It looks like retail stores, including clothing stores, are dead. In an attempt to get more perspective, I did some quick internet research to see what other people are saying. A post on the Johns Hopkins University website talks about the decline in retail. It was published back in 2014, and is now more relevant than ever.

The main issue that I have is that the lack of retail stores is going to make life extremely tough for individuals who don’t want to buy everything online. What about the people who want to stay off the grid, and not have corporations tracking what they are buying online? The article does not address that issue. Rather, it talks about the lack of social interaction and customer support that will inevitably come with switching to online shopping. I highly doubt that’s the only prevailing concern.

The point is that for many generations, the process of buying was generally anonymous. Sure, you got to interact with the cashier. Maybe you even got to interact with other customers. But being able to go out to your local store and buy something, without it being recorded under your name or other identifiable information, is something that has worked for many generations.

As I love to say, if it ain’t broke, don’t try to fix it. And that is all for today.