I went to Best Buy the other day to pick out a Mothers Day gift for my wife. The same gift could’ve been purchased via store pick up or online, but neither of those sounded like good options. What can I say? More often than not, I like to hold something in my hands before I actually buy it.
Upon entering the store, I quickly realized this is getting harder to do.
Large items such as refrigerators and TVs are readily available for you to touch and feel. Basically, anything weighing hundreds of pounds that can’t be easily pick pocketed is displayed on the floor. Almost anything else is behind a cage or see-through case under lock and key. The effects of COVID, higher prices and a rise in “petty” theft nationwide have reached our shores here in the Carolinas.
Although I understand why stores are having to implement a “lock and key” method to more of their items, the shopping experience is both depressing and annoying. At one point, a store like Best Buy had almost too many employees walking around. They were constantly asking if you needed help. The customary answer of, “I’m just browsing” may as well have been on a recorded loop. If royalties had been paid for how often I had to say it, I’d be a very wealthy man.
Oh how I miss those days.
Efficiencies and a continued drop in the number of people willing or able to work at a store like Best Buy have made buying anything an act of Congress. When I was finally able to flag someone down, it dawned on me that buying something at the store makes little sense these days. Once I told the associate what I wanted, I was directed to customer service, where the item was pulled from the warehouse and handed to me for purchase. The first time I held the item in my hands is after I had already bought it.
Funny enough, this pull and pack business model was popular when I was a kid at a store called Service Merchandise. Back then, you’d pick out what you wanted and either hand it to an associate or bring a ticket to the back of the store where they’d pull the item on your behalf. You’d wait in anticipation for your TV, stereo or Sony Walkman to make its way down a conveyor belt and into your arms.
The whole process was fun and exciting because it was a gimmick, one that no doubt reduced theft and increased efficiency, but a gimmick nonetheless.
The explosive growth of Amazon and online retailers has made it easier to get anything you want, whenever you want it. Rather than heading to a store, you’re able to have the same item dropped in your lap within hours of purchasing it. This is extremely convenient for sure, but it also removes a tactile element that’s important when buying anything.
I’m not saying you should agonize over every single purchase you make; however, there should be a certain amount of thought and effort put into it before you swipe a card. Buying online removes the ability to use all five of your senses, which could be crucial to your decision making. Unfortunately, the way stores are now displaying items, you’re almost forced to shop online whether you want to or not.
It’s easy to see where this is going. Brick and mortar stores will eventually no longer exist. It’s not hard to imagine, we’re certainly trending in that direction already.
Thankfully, we’re not quite there yet.
Hang on, I’ll be back in a minute. I need someone to open this display case for me.
Sign up for our Sunday Spectator. Delivered to your inbox every Sunday, with all the news from the week.
