3 ms·

Your examples are all tech vs. tech. Tech vs. brick-and-mortar has been an absolute bloodbath. Most local bookstores are gone. Sears, and many smaller retail

by klyrs 5y ago

Your examples are all tech vs. tech. Tech vs. brick-and-mortar has been an absolute bloodbath. Most local bookstores are gone. Sears, and many smaller retailers. Malls are dead. You kids probably don't remember cool independent computer shops (though there are a few hangers-on). Payless shoes comes to mind, apparently they're trying to bounce back. Local newspapers died at the hands of craigslist, which isn't even "big" tech.

synu 5y ago
Local independent computer shops, where people would hang out almost like an impromptu local computer club are a real loss. I miss them a lot.
- jmclnx 5y ago
  yes, I agree
- gonehome 5y ago
  What decade did those exist? The 80s?
  - klyrs 5y ago
    In my experience (I think there's some regional variation here) they were still thriving in the mid/late 90s, and I continued to frequent local computer shops until around the mid aughts. For me, there were three major factors: computers got more standardized, so one didn't need to consult a guru to make a decent system; documentation went online, see above; and finally companies like NewEgg just crushed it in terms of inventory that local shops couldn't compete with. They could special-order whatever parts you wanted, but that was slower and more expensive.
    - gonehome 5y ago
      Interesting - I think I must have just missed them, too bad because they sound cool.
      - synu 5y ago
        It may have been more of a small town thing? I’m not sure, but that was where the one I went to was. It was there until the early 2000s but the writing was on the wall in the late 90s.
  - kyriakos 5y ago
    early 90's too. internet killed them really. once communication between same minded people was possible online they transitioned from meeting places to just shops then ecommerce finished them off.
dlivingston 5y ago
To expand on this, there are also industries and product categories that died from tech. Travel planning agencies. Print media, especially local newspapers. Traveler’s guides & maps. Small niche tech industries being consumed by more general products; i.e., smartphones reducing to irrelevance dedicated GPS devices, MP3 players, DVD players, calculators, landline phones, and point-and-shoot cameras.
- scarface74 5y ago
  There is thriving market for travel agents. I know many who do it as a side gig. When you want to arrange a group vacation like for family reunions. It’s a lot easier to have someone else take care of the details. They make their money from commissions from the destinations.

by klyrs 5y ago

synu 5y ago

Local independent computer shops, where people would hang out almost like an impromptu local computer club are a real loss. I miss them a lot.

jmclnx 5y ago
yes, I agree
gonehome 5y ago
What decade did those exist? The 80s?
- klyrs 5y ago
  In my experience (I think there's some regional variation here) they were still thriving in the mid/late 90s, and I continued to frequent local computer shops until around the mid aughts. For me, there were three major factors: computers got more standardized, so one didn't need to consult a guru to make a decent system; documentation went online, see above; and finally companies like NewEgg just crushed it in terms of inventory that local shops couldn't compete with. They could special-order whatever parts you wanted, but that was slower and more expensive.
  - gonehome 5y ago
    Interesting - I think I must have just missed them, too bad because they sound cool.
    - synu 5y ago
      It may have been more of a small town thing? I’m not sure, but that was where the one I went to was. It was there until the early 2000s but the writing was on the wall in the late 90s.
- kyriakos 5y ago
  early 90's too. internet killed them really. once communication between same minded people was possible online they transitioned from meeting places to just shops then ecommerce finished them off.

dlivingston 5y ago

To expand on this, there are also industries and product categories that died from tech. Travel planning agencies. Print media, especially local newspapers. Traveler’s guides & maps. Small niche tech industries being consumed by more general products; i.e., smartphones reducing to irrelevance dedicated GPS devices, MP3 players, DVD players, calculators, landline phones, and point-and-shoot cameras.

scarface74 5y ago
There is thriving market for travel agents. I know many who do it as a side gig. When you want to arrange a group vacation like for family reunions. It’s a lot easier to have someone else take care of the details. They make their money from commissions from the destinations.