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Shopping - Then and Now

In: English and Literature

Submitted By saurag
Words 646
Pages 3
Shopping – Then And Now There is no discussion that shopping habits have changed dramatically in the past 60 years. One of the biggest differences is online shopping. Many people now enjoy shopping from their computers, without a need to drive from store to store or standing in line to check out. But what is this kind of behavior doing to the social values on which the society is built? Will the malls and stores eventually stand empty? In 1950 there was no Internet and no super stores. When people needed groceries they would go to the grocery store and when they needed toys they would go to the toy store. There were a lot more small towns then and each town would have a large number of small stores to accommodate every shopping need. Each store was managed by its owner and emphasis was put on making the store an inviting place for people to go to. Stories were often exchanged in the stores and this way everyone knew when something was going on in the town. For holidays, many stores would work together to decorate the streets and store fronts and going shopping became a treat that involved more than just shopping. A family could spend a whole day looking at decorations and exchange news with friends while taking care of their shopping needs. Malls and department stores did exist in 1950, but they were more common around bigger cities and more densely populated areas. Malls were created to move shopping districts away from downtown areas and it was not unusual for someone to travel a longer distance to go to a shopping mall and even make a day out of it at larger malls. Although the focus was on commerce, the stores in the malls retained much of their individual identities and effort was made to make a visit a pleasant and social experience. However, with the birth of the World Wide Web in 1983 and Internet commerce in the late 1990s, the way people shop started

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