Think Amazon.com (AMZN 0.47%) won't take extreme measures to serve shoppers? Think again. The Wall Street Journal reported the e-tailer has patented a process for shipping products even before shoppers click the "buy" button.
Called "anticipatory shipping," Amazon's computers use signals to determine the odds of there being a need for certain goods in a specific locale and then shipping ahead to meet demand as it spikes. The goal? Cut delivery times and dissuade consumers from visiting physical stores.
In the following video, Fool contributor Tim Beyers says investors should think of it as akin to Google's compulsion to speed the delivery of search results. Nor should anyone be surprised. This, after all, is the same company that wants to experiment with using drones to deliver packages to residential shoppers.
Now it's your turn to weigh in. Do you see Amazon's strategy as useful or creepy? Please watch the video to get Tim's full take and then leave a comment to let us know whether you would buy, sell, or short Amazon at current prices.
