Quote Originally Posted by Jables View Post
I think you grossly underestimate the fun factor people have in shopping. Some social scientists think we're wired for it: that our hunter-gatherer instincts are not gone but merely transformed. Instead of scavenging for food, people scavenge for stuff--that shopping has taken the place of gathering nuts and berries.

And what kind of brick and mortar stores? All of them? That's not happening. Maybe *maybe* for electronics, where you pick items based on specs anyway, and really standard things like DVDs, books, etc., but certain kinds of stores will never disappear: clothing stores (until someone develops a way to try something on over the internet--and virtual models aren't going to get there), grocery stores, household item stores, etc. Oh, and anything whose primary customers are women, or kids. No way toy stores are ever going to disappear forever.

But still, a lot of people prefer to buy things in person. You get the item instantly, can see and touch it--measure it, if that's applicable, and can easily return it. I always prefer to buy expensive items locally, even if I pay a bit more. Lord knows I wouldn't want to have to ship a TV back somewhere...
People show the same shopping tendancies with online purchases. And there's more stuff to look at and buy in an online store.