nospam
In article <lfv8c5$b3l$1@speranza.aioe.org>, PAS <ntotrr@optonline.net> wrote:

they might close their store and be just an online seller.

PAS
They certainly can. If the store closed down, Bill Cameta will still do very, very well with his eBay business. He does a lot of business in used gear also. If it ever closes, I'll miss the place.

nospam
that's the point. many stores are no longer needed when it's easier to get products online.

for a store to survive, it needs to offer something you *can't* get online.

PAS
That would be personalized expert service and the ability to handle the goods before buying. That's something the brick & mortar store still offers.

nospam
but not necessarily at a competitive price. stores have an overhead that an online seller does not have and almost always have higher prices, sometimes by quite a bit.

what ends up happening is people might go to a store to check out the camera or other product and then go order it online for much less. the store not only doesn't get the sale but they spent time helping someone buy elsewhere.