Some of this was an evolution that was already underway. Kinda sad, but we just won't have as many brick and mortar retail stores as we once did. Internet shopping is the new way.
And frankly, I like many aspects of internet shopping; it saves me time going to a store and even hunting down less common items, and I can often save money that way. But for some items, I would still rather see and touch it before buying, and that is becoming a thing of the past.
Another down side to e-commerce is that it's likely given other countries, such as China, easy venues for selling their stuff. I would like to see Amazon and other large e-commerce companies do more to divulge where their products are manufactured and what country the seller is based in. Then consumers could have clearer choices there. I think many consumers are now ready to pay a bit more for quality, American made products.
And while I'm on a soap box, let's refine what "Made in America" means. As of now, it can mean no more than an item got final assembly or even stuck into a box here, and it qualifies for for made in America. That's bullcrap! I recently saw a video where a guy who has a pretty prominent youtube tool channel was discussing Stanley/Black and Decker (also Craftsman now) and their Made in America campaign. He toured their "factory" here in the states and posted pictures. There was zero manufacturing going on in the whole building. All they did was put stickers on the tools, boxed them, and put on belts for shipment. When you look closer at their "Made in America" claim, it says "using global components". So a bit misleading. While they are providing American jobs at this American warehouse, they are still being manufactured elsewhere. To be fair, most of their competitors are as well, but they aren't fudging the facts like Stanley/Black and Decker is.
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