[Janice D. Soderling]

And when the good Seattle camera shop goes out of business because too many customers are trying a few and then buying on-line - and then you have no camera store available to provide samples or advice - or your local bookstore folds because of skim-here-but-buy-from-Amazon shoppers - what then?

I can't pontificate against your buying practices, Cally - I do it myself (although I do try to buy many of my books from our excellent local independent) - but I think we have to realize that, sooner or later, there won't be any "good" shops around for comparison shopping and hefting purposes. Then what?

To answer Michael's "then what?" question, it's not a pretty picture.

http://www.slideshare.net/faberNovel...-hidden-empire

Each time the income of the 1% increases there is a corresponding decrease in jobs. All the investigative and ordering work is put on the buyer so responsibility for informed decisions is up there on cloud nine. Or maybe has rained away. All the clerical work is in the machines. Even the packing and handling is highly automated. The jobs left are those underpaid packing and handling that machines can't yet do.

These guys are not keen on paying taxes and without taxes the whole infrastructure collapses. Soon even those jobs will be gone, outsourced to some country where packers are even cheaper.

Anyone who cares about the educational and vocational future of their children or grandchildren should be working to break up this oligarchy who not only govern the business world, your private life but also your nation.

That used to be called sawing off the limb you are sitting on.

PS No one who lives in a big city should neglect their indy shops. When I was in London last, I was in a bookshop (at Southbank Centre) that fills book orders and ships even abroad. I would much rather support them and shops like them.