Tucked away in remote desert locations are airplane graveyards where thousands of planes of defunct carriers such as PanAm, TWA and Eastern, bake in the sun and out of the public’s eyes. Imagine seeing these planes parked at O’Hare or just off I-294. But you don’t have to imagine the visual impact of large vacant stores such as Sam’s Club, Borders, Toys R Us, and Carson’s.
It’s the closing of Carson’s that personally affected me. I’m not a big shopper, but the personal touch of Clare in cosmetics or Toni at the furniture outlet made shopping a pleasure. Like the old neighborhood Five and Dime, people knew me, my story, and I knew theirs. I did not buy something every time, but I felt that my business was appreciated, and they seemed to feel the same about their service to me.
In the last few years, thousands of stores have closed due to dwindling revenues or bankruptcy. It’s not that consumers haven’t been spending — it’s that “consumers are losing interest and patience in the time-consuming process of slogging from store to store seeking ‘the perfect’ whatever. It’s becoming less of an entertaining and relaxing hobby, and more of an avoidable annoyance.” (The Balance Everyday, Barbara Farfan).
I am certainly part of the problem. I frequently shop online, but buying furniture, especially a sofa, requires a good bounce test. If I want to change my lipstick I need to see what’s new on me, not a photo of someone else.
Although I will continue to shop online, I still mourn the loss of the personalized transactions and associations I had with the clerks who served my needs and wants. They also fed my spirit of being part of a community, and I sincerely hope that all the Clares and Tonis find satisfying jobs.
Editor’s Note, 6PM, July 17, 2018 / After this column was posted online earlier in the day, PN also posted another story about the “shop locally” movement, again promoting July 1-31 as the Waldo Tour de Independents month. Both stories have received reader feedback regarding the importance of local taxing bodies’ supporting local businesses whenever possible. “Get hooked on Waldo’s ‘shop locally’ message and go places.”
