Is the supermarket going the way of the Dodo?

 I remember standing in the local video shop trying to decide which movie to rent. There are a lot of older people who would share that memory.

Younger folk would not have had to make that deciosion standing in a physical shop, they are doing them same thing on their phones, computers and tablets – and the choice of movies, TV program and other entertainment is even more than in my day.

 There are now very few video shops, when only 20 years ago they were just everywhere. There is now at least one generation who would not even know what a video shop even is!!!!

There was a great song in the 80s called “Video killed the radio star” – now it is the Internet killed the video shop.

Is that institution in all of our lives, which we visit weekly (if not more often) also about to go the same way as the video shop?

What institution? The supermarket.

Is the internet also taking on and beating the supermarket?

The supermarket is the modern day equivalent of our ancestors hunting / gathering. We go in, select what we want from the vast array of  choices, pay for it and take it home. It is something we have all grown up with, in one form or another; the corner shop, the huge chain or even the convenience store.

We can already go onto the website of a supermarket chain at any time of the day and order and pay for food, which will be delivered to your home at a specific time – all at your convenience.

I have to admit that being a Foodie, I enjoy wandering around the supermarket and checking out what is new. I am not sure if I will get the same enjoyment from looking at a screen at those products.

In many ways it is like the paper book vs the Kindle / tablet or ebook reader, some like one format and others prefer the other. I love the feel of a book in my hand and the smell of a new book when you first open it – these are sensations which an ebook reader cannot provide. The shopping experience is much the same. To get the convenience of shopping via the internet, you lose some other real life experiences.

However most people find shopping annoying and inconvenient, so there is a fertile ground for people to be regularly placing their order using their smart phones or tablets and not ever going into the actual building. They can place their order whilst at work or before they go out in the morning and the  food arrives when they get home. It is very convenient.

So keep an eye on what is happening with your supermarkets and fast food businesses, as technology increases and improves, so will there be changes in our experiences. You can already see the no staff check outs, so what else is coming?

I don’t know if supermarkets  / corner shop / convenience store will go the way of the video shop, as it is still an experience that cannot really be fully replaced.