How do you feel about . . .

[specialmom]

No links needed, right?  I was reading something on line and I was just wondering how people feel about what is happening in retail.  All of our stores (US) are going under, it seems.  And Amazon is growing and growing. I like to shop for some things online but for many things, I like to see them in person, try them on, compare in person.

It's like the end of an era and I don't feel good about it. And yet I know I contribute to it with convenience online shopping.  Are shopping malls doomed?  

[mikesimon]

I shop almost exclusively online except for groceries. For example I like a certain brand of shoes and they're impossible to find locally.

My brand isn't available at Zappos but I have a friend who shops there a lot. She says she has her shoes the next day and that their inventory is huge. She says a brick and motor cannot possibly stock that many styles of shoes in that many sizes. Really - what can't you get at Amazon?

That's the way it is these days.

[Barb135]

Being the shoe fiend I am, I love the fact that Zappos has so many brands/styles of shoes but take away the brick and mortar stores and you've just ruined mine and my best friend's most enjoyed for get-togethers. She still works so we don't get to see each other very often and our best times together are a long lunch catching up on the latest news, followed by shopping at our favorite stores - most of them involving shoes!!!  

Online shopping simply doesn't bring that kind of camaraderie. Considering that our shenanigans almost always end up with other shoppers laughing and having fun with us, our outings, invariably, affect more than just us...  :-)

Since I can't always wear the same size in different brands or styles, trying things on is a must.  Ordering and having to send back what doesn't fit gets to be a real pain, no matter how quickly I receive them. That said, there are a lot of things, not wearables that I do order online unless it's something I need "right now".

[mikesimon]

You wouldn't believe how easy returns are at Zappos. I bought my friend a pair of shoes and she told me they had a mark on them. I called Zappos and the lady said they'd send a new pair. I asked them if they needed a photo showing the defect and she said she didn't and apologized for shipping a defective shoe. I asked about returning the shoes and she told me to keep them. The next day by noon my friend had a new pair of shoes. Really Barb if you haven't tried that store I urge you to give it a shot. And no, I don't have any financial interest in it but their selection and customer service are really top notch. Oh and because I got a defective shoe they gave me VIP status which I really don't know much about but I think it's a good thing. Maybe I just love the VIP thing.

[Proactive]

"For example I like a certain brand of shoes and they're impossible to find locally. " Italian I'm sure.....:^)
Proactive

[brice1967]

Along with the demise of brick and mortar stores, so goes decent customer service as well.  Maybe its just around here, but good grief... try to find someone in a department store that knows anything is hard to do.  Try to find someone friendly is even harder to do.

[specialmom]

And another one bites the dust.  I feel really nostalgic about Toys R Us closing.  That was like a showcase for toys!  Online is just NOT the same!!  

[Barb135]

You're right - no link needed and it's okay to ask the question "off the cuff" like you did...

I keep wondering the same thing.  I'm like you... there are certain things I don't mind ordering online, but when I'm buying clothes, shoes and certain other items, I want to go to the store and touch them, feel the fabric, try them on, take a few steps in the shoes, decide whether or not I like them, then pay and take them home with me.  

Sometimes, I need something "now" and don't have time to wait 2-3 days for it to arrive in the mail only to find that the color isn't what I thought, it's too long, too big across the shoulders or just doesn't look good on me and have to send it back and find something else.

When I look around my area and see all the shopping plazas being built, I can't imagine a day when there won't be stores in which to shop, but then I notice the stock becoming sparse in some of them and I wonder why they build more stores if the ones we have can't buy adequate merchandise.  

I'm old, so I'll probably never see it, but the younger generations seem to want the convenience of having everything delivered to them.  They're the leaders of tomorrow so we'll have to see where they take us.

[orphanedhawk]

I'm not happy with not being able to find things in stores, or there being less brick and mortar stores.
In fact, although I do use Amazon sometimes, I'm trying to use them less and less.
I want to try on clothes and I like to see things and if need be, touch them.
We've ordered items, for example a shredder for compost, which had an obvious design flaw that wasn't obvious until we started using it. The photos don't show all that they should or could.

[desrt]

I bought our last composter through the local feed store (Rainbow). If they don't have it, they'll order it and they keep a lot of locals employed. Nice to have someone else load my feed sacks, as well. I'd rather shop brick and mortar, but if Wal-Mart or Home Depot wants to deliver a generator or log splitter to my front door, it's hard to justify the gasoline or wear and tear on my back to go fetch it myself.