The Lost Joy of a Window

Shopper
Olumide Lucas

I remember when I was much younger, growing up in Brookline, MA with my dad, we would often spend
time together on these little “family outings”. One popular pastime was to go shopping, like at the Cambridge
Galleria Mall, a popular destination for many. As a software engineer, my dad frequented many shops that
specialized in electronic hardware and components like radio shack, Best Buy, and CompUSA. While I was
much too young at the time to know what half the things my dad looked at did (or were), I found the whole
experience of perusing the numerous shelves rather enjoyable. There was a sort of “excitement” I felt going
into a store and being immersed in the store’s atmosphere. Every retailer had its own distinct mood as well,
which made each experience slightly different. Best Buy had a more lively feel, with one wall being composed
of many TV screens, showing off their High Definition capabilities; Bose speakers blaring music at full blast in
another corner, and the latest gadgets (that nobody really needed, but looked really cool all the same)
blinking and whirring taking center stage in the middle of the space.
This is in stark contrast with Barnes and Nobles, which had a more subdued environment. Classical music was
often heard playing quietly in the background and there was little in the way to distract the shopper from
exploring the seemingly endless shelves of books and magazines. There were also small comfy chairs that
were strategically scattered throughout the store providing tranquil spots for someone to sit back and
immerse themselves into a nice book, though on a few occasions I saw some people who decided to take a
quick nap instead.
Looking back now, I was never much of a big spender and rarely had any urge to buy anything for myself. As a
matter of fact, the greatest joy of these expeditions with my dad was the whole experience of seeing all these
products on full display and just getting “lost in the moment”. Unfortunately, as the years gone by, a good
number of these retail spots that my dad and I used to enjoy have long since closed, or significantly
downscaled their selection.
There is an undeniable shift in how consumers buy goods, with an increasing number of transactions taking
place online instead of in a physical store. For example, various forms of entertainment like music, movies,
and tv shows are being downloaded or streamed rather than customers purchasing a physical DVD or CD (or
a record for that matter). Even a good number of books have made the shift to online retailers, eliminating
the need for many people to go to a bookstore or library. With this shift from physical to digital, many
businesses have either closed or moved a bulk of their wares on to online stores.
Does this phenomenon spell the end to brick and mortar stores? In this digital day and age, that opinion
doesn’t seem misplaced, but is there any actual truth to this opinion? With this rapid change in how
consumer shop, do brick and mortar stores still have a place today? And if so, how will stores compete with
giant e-commerce stores like Amazon? Although there is some validity to these arguments, I believe brick-
and-mortar stores aren’t going to dissipate if they are able create a strategy to adapt. Despite the various
conveniences offered by online stores, I believe they can never replace that feeling of immersion a retail
store can offer; nor can online stores bring back that lost joy I felt years ago as a window shopper.