Here’s why the “brick & mortar” stores can’t compete with “on-line” shopping. It all revolves around the number of times that the article has to be touched.
With the “brick & mortar” the delivery truck arrives at the store, a stockman has to unload the merchandise at the warehouse and unpack it, another person has to haul it to the to the shelves, unpack the boxes, sort it for display. The clerk has to ring up the merchandise and pack it in bags. The customer takes the merchandise.
On-line shopping, the customer orders from a displayed picture, not needing a cash register clerk.
The merchandise is delivered to a warehouse, the stockman shelves the merchandise. When the customer orders the merchandise, the most likely is mechanically retrieved from the shelve already boxed from the delivery.
The order is picked up by the Post Office and delivered by the Post Office, thus fulfilling the job of the warehouse stockman, department clerk, and cashier, since the order was paid for with a credit card.
Touched eight times with “brick & mortar” compared to three times with “on-line” shopping. The wave of the future?