Are brick and mortar stores going the way of the buggy whip?

Question

Wal-Mart Stores offeres "free" pickup at local stores for customers who make purchases
online. Is this an attempt to fight Amazon, which doesn't
charge sales tax in most states and offers free shipping to customers
who pay a $79 annual fee?
Bed Bath & Beyond has had an online store since 2000.
Lowe's & Home Depot don't appear to be benefiting
much from the online shift. Online sales of portable power tools have
increased, while Amazon's share of online sales in the category
rose.
Most department stores sell online, some offer free shipping and returns.
But, Pier 1 Imports,
stopped selling merchandise online in
2007. The company probably hasn't suffered much from online competition
because it sources many items from Asia directly.

People buy online, where they can
sometimes get things cheaper. Some store owners say
customers come in once to check out a product, then buy it via the
Internet.



But will shops continue to close?



If people want to continue to have little businesses where they can
walk in and get help and get personal attention, must they support
these businesses? A shop is like a very old
fashioned idea, it's a real community and it's a real, real person kind
of a thing.

Answer 1

Consumers dictate the future. They prefer low-price, comparison shopping from the comfort of their pajamas.

Answer 2

If a small shop is to make it today they need to specialize in something other than what you can readily get at a wal-mart, or a target, or even the internet.. They just can't compete with the big stores.

Answer 3

Online shopping is not all it's cracked up to be...shop from home for clothing and shoes? tried that...risky at best. These things should be purchased in an actual store. For a few bucks more, I can try it on, and get exactly what I want, on the spot, and go home happy with prize in hand.

Answer 4

I hope not...after all, going shopping is at least some exercise walking up and down the aisles....

Answer 5

Progress is beautiful if it is functional as well as economical, not if it is progress for progress's sake only!

Answer 6

Yes our online stores are taking the place of hugs box stores which has merchandise displayed on shelves. Malls are almost a thing of the past. It is convenient not having to deal with the crowds! Then after dealing with the crowds only to find that they did not have the item in your size!

Answer 7

Considering the fact that the majority of my purchases for clothing and personal and household items have been online in the past several months, some of them may very well be on their way out. Shipping costs for a lot of items is also going way down.

Answer 8

It depends for me on what I'm going to purchase that will determine weather I purchase it online or at a store. I will admit that 80% of my shopping is done online. With the exceptions of clothing, shoes, and food. I have found I get better deals online and much wider selections than I would find locally. All of my electronics purchases have been made exclusively online for at least the last 8 years or so.

Answer 9

Most specialty stores Already have an online presence which makes much more money for the company than the store front!

Answer 10

I like the fact that I can shop internationally for items to fill out my collection. It's often the only way to find obscure, original propaganda material from 1933-45 in the German language (Sorry, no Kindle fer this guy!), and militaria. Also, ethnic clothing is much easier to find online, but not so much for groceries, ********, etc. I love online buying for specific areas that are not accessible locally, but I try to buy everyday items in person. This opens up a new question about GPS and shopping! ;-)

Answer 11

True, you can buy anything off the internet anymore.....

Answer 12

I like the vast selection in online stores. For instance, I just bought my son a pair of Adidas Predator soccer cleats at soccer.com because no store within 200 miles of my house has a wide variety of upper tier soccer cleats. I would have much preferred to buy locally. However, they had a deep discount and free shipping, plus would a local store have carried them even if people couldn't buy online? I sincerely don't think they would have, but that's speculation.

Answer 13

Free shipping ia not offered all the time and the taxes depend on the state which is why people will go to the stores. Businesses would be foolish to permanently abolish stores

Answer 14

OUR SMALL NEIGHBORHOOD BUSINESSES WERE FORCED OUT BY WALMART, THE MALL, AND 2 LARGE SUPERMARKETS......AND NOW ON-LINE SHOPPING. MISS THE FRIENDLY, INDIVIDUALIZED SERVICES THAT CAME WITH VERY ACCOMMODATING MERCHANTS.

Answer 15

Mostly I think that the shear volume of items, and the mass of some of them, prevent any B&M; store from maintaining stock. internet sales are a great and easy way around that limitation.

Answer 16

Doubtful.

Answer 17

Depends on if you're the consumer or the business. There's too many variables that affect progress; buyers market; supply/demand, etc...

Narrowing this down to stores vs internet shopping? I'd say progression is better for the consumer who doesn't want to leave to shop but like the article, not necessarily good for business owners locally.

Answer 18

It's too bad. When you go into a store, including Walmart, they just don't have the inventory. Your forced to go on-line. The up side is you don't have to look at the blank stares of employees. The downside is you have to already made a decision on what you want to buy, as you can't look at the product. Also, shipping is going to be a killer for cost.

Answer 19

For my business, we were pushing online back in the mid 90's. It was the understanding back then that the brick and mortar were going the way of the dinosaur...

15 years later.....

