Online immolation

The next time you click on the Amazon link or engage with another online retailer, it might behoove you to think of your local friends and neighbors and how our behaviors in this regard are impacting local communities.   The catalyst for this rant was a story in Bloomberg about the coming retail "apocalypse" coming to a mall near you and a visit to said local mall.  I generally avoid shopping if possible, but I needed a black suit to appear with the Divine Mrs. M in our local singing group's performance of Handel's Messiah next month.  Entering the local J.C. Penney with some trepidation, I was able to purchase my glad rags on sale at up to 60% off ticketed prices.  At checkout, I was informed I could save an additional 40% by signing up for a store credit card.  Having done so and being approved on the spot, I supposedly saved $270.00 on my purchase.  Now of course some of the savings were illusory, but to be able to buy a fairly decent suit and tie for $115.00 including taxes seemed almost too good to be true.  Penney is struggling against online competition and seems to be holding its own, but its debt is piling up and when it tries to refinance, the bell may start tolling.  While it may be hard to sympathize with tenants in malls which systematically destroyed downtown businesses, they at least provided jobs for local people.  Online merchants don't keep their profits in the local economy and don't provide jobs, unless you happen to be near a "fulfillment" center where you can work in a soul killing giant warehouse.  It looks like we are entering the retail endgame, where everything will be available online and brick and mortar will be obsolete, as will the retail jobs which so many low income workers depend on.  Think about that the next time you blow a wet kiss in Jeff Bezo's direction.