Amazon Brick & Mortar Begins

The first ever staffed order pickup and dropoff location opened on February 3 on the campus of Purdue University.

I matriculated at Krannert School of Management at Purdue from 2005-'07 and have fond memories of the campus.

Here is a piece from Purdue.edu (the photographer was in the '08 class at Krannert and is an outstanding individual):

http://www.purdue.edu/newsroom/releases/2015/Q1/amazon-launches-first-ever-staffed-campus-pickup-and-drop-off-location,-free-one-day-pickup-services-at-purdue.html

Here is a snippet from that piece:

"We're excited to open our first-ever staffed pickup location at Purdue, making it more convenient and affordable for students to get everything they need for life on campus," said Paul Ryder, vice president of media and student programs at Amazon. "Whether students are ordering textbooks, laptops or mac and cheese, Amazon and Purdue are now providing a convenient and secure spot for them to pick up their stuff at hours that work with their schedules. We look forward to bringing this experience to more universities soon."
More university locations will be opening soon.

This news is hitting as Radio Shack is filing for bankruptcy and rumors abound of Amazon acquiring a number of those physical locations.  Looks like Amazon is accelerating its move in to physical commerce.  This is a necessary move.  As Walmart becomes more like Amazon, Amazon must become more like Walmart or it will plateau far short of its potential.

Happy Reading,

J.W. Gant