Why Comparing Redstag Supplies to Retail Giants is Unfair

As a small e-commerce business, we at Redstag Supplies strive to provide exceptional value and service to our customers. However, it's crucial to understand the stark differences between our operations and those of multi-billion dollar retail giants like Amazon, Walmart, Lowe's, Home Depot, Best Buy, etc. These corporate behemoths operate with vast resources and distinct business models that allow them to offer services and capabilities that we simply cannot match as a small business with thin profit margins.

Unlike major retailers who typically charge high or close to full MSRP prices, we intentionally offer much lower prices on most of our products to attract customers and remain competitive. This approach means we cannot provide the same level of complimentary services as larger companies with higher margins, such as free 2-day delivery, free returns, or free re-shipments and exchanges.

The retail giants can absorb significant losses from customer errors, shipping delays, or other issues because of their massive scale and resources. In contrast, even a single return or refund due to customer mistakes can severely impact our profitability from other orders. While we're always willing to resend or refund orders affected by carrier delays or errors beyond our control, it's simply not feasible for us to shoulder those costs in all scenarios like the retail titans can.

Comparing a small e-commerce store like Redstag Supplies to a behemoth like Amazon, with its approximately $1.3 trillion net worth, is quite absurd. Amazon operates over 175 fulfillment centers nationwide and charges $139 annually for 2-day Prime shipping. They take a 15% cut from every sale on their platform, not to mention additional fees for their Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA) service covering storage and shipping. Their immense scale allows them to maintain significant profit margins that we cannot realistically match. Amazon even directly competes with major shipping carriers like UPS and FedEx, operating a fleet of 95 airplanes.

While we may not be able to provide every premium service and amenity of the corporate giants, we at Redstag Supplies pour our efforts into delivering exceptional value through economical pricing and quality customer service tailored to our small business capabilities. We aim to meet your needs as a customer while operating within the real-world constraints that all small businesses face.