*

Answer 20

Not really due to: A) It depends on how quickly you need the item. If you need it today instead of tommorow than a Brick and Mortar is a plus. B) Some items are either **** to find online or it is more reliable to buy it in person. Best examples of this are clothing and groceries. C) Brick and Mortar stores still have certain advantages like being able to see the item, try it on, and customer service. If you need help online, Good luck! D) Not everyone has a computer and not everyone with a computer has the internet. E) If unfamiliar with a store/company, having a brick and mortar store is an advantage. F) There will always be people who prefer the shopping experience of a brick and mortar store over a ''virtual'' shopping experience. There is a reason why Catalog didn't kill brick and mortar stores long ago before the Internet even was born. G) Sometimes the brick and mortar store is cheaper, especially if you add in shipping and handling costs in and your state also charges sales tax on Internet goods.

Answer 21

I hope not!!!

Answer 22

(cont.) So in conclusion, it is more likely that online stores will cause general stores, department stores, and thrift/consignment stores to be on the rise. Most technology is in vogue for a certain amount of time before it loses its status. Online music sales is an example of this. Online music sales have begun to plateau and in 2009 vinyl record sales reach thier highest sales total since 1985. So brick and mortar stores are here to stay in some or another.

Answer 23

Maybe im old fashion but it can be part of a persons exercise nto to mention trying things on and making sure then and there if its the right thing. Not buy online and hope its the right thing/get it only to find out its not and then start over. What a waste of time. That way you could possibly waste weeks. All that truly had to be done is make the trip and boom there ya have it.

Answer 24

I don't think so. There are still a lot of people that like the personal touch of going into a store. And also when they go into a store they don't have to wait for the order to be delivered in a week or two. Then to find out if it's cloths it doesn't fit or the color is different than online. and *** forbid that you order anything that need *********. All the 100's different looking attachments. On a lot of things I've found if you have to pay S@H it costs more than in the store. To many drawbacks for it to take over sales.

Answer 25

Sears has been doing this for decades.

Answer 26

not everybody has a computer.....

Answer 27

its looking that way, but I don't think they will all disappear. I do love shopping online, but sometimes I just like to get out of the house and have what I want now.

Answer 28

I hate online shopping. I like to have whatever I've just bought in my hands when I leave a store.

Answer 29

Its becoming like the old west. The fastest draw gunfighter is always challenged by another and yet another until the first one is dead and gone. Like accounting principal. fifo. first in first out.

Answer 30

I do wonder what people are going to do when the electricity goes out? Natual disasters disrupt communication or hasn't anybody thought about this in their run towards progress. Putting all of one's eggs in one basket has never been the wise thing to do.

Answer 31

I'm not undecided, but there was no option to express "I think..." Both on-line and brick-and-mortar shopping offer their own unique advantages, so I don't think online shopping will take over. I personally shop online for my clothes, only because I am a plus size, and there's very little selection in stores. However, if i were a regular size, I would much rather shop in the store, see the quality, try on, and walk out with my selection. When it comes to electronics and appliances, nothing can beat the internet for comparison shopping specifications; sometimes I wind up buying online and sometimes in store. I've purchased furniture online and instore--a table and chairs online, but I'd never buy something like a sofa without sitting on it and talking with a salesperson about fabric. Selection in chain stores can be random, wherein you can usually find stock online. So it entirely depends on the type of purchase and the buyer. But I don't think stores are going anywhere soon,

Answer 32

I sure hope not. That's how I get my exercise.

Answer 33

It's a mixture of both...stores were predicted to disappear when Catalogs became popular in 1900's...stores changed...they evolved ...indivudual stores were declared obsolete when Shopping Malls were built...perhaps with the explosion in internet purchasing it will bring back the small General store...a small inventory on hand with a direct link to suppliers and expeditied deliverfy...maybe the Ebay trading post will be perfected so small consignmnet stores will become poipular or more likely a conbination of both

Answer 34

Yes, at least the small mom and pop stores are fading fast.

Answer 35

Face it, the bottom line is money and convenience.
We've largely lost a sense of community decades ago. Most people don't work 9 to 5 jobs anymore or partake community service organizations.
People rather do things remotely, and if there is shipping pay for it, to be able do things at their leisure.

"Some store owners say customers come in once to check out a product, then buy it via the
Internet." Probably true but it was equally true that in the past people would go to a place with personal selling to find out about a product and buy it cheaper at a store that didn't do much more than take orders.

Answer 36

Things are not always as they appear online. So you can return it, big whoop, it's a pain in the ---. And sizes are often not dependable so the only clothes I want to get online are maybe T-shirts. I enjoy getting out to the stores. If nothing else, the people watching is very entertaining.

Answer 37

So long as there are people who insist on seeing what it is they are purchasing before commiting to buying, there will be brick and mortar stores.

Especially when it comes to clothing! I am anything but a jeans and t-shirt kind of guy, but depending on whose making the clothes depends on what size I need.

I have no desire to purchase clothes on-line, then pay to ship them back when they do not fit, etc. etc. I do order some things on line, but only when I have already had the chance to get aquainted with both the product and manufacturer personally first.

I can only imagine how quickly those who are fashion minded will tire of waiting weeks to get the right size, going through the hassle of returning clothing via mail, dealing with UPS delivery guys on crack, delivering to the wrong houses, etc. (Just kidding about the crack).

Answer 38

From experience: had a sports store, in a relatively short time internet sales far exceeded over the counter sales by a significant margin, once established on the internet, packed up the shop, locked the door, and walked away !