The internet makes everything easier, doesn't it?
It's always on, always available, and always helpful.
Also: 10 technologies leading digital transformation in retail [1]
What, though, has it done to the actual humans still employed by businesses, especially those in retail?
I only ask because I've heard again from my long-time friend Edith.
You might remember her a few weeks ago I was told by an Apple store saleswoman that the only people who should buy an iPad Pro are graphic designers.[2]
Edith is of advanced years and traditional stances. She's posh, but not (too) snooty. She has several homes and floats around with her husband in retired bliss.
This bliss is dented, however, when she encounters what she feels is modern ignorance. One of the main sources of this, she believes, is the web.
She told me of a trip to fancy luggage retailer Rimowa. She went to its store in the posh London area of Bond Street in order to choose a suitcase.
"I chose the case and went to pay. Oh no, they didn't take credit cards. Indeed they didn't take cards of any kind. No, no, you had to go away and do it all on the net. The thing had to be ordered, you paid and then 'popped in' to pick it up," she told me.
Well, I suppose that's one way to do business. Still, the insistence on web-only doesn't exactly make the retail experience seamless.
It got worse. She said: "I pointed out that 'popping' was not really possible as I live over a hundred miles away, have animals, and have to plan journeys to London. Shoulders were shrugged in