TERRY JONES
3/22/2017
Things have gone badly for retailers recently. How badly? As their shares plunge and sales tumble, venerable names such as J.C. Penney, Sears, Kmart, Macy's and others have expressed doubt over whether they can even survive. And, yes, the internet is to blame.
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http://www.investors.com/politics/commentary/the-death-of-retailing-as-we-know-it/
TRUE. My nephew is getting into bush-craft and becoming quite a woodsman. I went to several sporting goods stores to try and get him a particular knife as a gift/reward - Just a large lock-back knife, much like my own, a fairly common tool here made by Schrade... And I wasn't being terribly picky - I'd have settled for either the Uncle Henry model or the Old Timer... I went to four different outlets, and the selection was grim - not just for the one I was after, but rather, altogether. I finally found one, but the price was absurd. ABSURD. Found it right away on Amazon, for half the money.
If a feller can't find a lock-back knife of that popularity in this town... there's just something awfully wrong.
Same for hiking boots and backpacks... and even ferro rods, for Pete's sake. Nothing to pick from, and what's here is the crappy stuff or the stupid spendy stuff... the vast middle is no where to be found.
I HATE internet shopping. I really do. It's impersonal... distant... uninspired.
I like that I know the guy behind the counter - That he ain't packing my hind end full of sunshine just to get a sale. He's been there since Hector was a pup, and I trust his judgement. I like to hold the thing I want to buy in my hand, try it on for size, and inspect it's heft and quality before I buy. I like that there's coffee out back, and that the checker out front makes eyes and flirts with me just for fun.
It's nearly gone, and its a damn shame.