Will any retail survive in the future?

[XDeSuEhTX]

I'm honestly starting to wonder about it. It seems as though virtually no company in the physical retail market is without grave problems now, regardless of which market they cater to, or what products they sell. They're all shutting down slowly. Toys R Us was the last major toy store, but I can foresee a future where no stores of any kind exist. We might even have to order our groceries online. I'm not trying to be dramatic either, I really think that might become a reality.

I feel like my generation really has no interest in spending money on items they could live without, they don't like to shop, or look around. Consuming social media is their primary interest, and that's good for the phone industry, but not much else. What people do still buy, they're buying online mostly. I personally don't like buying online because I like to examine something in person before I buy it. Like, I would never buy clothes online, or tools, or groceries, or really anything. I actually don't buy online unless it's something unique from eBay. I prefer a store where I can have an instant transaction, over ordering and waiting, but evidently many my age group do not agree.

I grew up in a mostly small town where going a store was sort of a pass-time. When they say we're a consumer culture, that's a literal thing. Retail is part of the culture. It's part of what you do when you're bored of sitting at home. It would be hard to imagine a world where there's really none of that left to do anymore. I also wonder about where all of the people are going to find more jobs, if they aren't needed in retail anymore? Maybe my outlook is gloomier than it should be, but it's what I'm starting to think.

We look at our technological advancements as always being a good thing, but we don't realize what kind of impacts they will ultimately have on society. Something that seems progressive might just demolish us as it unfolds. People need to remain useful and employable, and we need to have things to do besides staring at a screen all day and consuming sensationalized nonsense. We're living in a time period of extreme societal instability and so much change right now, god only knows where it's all heading.

[Retail Fan+ (Justin Hill)]

I hope so. I hope my generation teaches the next generation that there's more to life than Facebook. Put down the gadgets, go outside and play and make some friends. I predict that there will be "iPad Anonymous" meetings in the future. I don't want online shopping to be the only option. Empty buildings would be found everywhere as a result. I like to buy things in person, get a feel for the product. How would you know if an avocado or a bunch of bananas is ripe if you were to buy it online?

[TheFugitive]

I agree that this trend where people substitute a virtual online existence for a real one
is not at all healthy.  At some point you have to put down the pad or the phone and go
outside for a walk.  And talk to real people.  Internet addiction is not psycho-babble, it is
a real and growing thing.

I remember when my daughters were teenagers having to physically evict them
from glowing screens and making them go outside.  It was not that way when I was
a kid in the 70's.  You spent all day outside with your friends, riding bikes and playing
ball.  If I am home on a summer day now it's rare that I see any children outside.

Same with the retail culture.  In the 80's the mall was a place where you'd go to meet
your friends, grab something to eat, and buy the latest record or some cool piece of clothing.
Now everyone meets their friends online, downloads their music, and orders what they need
from Amazon.  A friend of mine who works for the Postal Service showed me a picture she
had taken of their backroom at the Post Office.  There were cases of toilet paper stacked
high to the ceiling.  People now order cases of toilet paper from Amazon or Jet.com and have
them home delivered!  Logistically the Postal Service was not at all prepared to handle this.

And the question of where people are going to find entry-level jobs after brick and mortar retail ceases to exist is a serious one.  One receiving virtually no attention from anyone in government.

[JJBers]

And the question of where people are going to find entry-level jobs after brick and mortar retail ceases to exist is a serious one.

Collecting all those cardboard boxes.  ;D

[giantsfan2016]

I believe retail will survive. When I was working at Stop and Shop one time they were asking customers if they used the PeaPod service. PeaPod is an Ahold owned service where you order your groceries online and either drive to the store and pick them up or have it delivered to your house. We had a few regulars who used Peapod, however most customers had no desire to use it. One customer said they used it only once and it was because she had two small children who were both sick for a week, so she had an order delivered to her home. Another used it once just because she and her family were renting a beach house down the Connecticut shore and had groceries delivered there. Several customers said they prefer picking out their own items and others don't want to put employees out of work. PeaPod unlike ShopRite's ShopRite from Home is done out of a warehouse where as ShopRite from Home is done in the local store. Also a lot of the customers come into the store and hit the Clearance Aisle and also buy discounted meats and baked goods. (Something you can't do online).

[TheFugitive]

We have those grocery delivery and pick-up services too.  A company called Zingbasket got
into it about a year and a half ago.  Then the big supermarket chains like Giant Eagle and
Shop n' Save joined in.  Now Walmart is running ads for this service too.

#1 complaint I hear from people who have used them is that if you let their shopper
pick out your groceries instead of doing it yourself, all of your perishables are going to
be very close to their expiration dates.