Last week I finally gave in and made that "impulse purchase" that was 12 months in the making.

I bought Wii Play (with the WiiMote), new and in a sealed box on Amazon for $37.  What a deal.  No retail store could possibly match that price.  And I was on Amazon anyway, making a necessary purchase... and the deal looked to good to pass up.  Let's face it, I gave in.

While tracking the package I noted the shipping location, California.  I'm in NYC.  What a waste.

There must be hundreds of perfectly usable units within blocks of my office.  But these units were not available on Amazon at this price point.

Amazon is amazing when it comes to enabling long tail markets and offering best value fulfillment to customers.  But with the rising cost of transportation and general social awareness around "buying local", wouldn't it make sense for Amazon to offer a green option?  Shouldn't I have been given the option of choosing a retailer in my state, or even within a hundred mile radius?

Sure, I may not pay an extra 40 percent to buy local, but I would pay an additional dollar or two to avoid unnecessary waste!

Just two weeks ago I received a package shipped from New Jersey to NYC via the Midwest.  One would hope that today's massive digital database management systems would have prevented this waste. 

But then again, I could also be taking a walk in the park instead of playing the Wii.

photo credit: here