This week, Target announced it would stop selling Amazon's Kindle devices, which include the Kindle e-reader, the Kindle Fire tablet computer, and all the Kindle's accompanying accessories. Target said it was dropping the Kindle over a cryptic "conflict of interest," but the big-box retailer will continue to carry Barnes & Noble's Nook e-reader and Apple's iPad. The seemingly aggressive move has fueled speculation that Target is targeting Amazon, which has emerged as an existential threat to physical retailers. Is Target at war with Amazon?
Yes. Amazon has been stealing Target's customers: Amazon has been actively encouraging customers to comparison-shop at brick-and-mortar stores like Target, then buy the same products at a discount online, says Brad Tuttle at Time. The practice, known as showrooming, is wounding big-box retailers. Last holiday season, Amazon was even "offering special discounts to shoppers" at Target and elsewhere "who used Amazon's Price Check app for showrooming purposes." Target's message to Amazon is simple: "You undercut our prices and try to steal our customers, and we're not going to sell your products."
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