Reid Butler plays his daughter Siena, 2, as they pose for photographs with recent online purchases from Amazon at their home in Walnut Creek, Calif., Thursday, Sept. 13, 2012. Products are flying off the shelves at Amazon warehouses across the county as Californians prepare to start paying sales taxes on online purchases.SACRAMENTO, Calif. – Online retailer Amazon.com has tried to become all things to all consumers, but in California, it is about to take on a role it has fought against for years: tax collector.
The change, which takes effect this weekend, comes after years of bitter back and forth between the world’s largest online mall and the California Legislature over whether Internet retailers should have to charge sales tax. The two sides reached a deal in 2011 that included a one-year grace period set to end Saturday.
The deadline has spurred at least some consumers into impulse-buying mode, making big-ticket purchases and stocking up on essentials before the tax collection kicks in.
“Even the mailroom is laughing at me,” said Derek Daniels, 37, who has had Amazon packages delivered to his Los Angeles office every day this week. He’s loading up on household supplies like trash bags and collecting birthday and Christmas presents for his Superman-loving 2 year-old.
“We are hoping he won’t fall in love with Batman by the time November rolls around,” Daniels said.