STAPLES and RADIO SHACK shutting stores. All Praise to the INTERNET

Amusement? Entertainment?

It used to be sort of FUN to go shopping. You wander around, see stuff you didn't even know existed. You can even try it out.

FUCK THAT. Now? Just stay home and shop online...and get an ass fatter than a Kardashian. Stay pasty-faced. Get no exercise.

RADIO SHACK is sputtering, obsolete, ready to shut 1,000 stores or more. They could all be gone soon.

It used to be fun to wander in to Radio Shack, and see odd electronics items and novelties, check out electric keyboards, notice a clock that might look nice on your desk, check out ear buds and headphones and microphones...maybe decide you want a bigger or smaller flashlight. Too bad.

STAPLES? They're shutting down a ton of stores and beefing up their website. It used to be you might go there to check out how computers look, or the features on a camcorder. Or you just might suddenly need some envelopes or some glue. Well, fuck YOU, you just better remember to order your ink and glue and paper and everything else in quantity, or WAIT A FEW DAYS FOR A DELIVERY.

Pretty sad.

I understand part of why Radio Shack is becoming obsolete. A main reason to shop there was to get head cleaner for your VCR, or some Y adaptor or RCA plug or some solder or wire so you could fix your speaker or granny's old victrola. Now? You buy an iPod and throw it away when it stops working. Nobody does "do it yourself" repairs on anything. Hell, even DVD-Rs and CD-Rs are "old media" now, and Amazon or New Egg will send you 100 for much less than buying at any store that has to pay rent and employees (as opposed to zombies who put things in boxes all day). But Radio Shack tried to invite customers with computers and other big ticket items, just as Staples tried to get people to buy a camcorder from them...instead of Amazon.

Yeah, we save money online, don't we?

Except where are those employees from Radio Shack and Staples going to go? Who is going to take over those big stores? Pizza joints? Burger King? Nail salons?

All this means is maybe two extra employees at Amazon to shove shit into boxes. Is that a job? Working in a Radio Shack isn't much, and I can't say some of the cretins in there knew what they were doing, but it was interaction. It was something to do. Now the cretin will be lucky to get a monotonous job standing next to some other robot, stuffing boxes. Or sitting at a computer screen and printing out order forms and going to get the crap off a shelf somewhere. Now there's less reason to go outside because what will replace Staples or Radio Shack will be even more boring. Or the store might just be leveled and become a parking lot.

Our amusement continues to narrow down to being on our fucking computers 24/7. Cue Kraftwerk: "We are the robots..."