way to shop

Yesterday we were in Union Square in San Francisco and as near as I could tell, only Macy's and Barney's had any holiday displays in their windows. Sack's Fifth Avenue had nothing of their ballet themed displays of years past. I think Neiman Marcus had a tree up but since we never shop there we didn't go any closer than glance at it from a cross the block.

Newspaper and radio report are saying that Americans are spending less money in actual shops but are spending more online, but that makes me wonder, no matter where you shop – Macy*s is still Macy*s, right? I figure if we are any indication, we are only getting busier and less interested in trying to fight the crowds and try to find a place to park. If the stores are all run by the corporate home office and are not a franchise business, it's just a question of the money going into the left pocket or the right.

I suppose it all comes down to the shopping experience and based on yesterday's trip, I can see why the online version is winning, at least for the big chains. The smaller stores where you still get a personal touch are for the most part still worth going into.