I agree with your overall point. Just want to correct one thing. It's true that we haven't been building indoor malls. That's not because of online ordering. W

I agree with your overall point. Just want to correct one thing. It's true that we haven't been building indoor malls. That's not because of online ordering. We're still building malls. But now they are outdoors and called "lifestyle centers." http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lifestyle_center_%28retail%29 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lifestyle_center_%28retail%29 The difference between them and a strip mall is mostly connotation. Lifestyle centers tend to target upscale retailers and feature better landscaping (some grass and benches between the store and the parking lot). Many stores that used to open in malls are flocking to lifestyle centers because indoor malls are going out of fashion. And unlike malls, lifestyle centers don't have large common areas to keep up, so the rent is cheaper. 2 large lifestyle centers are being built in my town (Northern NJ, the land of malls). And we already have a large lifestyle center and an indoor mall nearby. E-commerce certainly took business away from brick and mortar stores. But those stores reacted by changing their offerings. They aren't totally suffering, as shown by these articles: Walmart performs well on cyber monday: http://www.cbsnews.com/news/amazons-new-nemesis-brick-and-mortar-stores/ http://www.cbsnews.com/news/amazons-new-nemesis-brick-and-mo... Amazon opens brick and mortar location: http://www.wsj.com/articles/amazon-to-open-first-store-1412879124 http://www.wsj.com/articles/amazon-to-open-first-store-14128... The trend of "showrooming" is reversing in traditional retailers' favor: http://www.businessinsider.com/reverse-showrooming-bricks-and-mortar-retailers-fight-back-2-2014-2 http://www.businessinsider.com/reverse-showrooming-bricks-an... However, I agree that, in the long term, technology will swallow jobs. It will happen slowly.