I agree that Amazon has barely ever been profitable, it had 2Q 2017 revenue of $38 billion (!), and razor-thin profit of of just $197 million. Somehow, with such thin margins, they seem to remain the darling of so many (including investors). Had an interesting discussion with a friend who works at Walmart today (where I *almost* never shop) - I still prefer to touch the items I'm buying, try on the clothes I'm shopping for, etc. Books from Amazon, sure. But I use the price match guarantee for buying at Best Buy, Staples, etc.