Do You REALLY Want Online Shopping To Be The ‘New Norm’?

Do You REALLY Want Online Shopping To Be The ‘New Norm’, as more big brands close stores in Spain

The Swedish clothing and fashion accessories chain H&M recently announced that it is planning to close 30 of its stores nationwide in Spain, and laying off around 1,100 employees.

Local news in Almeria seemed to hint that their stores would be safe, but as yet, I have not seen any news regarding the other Costa del Sol stores that H&M has in Marbella, Fuengirola, and Málaga.

As somebody who actually enjoys going to a real shop and browsing among the goods on offer, as opposed to just seeing a photo of the item on a website, this new trend does worry me, but, it would seem that clothes shopping, as with most shopping, is soon going to change totally, as is happening with H&M – and many big-name brands in the UK high streets – who said that the reason they are having to make cuts is that they are struggling to fight the new trend in online purchasing.

At this point, I must admit that I have never bought an item of clothing online, but I do wonder how many times somebody has bought an item of clothing online, only to receive it and find out it’s the wrong size, then have all the hassle of sending it back etc, instead of going into the changing room at a real store, with several items, trying them on for size, check how it looks in the mirror, and so on.

I understand the logistics from the company’s point of view, moving online they don’t need all the staff, the big premises, the sometimes problematic employees, instead, they upload a website with a shopping cart and it does the work for them, with only the cost of the upkeep of the website.

Many of my friends shop at H&M in the Miramar, Fuengirola, and told me they really hope it is not one that gets closed down, one told me, “I just love wandering around the store seeing what’s there, and yes, many times I have walked out with something I had no intention of buying, simply because it caught my eye. If I was shopping online, that would not happen!”.

Another said, “It’s fun to go and spend a few hours in the shopping centre, just to get out of the apartment, and even enjoy a drink in one of the coffee shops there, just watching the world walk by. I can’t do that if I am browsing online”, with another saying, “I hate the thought of shopping online, it’s so impersonal”.