Amazon is no longer a retail company (AMZN, WMT)

Amazon Amazonis practically synonymous with online retail. A growing majority of Americans start their online shopping searches at Amazon.com. It recently made a big expansion into the brick-and-mortar world with the purchase of Whole Foods Market. But comparing Amazon's business toWal-Mart Storesor other big retailers doesn't do it justice. In fact, it completely misses the mark on what kind of business Amazon is. Understanding Amazon's business is important for investors in order to evaluate i...