In my experience, the retail shopping environment has been on an increasing rate of decline over the past decade+. Post-covid, it seems corporations have figured out how to maximize profit, in part, by reducing labor and tailoring towards online sales.

I grew up in a time when people would complain about salespeople pestering them by simply asking if they needed help with anything. Now, I would love to have someone help me with a purchase.

I recently bought some sneakers in a store and it turned out I probably bought the wrong ones for my needs. A knowledgable salesperson likely would have saved me from wasting my money on the wrong purchase. Most of the supermarkets in my area are self-check out only. These stupid things never work for me so it takes me forever to simply scan a few items. At some stores, items are locked up behind glass so I’m not even able to make a purchase - pushing me to buy from an online retailer instead.

I try to go out of my way to find stores that have humans working there. I try not to buy things online and try to support my local businesses. This is becoming increasingly more difficult and I fear the day will come soon where I’m not able to shop in a physical store.

Especially in this post pandemic world, I crave human interaction. I crave a brief interaction with someone who’s a member of my community.

There’s a small two-location food market I shop at weekly. It’s a fifteen minute walk where I do at least 85% of my shopping. Most of the produce and goods are procured within a hundred miles. There are no self-checkouts. I’ve gotten to know the people who work there. We talk about produce and the neighborhood and the weather. I freaking love that place and legit do not know what I would do without it.

I imagine I’m in the minority. I imagine most people, especially younger people, desire not interacting with others. Some people find it difficult to engage in real life. Some people are fraught with the impact social media addiction has struck upon them - be it the fear of judgement or bigotry or simply not knowing how to interact respectfully with others.

I remember a time when people would say they trust online reviews more than salespeople who get paid on commission. Is this still a prevalent idea? I’ll admit that I typically ignore reviews because reviews have become their own industry. However, there are times I’ve bought a product, found it to be trash, then saw some reviews, buried below the ‘paid’ ones, warning me to stay away.

I feel strongly, I am fearful, that as we shift more and more of our shopping online - easily enabled by [Click To Buy] buttons and mobile wallets - corporate capitalism is gaining ground on mom and pop shops. Never mind the rise of the likes of Temu. Moreover, the Walmartification of everything is diluting our sense of community.

It’s because we only shop online and in warehouses, it’s because we have no choice but to not engage with anyone, it’s because we’re increasing our reliance on 6" in-our-face screens, it’s because we don’t ever need to leave the comfort of our home that our neighborhoods and society are doomed to crumble.

  • vzq@lemmy.blahaj.zone
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    3 months ago

    It’s *because* we only shop online and in warehouses, it’s because we have no choice but to *not* engage with anyone, it’s because we’re increasing our reliance on 6" in-our-face screens, it’s because we don’t ever need to leave the comfort of our home that our neighborhoods and society are doomed to crumble.

    lol no. It’s because shopping in person is a hellish gauntlet designed to make the stock price go, not to make sure I can reliably and comfortably meet my material needs.

    I don’t owe anyone anything, least of all fucking brick and mortar chain stores.

    If that means the end of society, good fucking riddance. There’s nothing worth saving about retail.

    • oxjox@lemmy.mlOP
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      3 months ago

      least of all fucking brick and mortar chain stores.

      It’s interesting you got that far into what I wrote and that was your takeaway. One of my points is that the chain stores in particular have ruined the shopping experience.

      You think online shopping isn’t a hellish gauntlet designed for stock prices to go up? Dude, the entire internet is designed to sell you shit.

      So, you prefer ‘virtual’ stores owned by billionaires and mega corps that you’ll never have to enter over stores owned and operated by your family and neighbors? You prefer a workforce of robots over employing your community? You prefer your personal information being bought and sold so corporations can target ads towards you for their profit? You prefer that these corporations succeed and eliminate all sense of community and turn humanity into nothing more than consumers?

      • vzq@lemmy.blahaj.zone
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        3 months ago

        Considering 80% of your post is rhetorical questions, I don’t think a reply is actually appreciated.