Is this the end of the brick-and-mortar store?
By Syd Bolton First posted: Saturday, May 09, 2015 06:00 AM EDT
I have to admit I'm a little bit strange when it comes to being progressive with technology versus living in the past. I love the latest gadgets and computer technology but spend far too much time reminiscing about the way things used to be, finding great interest in the technology history of the world. So my recent experiences shook me a little to the core and made me think about the future, the past and the way things are today.
When Amazon.com launched a new world of e-commerce, I found it both fascinating and daunting. I don't think any of us could have easily envisioned browsing books and other entertainment products on our computers and having a drone drop them off at our front door just hours later, but that is a very real near future world that we are going to be living in.
I've read about the death of the brick-and-mortar store in general and I both scoffed at and resisted the notion. I love being able to go to a store and browse and feel the products I'm about to purchase. Sometimes I want to discuss them with a salesperson but most times I don't. The human interaction at the store can be a nice touch but being able to compare products in person rather than virtually is still worth it in my books. I feel somewhat bad for certain retailers, however, who have customers come in to get the "touch" experience with the products in person and then use their smartphone to locate the cheapest price online, with a retailer that has less overhead and get the product delivered to their door.
So I recently went to a retailer to buy an iPad for work. While this retailer shall remain nameless, it is well known and I have previously chosen it to buy my Apple products at before. It even has a loyalty program I like and it factored into my decision to go there. The version of the iPad is the less common version that can use a cellular network, so I knew it likely wasn't in stock. No problem. A sales associate was available to help me and confirmed the product would have to be ordered in.
Previously, I had been taken to the sales counter and information was entered into a computer and I paid then left. This time, I was taken to an "online kiosk," which is basically their website. The keyboard on this computer was not functioning, so the associate had to painfully search for the product and then enter all of my details with a touch screen that was just slightly annoying. He swiped my credit card at the kiosk, gave me a receipt and let me know that it would likely take only one or two days to come into the store. Perfect, I thought, as I didn't need the product for a week.
The next day I got an e-mail from a strange address that wasn't even properly branded with the retailer's name, so I was skeptical at first to even open it. The reference number matched the physical receipt I had from the store, so I opened it to find a very detailed request for three pieces of additional information including my work address, which I had already provided in-store. I was warned that if I failed to reply within 48 hours, my order would be cancelled. Getting slightly more annoyed, I answered all three questions with meticulous detail and went about my day.
Several days later, I got questioned by the marketing department looking for its iPad. I had never received word from the retailer, and so had forgotten about it. I replied to the original request e-mail, which included the reference number and requested the status. I was told that I had to call this particular number for more information. I did, and was asked "So, you really want this, right?". Are you kidding me? E-mails, phone calls and in-person visits and I'm still no further ahead. I went into the store to avoid all of this in the first place, which didn't work out. I was then told, on the phone, that the product would be at the store the next day.
The person that requested the product in the first place was leaving at noon so I went to the store by 11, thinking I could get the product. It wasn't in. Another colleague would take the iPad at 4 and I still had not heard anything by 3 o'clock. A call to the store at 3:15 revealed "it should be here any second." At 3:45, I got the call, ran to the store and didn't get back until after 4. Stressed and out of time, I finally had everything done by 4:45.
While it might seem like I'm over-dramatizing what happened, I realized at the end had I just ordered this product online, I would have received it the next day without any hassle. No extra e-mails, phone calls, or wasted gas and time to go to the store. In short, I would have had a lot less stress. Instead, it makes me realize why the brick-and-mortar store is in trouble. Make it easy, retailer, or I'll just take care of it myself..
Syd Bolton is the curator of the Personal Computer Museum and the manager of Information Technology at ACIC/Methapharm. You can reach him via e-mail at sbolton@bfree.on.ca or on Twitter @sydbolton.
Is this the end of the brick-and-mortar store? | News | Tech | Toronto Sun
By Syd Bolton First posted: Saturday, May 09, 2015 06:00 AM EDT
I have to admit I'm a little bit strange when it comes to being progressive with technology versus living in the past. I love the latest gadgets and computer technology but spend far too much time reminiscing about the way things used to be, finding great interest in the technology history of the world. So my recent experiences shook me a little to the core and made me think about the future, the past and the way things are today.
When Amazon.com launched a new world of e-commerce, I found it both fascinating and daunting. I don't think any of us could have easily envisioned browsing books and other entertainment products on our computers and having a drone drop them off at our front door just hours later, but that is a very real near future world that we are going to be living in.
I've read about the death of the brick-and-mortar store in general and I both scoffed at and resisted the notion. I love being able to go to a store and browse and feel the products I'm about to purchase. Sometimes I want to discuss them with a salesperson but most times I don't. The human interaction at the store can be a nice touch but being able to compare products in person rather than virtually is still worth it in my books. I feel somewhat bad for certain retailers, however, who have customers come in to get the "touch" experience with the products in person and then use their smartphone to locate the cheapest price online, with a retailer that has less overhead and get the product delivered to their door.
So I recently went to a retailer to buy an iPad for work. While this retailer shall remain nameless, it is well known and I have previously chosen it to buy my Apple products at before. It even has a loyalty program I like and it factored into my decision to go there. The version of the iPad is the less common version that can use a cellular network, so I knew it likely wasn't in stock. No problem. A sales associate was available to help me and confirmed the product would have to be ordered in.
Previously, I had been taken to the sales counter and information was entered into a computer and I paid then left. This time, I was taken to an "online kiosk," which is basically their website. The keyboard on this computer was not functioning, so the associate had to painfully search for the product and then enter all of my details with a touch screen that was just slightly annoying. He swiped my credit card at the kiosk, gave me a receipt and let me know that it would likely take only one or two days to come into the store. Perfect, I thought, as I didn't need the product for a week.
The next day I got an e-mail from a strange address that wasn't even properly branded with the retailer's name, so I was skeptical at first to even open it. The reference number matched the physical receipt I had from the store, so I opened it to find a very detailed request for three pieces of additional information including my work address, which I had already provided in-store. I was warned that if I failed to reply within 48 hours, my order would be cancelled. Getting slightly more annoyed, I answered all three questions with meticulous detail and went about my day.
Several days later, I got questioned by the marketing department looking for its iPad. I had never received word from the retailer, and so had forgotten about it. I replied to the original request e-mail, which included the reference number and requested the status. I was told that I had to call this particular number for more information. I did, and was asked "So, you really want this, right?". Are you kidding me? E-mails, phone calls and in-person visits and I'm still no further ahead. I went into the store to avoid all of this in the first place, which didn't work out. I was then told, on the phone, that the product would be at the store the next day.
The person that requested the product in the first place was leaving at noon so I went to the store by 11, thinking I could get the product. It wasn't in. Another colleague would take the iPad at 4 and I still had not heard anything by 3 o'clock. A call to the store at 3:15 revealed "it should be here any second." At 3:45, I got the call, ran to the store and didn't get back until after 4. Stressed and out of time, I finally had everything done by 4:45.
While it might seem like I'm over-dramatizing what happened, I realized at the end had I just ordered this product online, I would have received it the next day without any hassle. No extra e-mails, phone calls, or wasted gas and time to go to the store. In short, I would have had a lot less stress. Instead, it makes me realize why the brick-and-mortar store is in trouble. Make it easy, retailer, or I'll just take care of it myself..
Syd Bolton is the curator of the Personal Computer Museum and the manager of Information Technology at ACIC/Methapharm. You can reach him via e-mail at sbolton@bfree.on.ca or on Twitter @sydbolton.
Is this the end of the brick-and-mortar store? | News | Tech | Toronto Sun
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