I was driving through my little town on Friday and saw a big yellow banner across my Blockbuster: “STORE CLOSING.” It made me sad, and I hardly ever go there (which, now that I think of it, is probably why they’re closing). The thing is, I’m not a huge fan of the big chains when it comes to anything. I’d prefer to browse the shelves of my local indie bookstore than the Barnes & Noble. But we all know indie stores are struggling, and with the all the big chain bankruptcies over the last few years (think Borders, Circuit City, Tower Records, Hollywood Video) it makes me wonder what retail is going to look like in a few years.
In this electronic age, streams of data (think books, music, movies) are available instantly from the convenience of your living room for a few strokes of your keyboard and a mouse click. I can sit here in my footie pajamas and buy almost anything else that the UPS man can deliver in the same manner, as long as I don’t mind waiting a few days for it. So, why would I drag myself to the store, which would entail actually getting dressed? And, speaking of getting dressed…personally, I don’t like to order clothing on-line because I need to try things on, but I know plenty of people who do. I’m starting to think the only thing safe from the ravages of the internet might be perishables. I can order my groceries on-line, but they still come from the local grocer.
If the internet kills retail it's because we let it happen. Instead of running to the hardware store, we ordered that new circular saw on-line. Once the stores are gone, will we realize the true convenience was being able to run down the street for that little thing we need right now? Will we be sorry?
