End of Shopping Malls??? - Shopping

With the advent of computers and on line shopping, is it the end of the shopping mall and the traditional shopping trip? Logic would say that you don't have to leave your front room to buy anything if you have internet, therefore the car parks will be empty and the shops likewise. Of course, as is apparent across all countries, this isn't the case. Many walk-in stores have closed but there are plenty left. In fact some are thriving and increasing the number of branches they have. You may be wondering about the possibilities of such an epidemic, but rest assured that there is always a balance.

There are of course advantages and disadvantages to buying online, the disadvantages are usually the issues that keep the walk-in stores afloat. For instance, you cannot try items of clothing before paying for them, you will just have to hope that the "one size fits all" tag online really means what it says or that the size "medium' is the same medium that you are used to. You will almost certainly find the goods on line cheaper but you will have to fore go the trying on, at least till delivery.

Online food shopping is booming because in most cases you don't need to try the food before you buy. The thing you can't do online sometimes is read the packaging, squeeze the fruit or check that the food isn't damaged. However, there probably won't be any of those tasty sideline treats or snack bars to get caught up in, so perhaps the online version is probably healthier for you. There are always photographs, but everyone knows that everything looks better when it is coloured and glossy. Look at the picture on a takeaway menu and then compare it to what you have in front of you. Surely supermarkets wouldn't display pictures that don't look like the actual product but it could happen.

Of course there are plenty of items you could buy online that you simply shouldn't without actually seeing them in front of you first. There are plenty people who think nothing of buying cars and expensive items online without ever seeing if they are for real. This happens with online auction sites: while many of them are legitimate, some of them are scams and are only set up to relive people of their hard earned cash. You would think twice about buying a watch without a receipt yet the likes of eBay have hundreds of cars for sale. Buying form someone's front driveway isn't always much better but at least you can see that the car works and can see any dents that pictures may not show.

So in effect the risks of being cheated and the thrill of the touching is what keeps the shopping malls going. Until there can be touch enabled on line shops then people will still walk or drive to the stores. Some stores may not get as much walking traffic as before, but stores are here to stay.

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