Last week, I had a hardware emergency. A kid in a small-town hardware store spent about 15 minutes helping me find the right nut. I had the troublesome part with me, and used a vise on their worktable and their wrench to twist it in place. The nut cost 50 cents.

I asked the kid if he could accept tips; he said no. In front of his manager (or at least an employee who was standing around with an authoritative look), I made a big show out of “accidentally” dropping a few bucks right in front of the kid.

That kind of transaction would have been impossible on Amazon.com.

You are dying of cancer. You have just lost your unborn child. You have to care for your dying father. You are worthless. Amazon would fire you. —The Next Web