In my experience, the retail shopping environment has been on an increasing rate of decline over the past decade+. Post-covid, it seems corporations have figured out how to maximize profit, in part, by reducing labor and tailoring towards online sales.
I grew up in a time when people would complain about salespeople pestering them by simply asking if they needed help with anything. Now, I would love to have someone help me with a purchase.
I recently bought some sneakers in a store and it turned out I probably bought the wrong ones for my needs. A knowledgable salesperson likely would have saved me from wasting my money on the wrong purchase. Most of the supermarkets in my area are self-check out only. These stupid things never work for me so it takes me forever to simply scan a few items. At some stores, items are locked up behind glass so I’m not even able to make a purchase - pushing me to buy from an online retailer instead.
I try to go out of my way to find stores that have humans working there. I try not to buy things online and try to support my local businesses. This is becoming increasingly more difficult and I fear the day will come soon where I’m not able to shop in a physical store.
Especially in this post pandemic world, I crave human interaction. I crave a brief interaction with someone who’s a member of my community.
There’s a small two-location food market I shop at weekly. It’s a fifteen minute walk where I do at least 85% of my shopping. Most of the produce and goods are procured within a hundred miles. There are no self-checkouts. I’ve gotten to know the people who work there. We talk about produce and the neighborhood and the weather. I freaking love that place and legit do not know what I would do without it.
I imagine I’m in the minority. I imagine most people, especially younger people, desire not interacting with others. Some people find it difficult to engage in real life. Some people are fraught with the impact social media addiction has struck upon them - be it the fear of judgement or bigotry or simply not knowing how to interact respectfully with others.
I remember a time when people would say they trust online reviews more than salespeople who get paid on commission. Is this still a prevalent idea? I’ll admit that I typically ignore reviews because reviews have become their own industry. However, there are times I’ve bought a product, found it to be trash, then saw some reviews, buried below the ‘paid’ ones, warning me to stay away.
I feel strongly, I am fearful, that as we shift more and more of our shopping online - easily enabled by [Click To Buy] buttons and mobile wallets - corporate capitalism is gaining ground on mom and pop shops. Never mind the rise of the likes of Temu. Moreover, the Walmartification of everything is diluting our sense of community.
It’s because we only shop online and in warehouses, it’s because we have no choice but to not engage with anyone, it’s because we’re increasing our reliance on 6" in-our-face screens, it’s because we don’t ever need to leave the comfort of our home that our neighborhoods and society are doomed to crumble.
I have a somewhat skewed perspective on this. I get the hate for large corporate stores like Walmart and Amazon, but as someone who can’t drive due to being legally blind, both companies have given me a level of independence I’ve never had before. Before grocery delivery became widespread due to Walmart+, I had to take a cab to and from the store (extra $30 each way plus tips). I remember reaching out to a locally owned grocery store 20 years ago and asked if they would be willing to deliver weekly groceries for a monthly fee. I was told in no uncertain terms to go fuck myself, they literally laughed at me. Times change though, and now I can get everything I want or need for a fraction what it used to cost even with inflation. I can also shop more confidently since I can see the products better and get more info about them online then in a store.
It depends on what you’re buying. For me.it’s not as much about the review its more about the product info.and price. For books or eletronics online is better because you don’t need to see the product as much as you need technical.information.
For Clothes, perfume, fresh food etc I prefer to go to a store since it’s important to see it. Clothes are always a problem when they don’t fit and if I’m goingo to have to return it (if it doesn’t fit) it’s just faster to go to a store.
Sometimes prices are a thing too, it can be a lot cheaper online and unless you’re rich this does make a difference
My online clothes shopping success rate shot up when I took my body measurements. I no longer go by the garment size but instead go by the size chart. It hasn’t failed me yet in over a year of buying clothes online from different retailers.
What’s crazy and very telling is how the clothes I’ve bought have ranged in size from S to L and 6 to 10.
I’ve heard the sentiment that change and convenience are killing society before, and I’m sure I’ll hear it again. I prefer to shop online. I get no sense of community from stores where every interaction has a hanging financial incentive around it, I get it from local organized runs, other frequent visitors of the dog park, etc. To me, that line of reasoning feels almost like lamenting how good the pipes in your house are, because you don’t need to call a plumber and get to interact with them.
Shopping online gives me more options, more reviews, easier ways to look up additional technical details without feeling weird taking space in an aisle while researching on my phone. It’s also more efficient in terms of total driving; one person making deliveries for everyone in a neighborhood requires less total driving than all those people making individual trips to a store. And it frees up more time for me to do things I actually want with the people I enjoy.
I imagine I’m in the minority. I imagine most people, especially younger people, desire not interacting with others. Some people find it difficult to engage in real life. Some people are fraught with the impact social media addiction has struck upon them - be it the fear of judgement or bigotry or simply not knowing how to interact respectfully with others.
Self checkout is just way quicker. No need to look down and essentially think that there is something wrong with people that prefer the quicker and more convenient option.
Also interactions with cashiers are extremely superficial anyways so either I take off my headphones and say a few words about nothing or i can just keep them on listening to good music while I have to shop for some bullshit.
I value time over superficial interactions.
