Evolution and responsibility...

I have increasingly mixed feelings about the shutting of larger high street stores.
On the one hand I feel bad for the staff, and of course the customers who have gift vouchers that are now null and void (You know, this is the reason I hand out money in cards instead of vouchers...)

They're all blaming Amazon, who is by no means blame-LESS...

....but....

Remember when we all bought our cameras from little independent shops instead of Jessops?

... or when you went to a book shop run by the same family since 1900 instead of Waterstones?

... or when you bought your music from that funny little shop with the overly enthusiastic guy behind the the counter who always tried to get you to listen to some Norwegian death Metal, instead of going to HMV?

This has been a long time coming and these stores can bleat all they like, at the end of the day they're just pissed that someone bigger, brighter and cheaper than them came along.

Karma's a bitch.

In all honesty, YES, I use Amazon.

However, my local bookstore, music store and camera store are all between 20 - 30 miles away.
I would LOVE to be able to spend time picking exactly what I want and getting advice from enthusiastic people who love their job, but it will cost me £20 + to get to them by train before I've even picked up a book/CD/Camera.

Besides, are the people who work in these large stores enthusiasts?

No.

A handful may be, but most are working there because its a job.... its a minimum wage job.

Ever tried getting DIY advice in Homebase?
The phrase "rabbit in the headlights" springs to mind.... if you look closely you can see them sweating in fear...

Its too late for these stores.
They taught the consumer how to think, lured them away from the independent shops with flashy showrooms and cheap prices.

Its a bit late to morn the high street now ....

It died years ago.

We just didn't notice.