Seth The Wine Guy;674049 wrote: So how much longer do you really think they'll be around? As the market becomes more competitive and online retailers become more trustworthy, I don't see how there is any long-term viability for the current business models most commonly found.
They were once the only source for livestock, trustworthy advice, or information in years past. But, with knowledge no longer being a hard to find commodity, they loose the one thing that had previously made them indispensable. The internet has changed everything.
Your initial post in this thread implied that the presence of e-commerce would be the reason that LFS go extinct. I disagree.
I'm not closing because of competition from the Internet. Neither did Marine Designs, or several other shops whose ownership I've been acquainted with.
LFS survived before the Internet. I don't think e-tailers can survive with out LFS. Nobody decides to start a reef tank by buying it all from an e-tailer (or very few do).
This has been discussed many times on industry-related newsgroups - I don't have time to go into all the minutia of it now, I have a busy work day ahead
Suffice it to say that e-tail has caused brick and mortars to change the way they do some things. Those who don't move with the times, FAIL. There is a difference between failing, and opting to close and do something else.
In my case, I don't think I've failed. I ran a reputable business for over 11 years - plenty of folks seem to agree, based on the amount of posts, phone calls, and messages I've received. I've chosen to take a window of opportunity to exit this industry and move on to something else.
You're right insofar as "dead is dead" - once it's gone, it is gone, regardless of the reasons - but there is a difference in whether a business goes away because the ownership *chooses* to, or is *forced* to - regardless of what that circumstance is.
Just my 2 cents from the other side of the counter
Jenn
