Where are all my shoppers?

I, like any other lover of NYC, enjoys the walk down Fifth Avenue. The shining store fronts, the iconic buildings, the bustle of the people, and even the noise of sirens and car horns is what great days are made of.

But if you take a walk down Fifth today it may look a little different than it did a couple of years ago, or even just a few months ago.  There are more empty store fronts and a lot less people.

This stems greatly from shopping online.

Don’t get me wrong I love clothes, shoes, and makeup, and I don’t mind purchasing online when it isn’t available where I live but I don’t want that to be a lifestyle. I want my walks throughout a mall or my lovely walks down fifth avenue and I don’t want them replaced by a computer with good internet access.

Online Shopping is shutting down retailers all over the country. And it isn’t just small businesses, its the big names in fashion too, like Ralph Lauren who shut down their Fifth Avenue Flagship store only a few months ago. Sad day, for Ralph’s Coffee lovers like myself who always enjoyed a nice rest at a coffee shop on the second floor of Ralph Lauren.

Think about it this way. For someone who works in retail (sadly, not on Fifth Avenue), and someone who works at a small, locally owned business I would be heartbroken to see that store close its door, a door that I have been walking into for 6 years as an employee and even more as a customer.  But everyday I hear about another person buying something on Amazon. While, sure the convenience of 2-day shipping may be nice, but what about the customer service that you receive at a real life store. What about the people that work at those stores, that rely on you to come in and shop. What about that connection that you can make with the store employees, a connection that can last for years.

I don’t know much about the economy but I do know that women my age are buying things. Whether it is shoes, clothes, home decor, makeup, you name it, we are probably buying it. So why do stores continue to close their doors when people are continuing to buy.

I don’t want to live in a world where I can’t go shopping. For some of you that may sound dumb, but for me, shopping is something that can brighten any day. It is something I can do with my mom, sister, friends, or family and I don’t want that to disappear. So before you decide to hop on Amazon and buy that shoe you just saw in a store because its $5 cheaper, spend the extra little bit of money to make sure that Fifth Avenue doesn’t disappear and that small business owners don’t lose their jobs.

XO

Katelyn Moshier