When I was growing up in Philadelphia, whenever we needed something we went to Wanamaker's (or sometimes Gimbels). I can remember wandering through their book department, their perfume and cosmetic section routinely when I was going anywhere downtown. When I moved to the Twin Cities in my 20s, Dayton's performed the same function. We bought everything from appliances to health and beauty products there.
But, times have changed. The old department stores narrowed their merchandise as more and more specialty stores arose. They focus on clothing and some products for the home. One goes here for books, there for electronics, still another store for home goods, etc. Life has become more complicated. Going from store to store takes a lot of time.
In her classic book, Simplify Your Life, Elaine St. James talks about simplifying your shopping life, by combining as many errands as possible into one trip or mall. She strikes a chord with me, and obviously with a lot of other people, or the outlet malls would not be so successful. When we travel to Orlando for Disney World, we probably spend almost as much time perusing the outlet malls as the parks.
When online shopping began to emerge, a store that originally specialized in books broadened its inventory and now is widely called the "everything store." I know when I need something unusual, the first place I look is Amazon.com where I buy everything from generic allergy medicine to the filters for my refrigerator and for my humidifier. Anyone who has shopped for a humidifier filter in town knows what frustration is.
And even the appliance store where I bought my refrigerator does not stock that model filter.
Amazon filled a niche, empty for years, with the decline of the all-purpose department store, and it is available with the touch of a few keys and two day delivery. I love Amazon. It has saved me a lot of time, energy, and money. And its Kindle app has opened the doors to literature at your finger tips. If someone suggests a new book, I immediately open my amazon.com link and either order it or download a sample to my Ipad. Yes, it is the everything store, and I, for one, am grateful for it.
