In Line or Online?
David Slade
Ashford University
BUS 620
Dr. Susan Sasiadek
August 12, 2011

In Line or Online? Shopping is a pastime for some and a necessity for others. Some people can spend hours in their favorite stores or malls merely browsing the windows and racks and sometimes do not purchase a thing. For some people, shopping is therapeutic, allowing them to soak their troubles in malls and department stores with a seemingly endless credit limit. For other people, going to the store is a task in which they never wish to participate. People have their reasons to love and hate shopping. Stores use the love of shopping to their advantage, supplying consumers with endless sales promotions and other attempts hoping to get the consumer into their store. Because the economy has seen a steady decline, department stores find themselves in trouble, however. A large competitive industry, consumers may not necessarily choose loyalty over price difference, causing many large franchise stores to close many locations throughout the country. One source that has taken off to provide a sense of relief for these stores is the ever-increasing trend of online shopping. This source, in fact, could be the saving grace for the future of these stores. Not that long ago, if you needed something other than staple items for the dinner table, consumers would drive to their favorite department store of choice and purchase what they needed. One department store that was worth remembering always had a little carousel outside of their place. A small memory for certain, but that carousel made many kids happy because the only other time you rode a carousel was when the fair came to town. This store also had an eatery inside their store, prompting customers to take a break while they shop and enjoy cafeteria-inspired food. If this store did not have something that