You’ll barely find me at the mall this holiday season
If Amazon could send Santa Claus to my house to visit with my kids preChristmas, I would not even set one foot in the mall this holiday season.
That’s the only reason I’ll be going to the mall - to visit with Santa Claus. (And let me just say this: When Santa Claus comes to Quakerbridge Mall, well … wow. He’s fantastic. This is an official endorsement. You’re getting Santa at his absolute best at Quakerbridge. Anyway …)
Anyway, for the first time ever, any and all giftbuying by me - and I’m pretty sure same goes for my wife as well - is being done online.
Why? Simple. Because it’s easier, takes less time, is almost certainly less expensive. It’s the triple play of retail. Why would I drive somewhere, spend valuable time and even more valuable money, when I don’t have to?
Not to mention the failure of Toys R Us. If Toys R Us was still around, I would’ve definitely swung by there a time or two, if only to browse for ideas for the kids. But it’s gone. And I suppose next time I’m in Target for whatever reason I came up with to go to Target I’ll browse, but the odds of me buying something are slim to none. Even if I found something I wanted, I’d immediately whip out my phone and find it for less money online.
Does my behavior - and the behavior or others like me - mean the eventual downfall of the brick and mortar world? Well … I mean probably, at least the big retailers. I still think there’s plenty of room in the marketplace for local, independent business, but why would anyone fight the crowds at Walmart when you can just sit in your easy chair and order whatever it is you want from your phone?
Jeff Edelstein is a columnist for The Trentonian. He can be reached at jedelstein@ trentonian.com, facebook. com/jeffreyedelstein and @jeffedelstein on Twitter.