[Alkanyadela]

Today a couple of friends and I had a little discussion about whether the internet is bad for the little stores in your town or not. Is the internet killing the retail trade? Is it important for you, to have a person to talk to and ask for advice when buying products you dont know anything about.

I mean most of us here see a bad deal when it comes to computers, so we can buy online because we know what we want. But when it comes to things we dont know much about (kitchen stuff, furniture, clothes, etc), do you still buy them online? Is reading an online review enough for you?

Personally I still like shopping in the local mall or downtown. To be honest, the only stuff I buy online is computer parts and DVDs/books. For everything else I try to find a shop with a nice shop assistant and ask him for advice. Okay, some of them probably dont know **** about the stuff they're selling but usually its a nice experience. And supporting the smaller shops in my area kinda makes me feel good too. For example I could buy my running shoes or bike parts online and pay less, but I still go to the small shops here I know. And even though its more expensive I like to have a little chat with the owner, testing out several shoes right in the store or let him show me a couple of new bikes in the mountain bike store. So even though I know quite alot about running shoes or mountain bikes, or guitars for that matter, I'd never order them online.

What about you? Is the internet the only shop you go to, or do you like to do it the "old fashioned" style every now and then?