There’s a problem that’s going to arise, though, clothing items in particular need to be touched, felt, tried on before purchase. With so many retailers shuttering stores, it may become difficult to do this and then buy the better price and selection online.
I’m part of that online buyer crowd-in this economy, quite a few of us can’t afford to be helpful to store chains by driving there to buy stuff at higher prices-we have to do what saves gas and cash-the nearest real grocery store is 20 miles away, and it is not part of a big national chain. That said, I’m sorry that chain retailers are closing, but that is what people get when they elect a president who hates the free market-they are to blame, not the rest of us...
I live in a rural area, and the nearest town with a chain store other than a dollar store is 40 miles away-so the last clothing items I actually touched before buying were a package of socks and a couple of T-shirts to wear at work that I got at the dollar store 8 miles away. I know my size, I buy all jeans, dresses, skivvies, etc online-they are left in the box at my gate, they always fit just fine and I save cash.
I haven’t been to a store in the nearest large city in more than 4 years-I need to use my gas to drive to work, not shopping, and I’ll bet there are thousands of people just like me out there-why use gas to go to a crowded store/mall when you can get the item online, save gas and money?...
Many online retailers like L.L. Bean make returns easy. Once you find the style of shirt or slacks that fit, repeat purchases are a breeze. I wish the local brick and mortar stores were more competitive on price and selection, but they aren’t. My town is down to one traditional men’s clothing store, and the reason has nothing to do with the current economy or Obama. It’s a long-term structural change in retail, like the disappearance of video stores.