“You’re probably one of those people that complain about stores going out of business,” a friend said to me during a discussion about something I had ordered online. I do enjoy shopping online but I’m certainly not opposed to shopping at a brick and mortar store. In fact, many times I prefer it. Unfortunately, the fact is brick and mortar stores are killing themselves. I ran into four different scenarios just over the weekend that prove it.
Item Online Only
I need something to hold down the tents I’m using for an outdoor party. A well known big box home improvement store has exactly what I need, but it’s an online only item and it’ll take over a week to get here. Amazon prime will have it on my doorstep in less than 2 days.
Item Not In-Store
My wife creates a candy bar each year for our Memorial Weekend party, but this year we’re having trouble finding bulk packages of candy. We normally can find them at several different retailers, but it seems they have all converted their candy sections to bulk packages of fun-size items. Amazon sells everything we were looking for.
Bad Shopping Experience
I was interested in buying an item at an electronics store, but needed an employee to get it down from the high up storage area. While one employee retrieved the item, another quizzed me on what I was going to use it for. We don’t know each other. He’s never coming to my house. The conversation had no point at all. I just want my item so I can leave. Had I ordered online from the comfort of my own home, I wouldn’t have had to waste the energy on an unnecessary conversation with someone I’ll never see again in my life.
Unnecessary Help
I pulled into a register clearly marked as self checkout for a reason. I’m faster, and I can bag things such that they are more convenient for me once I get home. However, an employee came over stating that particular station was not self-checkout and she would assist me. I stared at the sign saying, “Self Checkout” through the entire agonizing process. Ordering online is a series of mouse clicks. No unwanted help.
Brick and mortar stores that have been in business for decades are closing at an alarming rate. Much of the blame is put on online shopping, but in my opinion physical stores are killing themselves. Only those retailers that take a good, hard look at why people would rather shop online, and adapt will survive.
What do you think EOD Nation, what do you like better about online shopping over going to a physical brick and mortar store location?
I agree completely with this. Retail shopping is pure misery. I blame at least in part the fact that these companies are all organized and run by the same types of people, as publicly traded companies, with no one at the helm who actually has done anything productive or interactive with actual customers.
– The drive for endless product variety eliminates actual options at the store. A couple of years ago I got a new iron. When I had previously purchased one at a national retailer, there must have been 6-8 different options. Now they had 2-3, none of which fit my needs. So, I used Amazon.
– Paying people minimum wage means employees with zero product knowledge or interest in the store or its customers. It seems like there is a global oversupply of 17 year olds since they are exclusively used to staff every retail environment I am in.
– With the population exploding everywhere, traffic gridlock is worse than ever and pure misery. Cross-town trips can add an hour or two to the shopping experience above ordering online or any other issue with the in-store experience.
– Stores are organized in some of the dumbest, most nonsensical ways. If you don’t know where something is, good luck finding it based on store layout or design. And good luck tracking down any employee working. It’s amazing shoplifting isn’t worse in this country.
– Endless checkout lines / lack of self-checkout. If you are a single person who picks up a handful of items while shopping, simply getting out of the store after finding the item can take 5-10x longer than it did just to pick up the item. Who wouldn’t shop on Amazon?