High Street Shopping Versus the Internet

Nothing to figure really, 

I live 10-12 miles out of Southampton. If I want a specific item I have two choices,

1. I can get in my car, spend 20 -25 minutes driving, through around a dozen sets of traffic lights, paying 50p to get across the Itchen Bridge, £4 parking in West Quay, then spend another 20-25 minutes driving back through the same dozen sets of traffic lights, paying another 50p to get across the Itchen Bridge, having burned, say 1.5 gallons of petrol at £6 per gallon.

2. I can spend 10 minutes on the PC (five of which is spent waiting for it to boot up - during which I can make myself a cup of coffee) and buy it from Amazon. I then can spend the next couple of hours in the conservatory with the hifi playing.

Now which option shall I choose...hmmmmm...I may have to think about this one

It depends a bit. I buy the occasional DVD in Worcester HMV, and am glad that browsing the large stock throws up ideas that would otherwise be missed. 

I ordered two today from them - A Perfect Spy, and Gorky Park - which I knew I wanted.

For CDs I always buy on the net apart from rare visits to Hereford when I go into Outback Records in Church Street, where I have been a customer for thirty years ...  the browsing in there is staggering - as good as in London for classical ...

ATB from George

T'internet has the advantage.  It's bigger for starters.  Doesn't have to (chooses not to) pay tax so it can charge less and still make more lovely lolly. 

Ultimately, should everything end up being bought on the internet there'll be no shops, no workers staffing them, no taxes coming into the treasury and the roads will be full of vans with Yodel, TNT and Parcel Force written on the sides and we'll all be waiting in all day every day for deliveries.

Welcome to the future.

Spending hours browsing in record stores was an enjoyable pastime when I bought vinyl. Browsing in more specialised record shops for imports and curios was hugely enjoyable, if usually more expensive when I bought vinyl. I kind of went off it with CDs although for many years it was the only option. I now live on a mostly deserted Mendip and my main priority is on obtaining music, not the quest for it, which would involve considerable travel, time and expense.

I’ve had my fair share of switched on and helpful record store owners and staff but I’ve also had considerably more than my fill of surly, unhelpful idiots who didn’t really want my business, didn’t care about my needs and wouldn’t refund or exchange faulty goods. Online retailers like Amazon (who I use the most but not exclusively) have big stock, usually good prices and will exchange or refund without argument.  If I’m contributing to pushing some shopkeepers out of business, the vast majority of them had limited stock, no interest in music and didn’t particularly like or care about their customers. It’s a shame about the few good ones but the big picture is an effect which is predictable from the cause.

You need an iPad, Mr Mole. No booting required.

In my youth I'd spend hours in Brighton on a Saturday leafing through albums: you could spend a whole day gathering up new stuff from the NME independent chart And be served by people who were really knowledgeable. Nowadays, when I pop into the Chichester Branch of HMV and peruse the jazz section, there seem to be about three albums.

So I get all my stuff from Amazon, usually from US Marketplace sellers, or from Amazon themselves for new releases with the preorder price guarantee.

Sure, they should pay more tax, but that not their fault, it's a tax loophole that Governments cannot be bothered to fix. It saves me loads, and keeps our excellent Emsworth posties in work. 

I tend to do alot of my grocery and other regular shopping at Brent Cross shopping centre.  There used to be two music stores - Virgin and HMV.  First Virgin shut down and then slowly but surely HMV ran down their music stock as they tried to move to games and dvds.  Personally, I really miss the convenience of being able to drop into these stores and have a good flick through the shelves to see what's new and for the odd impulse purchase.  Amazon doesn't quite 'do it' for me.  I appreciate that this is part of the machine which killed off many high street stores (them and itunes) and that the machine remains tremendously efficient when you know what you want. It's all just a bit too cold/ sterile for my liking.

Peter

Got an iPad....and I discovered yesterday that there are actually 25 sets of traffic lights between my home and the centre of Southampton! And going east to that "other" city Is not much better due to the sheer weight of traffic on such a small island. 

So I'm afraid it's t'internet for me, whenever I can!

Thanks for the feedback folks. It's not as though I was hoping to pick up a 1965 Val Doonican album on CD.

As others have commented, there is a pleasure in browsing and going home with a purchased item from a shop as we used to. I would also like to see high street shops continue to survive and thrive.

John Lewis seem to have an excellent business model. Their shops are tastefully appointed selling good quality merchandise, competitive on price, and have helpful and knowledgeable staff. Plus, a great on-line service too.

John.

Coming to a John Lewis near you shortly:

In store demo recommended.