models. They still have a long way to go as the print quality is not that good, but after paying $750 for the EcoTank ET-14000 inkjet printer (UK model A3, printer, USB, refillable ink tank system) the ink will cost you just a few $ per color.

Hopefully they will improve the print quality and make this the way to go in the future !

It's like this with everything. I wasn't able to catch Wonder Women in the movies (Because I was busy seeing everything else this summer). Target had it on sale for $24.99. I found it on Ebay for $5.99.

Last year I broke the handle on my clothes dryer. I researched the part and... Much my surprise I could buy it on Amazon.

The internet e-commerce has changed retail forever.

Walmart is joining the trend to remain competitive -- others will follow.

The most valuable thing in peoples lives today is time -- many routine items can be bought in advance -- real time marketing can be limited.

The auto parts store, grocery store, hardware store or outlet and pharmacy will continue to exist to fill immediate needs. However, price for immediate need will be 30% or 50% higher -- you want it on the spot -- you pay the price.

I have a laser printer, if I need color I go to a office supply store and pay tge .05 cents or whatever it is..

I stopped buying ink printers because they always stopped working in a year or so.

I switched over to the generic IKONG ink for my HP Deskjet.. all four cartridges for $20 vs $55 for OEM. Print quality is as good or better:

https://www.amazon.com/IKONG-Updated...ink+cartridges

Regarding retail... most of these big box stores will die slow deaths.. ToysRUS, Staples, Office Depot, etc etc etc.. Amazon has better customer service and can get you most items same or within 2 days at no extra cost.

Was that the company that gave away free color laser printers?

I saw how greedy the printer industry was getting, decided to live without one to punish them

The Staples near me closed down

Staples brand to disappear from UK High Streets - BBC News

This kind of thing is directly from the porn industry but applied to product. Similar to the subscription model of constant monthy payments. Everybody wants that recurring income. You have only yourselves to blame. Get a B/W laser printer and some rose colored glasses.

It's been like this forever. What's next, you're gonna complain about the price of shaving cartridges?

So what happens when she needs something she has to have right now.
And Staples has shutdown?

every time i go out to a store to buy something they either don't have it or i have to go to another location. they aren't trying to get people to not buy online, all it does is re-enforce the idea that if you want something, just buy online. retail is doomed.

I lost track of the number of printers I've chucked in my dumpster over the last few years. They work for a while then inexplicably just stop one day. Don't get me started on ink prices and how long the cartridges last. It's fucking robbery and should be illegal.

I go through a shit load of ink each week and buy from Valuetoner on amazon.

when you buy from a store you are paying overhead and all that other shit. the chinese are making the printers.

Ours too. We have to go over to the next town.

I think they did do that. I worked for them in the early and mid 1990's and at that time they were expanding heavily into the commercial printing world, building printers that cost more than $35,000 and they were winning awards and getting rave reviews so they started moving into lower end stuff as well and I think there were some printers that they gave away but the toner was proprietary and not cheap.

been buying new printer-scanners for years, when they are on sale its cheaper than ink :winkwink: :2 cents:

That is what my brother does. He doesn't print a lot of stuff, but he has a kid in school so she does print homework and things like that. When the printer runs out of ink, he just buys a new printer that is on sale and it is almost always either the same price as new ink or even less.

We still have a staples.

I have years ago bought a Epson Workforce and the ink on eBay. 1ink below 1eur :-) Printer is doing well since years for near to no Money;-) would never again buy the original overpriced ink!!

Unless you really need to print and your ink has run out and you can't wait days for eBay...

I would rather buy a whole new printer then buy refills of ink!

The other option I did for awhile was go to a FedEx office or Staples and print out whatever you need for $3.00. I added it up once and I spent a whopping $14.50 on print jobs for the whole year. LOL

My next printer (if I get one) will be the EcoJet with the gallon of ink they say will not run out for five years. Of course it costs 2-3x as much as a standard printer (of course).

My printer is old but still works flawless but every ink I buy always expires before used as I don't print much at all unless printing photos. They could give ya the damn printer as a lifetime of ass raping on ink follows.