Amazon, Best Buy and the free rider problem
by Marc Gunther from on (#GGGT)
What happens when a company embraces social responsibility, and a competitor does not?
When my wife's printer recently went on the fritz, she ordered a new one from Amazon, which arrived two days later. I took the broken printer to Best Buy, which offers free and easy recycling of electronics.
Is this a problem for Best Buy, I wondered? Collecting and recycling electronics costs money, and Best Buy's program is open to anyone with electronic waste, from any manufacturer. No purchase necessary.
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