Copyright 2000 Denver Publishing Company
DENVER
ROCKY MOUNTAIN NEWS
February 13, 2000, Sunday
SECTION: Local; Ed. Final; Pg. 43A
LENGTH: 313 words
HEADLINE:
E-BROWSERS FRUSTRATE RETAILERS
BYLINE: By Kevin
McCullen, News Staff Writer
BODY:
Every day, Paul
Kitzmiller sees an e-shopper drop into Mike's Camera in Boulder to inspect a
camera.
''They'll come in with a printout of a Web page and ask if you
can match that price,'' said Kitzmiller, a sales associate at the Boulder store.
''They'll tell you how much they can save if they buy it off the Internet.''
Retailers at electronics or computer stores tell similar e-tales these
days, as more and more people buy goods through the Internet. Some local store
owners and employees now regularly encounter customers who come in to make an
in-person inspection of merchandise, then exit the store to buy the item online.
''I have frustration with someone who goes into four or five places,
maybe even takes an item home to try it out, and then brings it back and turns
around and buys it off the Internet to save on sales
taxes,'' said Rich Wobbekind, director of the Business Research
Division at the University of Colorado's Business School. ''You see it going on
more and more all the time.''
There are no estimates on what e-commerce
may cost local businesses. Kitzmiller said he estimates he sees an average of
four customers daily who are intent on buying online.
''It's still not
that bad. A lot of people still want to buy from us because they appreciate our
serv-ice,'' he said.
Wolf's Camera in downtown Denver occasionally sees
an e-buyer who comes into the store for an inspection before going home to make
an online purchase, said Todd Sigaty, a district manager.
''It's not
frequent. Our customer base is concerned with the best service and with the
knowledge of how to use a camera,'' he said.
The service aspect of a
sale is the one advantage local merchants say they still enjoy over e-companies.
And in the case of cameras, some e-buyers can find themselves stuck without a
local outlet if their camera needs repairs.
NOTES:
Mile High Suburbs Page
LOAD-DATE: February 16, 2000 
