Yesterday I went to the Apple Store and purchased a new computer. I knew what I wanted but was talked into buying the larger version which came standard with the upgrade I was getting with the smaller one. The price difference happened to be the same as my educator’s discount but it did cost me a bit more for memory differences between the two sizes. Still, I left the store really happy, and excited about the added screen real estate. All said and done, the whole exchange took less than 20 minutes.
If that was the kind of exchange between the sales clerk and myself that I received at all stores, I’d probably shop in stores more often. But most exchanges end up being like my Canadian Tire experience, and this makes me not want to shop. So I do most of my shopping online. I order from the convenience of my home and the products arrive at my home. I am my own sales clerk. I don’t need any shopping bags at the till.
While grocery stores, and hair salons, and pharmacies will probably survive over the next 20 years, I’m not sure how many retail stores are going to survive when more and more people choose to shop online? Walking in the mall last night I looked at a few stores and wondered how much profit they could possibly make after paying for rent, power, and staff. Then I wondered what our economy would be like without these jobs, if most retail stores no longer needed all their staff?
Shopping from home is really convenient, but it will change the way our shopping malls and plazas look. Maybe the cost of this convenience will be far greater than the convenience is worth.
And then there is the issue of self checkout. We must ask whose job we are taking.
Excellent point Al. Companies use our labour to replace the need for theirs.
Not saying it’s one thing or another but… I know plenty of people who prefer the self-checkouts over having to interact with a person. Kind of like how some people hate it when their phones right and much prefer receiving a text message.
Not saying it’s how we *should* be doing things, but it *is* how things are being done. So, what can we do to mitigate/compensate? We can focus on job loss, or we can choose to focus on how we need to change to make things better within new societal practices.
While I agree in principle Elaan, I think we are moving into an economy where profits are the priority and there will be less and less jobs. So changing involves greater unemployment which won’t make things better.