The retail apocalypse is creating a 'rolling crisis' that is rippling through the US economy

[Mr.Bill]

40. I'm old enough to remember retail stores in the 50s.

They had people working there for whom it was a career. The guy who sold you the refrigerator at Sears really knew about refrigerators. When was the last time a store employee measured your foot and retrieved the proper size shoe for you? Or pulled a suit off the rack at a clothing store that was exactly your size, and pulled out a piece of chalk and marked the cuffs to be altered to the proper length?

If there's no one at the store to give you knowledgeable help then why not just buy it online?

I live in a small town where there are still some small privately owned businesses that have this kind of customer service, but they are having difficulty competing with the Amazons of the world. We have a large locally owned home improvement store with skilled and knowledgeable employees who are mostly retired contractors. The will recommend the right product, tell you what tools you need and how to do the job. I go to the Home Depot in a nearby city and find mostly people who don't know much about their products, are most likely not well paid, and will probably move on to some other job in a short time - if they can find one.

It's a damn shame. I feel helpless but all I can do is support the local stuff as long as I can afford it. I'm sure I'm a rarity because I can honestly say I have never bought anything from Amazon.

Old man grumpy rant/off.