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.