Amazon just bought my favorite shoestore...Zappos. Zappos is the only store online or offline that I know of, that gives you a YEAR to return your shoes if you aren't pleased with them. They also pay for the return shipping. I hope Amazon doesn't change anything. Amazon says the shoestore will remain unchanged, and the current employees will be remaining. Zappos is only 10 years old, and the deal is said to be worth around $850 million.

I knew after the first pair of shoes that I bought there, almost 10 years ago, that the company would do well. I've never returned one pair of shoes, of the countless pairs I've purchased there, but I knew I could return them for free if I wasn't happy. I know that the service Zappos offered, made it easier for me and apparently millions more, to purchase online, at a time when buying online was a new experience.

Tony Hsieh, Zappo's CEO, said in a letter to employees, “We realized that Amazon’s resources, technology, and operational experience had the potential to greatly accelerate our growth,” and I guess that's the bottom line. Amazon already has an online shoestore named Endless.com where they offer free overnight shipping. They say they will keep the two companies as separate entities, we'll see. I would like to see Zappos stay as innovative and fresh as when they began, back in 1999. What do you think? Post a comment.

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