Me-too blogger Steve Jobs makes a great point in the process of mocking the record stores. In the long run, whole classes of retailers have disappeared or are disappearing because of the internet. First it was computer stores, because their salespeople knew less than their customers, and their customers wouldn't pay the premium for customers who knew more. Now it's record stores. Their salespeople have always known more than their customers (except in the mall), but their employees are generally snobs about it, and their product can be sold--profitably--at half price on the internet. One has to assume that the movie stores, like Hollywood Video (RIP) and Blockbuster, face the same fate. Who else goes on the pile of doom? Things to look for:
- product can be sold digitally (e.g. music)
- product depends only on specifications (PC's)
- customers can stand to wait a few days to get product
