Almost every one Most of us in the US and Canada have bought something from Walmart or Amazon in our lives. Not only are these two retailers ubiquitous, but they have forever changed the way things are bought through their experiments with things like free shipping, competitive pricing, fast shipping, membership services, and new brick-and-mortar experiences.
Amazon and Walmart are obviously different in many ways, but the two companies are also surprisingly similar. This is especially evident when you chart their rival’s history, as they race to compete for online shopping wins, or when they compete to acquire the same companies. Journalist and author Jason Del Ray writes about the giants in his new book, The Winner Sells It All: Amazon, Walmart, and the War for Our Walletswhich traces the steps taken by the two companies in their decades-long slugfest.
This week, we spoke with Jason Del Rey about Amazon and Walmart’s technological advances, their strategic acquisitions, and how the pandemic is forcing them to change course.
Show Notes
Jason’s book, Winner Sell All, now out of HarperCollins. Read all our coverage on Amazon and Walmart.
Recommendations
Jason recommends the second season of the The Bear on Hulu. Mike recommends “Life After Roe,” WIRED’s series of stories about the current state of abortion rights. Lauren recommends buying gifts for people throughout the year, keeping them in your home, then delivering them once a year when you see them.
Jason Del Rey can be found on Twitter @Del Rey. Lauren Goode is @LaurenGoode. Michael Calore is @snackfight. Bling is the main hotline at @GadgetLab. The show is produced by Boone Ashworth (@booneashworth). Our theme music is by Solar Keys.
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