According to Dow Jones and CNBC, Amazon is making the leap into brick-and-mortar with plans to open its first standalone store in Manhattan this holiday season. The store will be a pop-up shop at 7 West 34th Street, conveniently located right by the Empire State Building.
The store, which is more like a warehouse, will offer same-day delivery in New York City. We’re assuming the company placed the pop-up in Midtown in order to attract tourists, so it’s strange that delivery would be limited to New York City. Hopefully, out-of-towners will come to the store armed with the address of their hotels — and extra space in their suitcases if they want to pick anything up.
Although it’s a great way to garner press and attention, it is a little odd that Amazon would choose this route. Amazon has put many brick-and-mortar locations out of business thanks to its convenient shop-from-home and delivery model, so opening its own standalone is an interesting move.
Amazon says that if this experimental shop is successful, it may open stores in other cities.
[via CNBC]
