All of these deals improved Amazon’s balance sheet in the short term, but in the long run, they were awkward for all parties. By relying on Amazon, the retailers delayed a necessary education on an important new frontier and ceded the loyalty of their customers to an aggressive upstart. That would be one of many problems for Borders and Circuit City, both of which went bankrupt in the depths of the financial crisis that began in 2008. Bezos never got completely comfortable with these deals or with the idea of outsourcing his prized goal of limitless selection. The Toys “R” Us arrangement in
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