The growth of online shopping will one day lead to all shops in towns and cities closing. Do you agree or disagree?

The purchase of goods and services over the internet has been rapidly increasing. Many suggest that this explosive trend spells imminent doom for brick and mortar businesses and might even cause them to go the way of dinosaurs. While the pandemic continues to accelerate this closure of shops and other businesses, I am of the opinion that physical places of business are here to stay. One of the reasons is that real world transactions are still safer than online ones which are prone to hack and phishing scams. Stores for another are a safer bet and also provide the opportunity to touch, feel, smell, use or experience items in a way that cannot be done virtually. Over and above that, they are often run by friendly, motivated staff who can understand and respond to your needs in a way far better than a computer algorithm. Purchasing a new pair of shoes for example, is easier in a department store where they can be tried on to see how they look, walk around to assess the comfort and grip, or have an assistant bring me an alternative size right away. Buying these through a computer would mean choosing only how they look, and not being able judge whether they will be comfortable enough. To conclude, as online purchasing cannot replace all real-world retail transactions, not all traditional shops and department stores will fold up.