WHERE DID THE DAIRY QUEEN GO?
By Linda Landry (c)
Recently, I relocated to a neighborhood where I resided years ago.
Actually, the apartment complex I lived in while I went to the university
is right across the street. Naturally, nostalgia sets in. I recall being
younger and carefree as a student. I was in my thirties with two kids
(late bloomer), but no matter. I was young and alive and willing to learn.
I recall walking from the apartment with the kids to the Dairy Queen
just a couple of blocks to the West. It was a summer ritual here in
the desert. When I returned, I missed the old DQ. They tore it down
and put an office building in it's place. Gosh, a brick and mortar biz
died and went to ??? Where? I dunno. Why? I dunno. How? It
could not have been because they were not making a profit. Everyone
eats ice cream, don't they?
Just goes to show you that eventually, the business you thought was
forever and had shown it's stamina, may not be there tomorrow.
How many brick and mortar's have we witnessed disappear? Many.
Currently K-Mart is leaving the scene. K-Mart? Good Grief! Seems
like everyone shops at K-Mart at least once a month. But they are
leaving the scene; done, kaput, out.
Online shopping has a reputation for being risky. Many are wary of
using their credit card and providing personal financial information.
Despite secure servers, many would be shoppers wonder who is the
person behind the scene. Is there a real person? Why should I risk
giving my money to someone I don't know? What if the site just
'disappears' and I want to reorder or return or complain? Valid concerns
for sure. Yet not much different from the concerns of doing business
with a brick and mortar.
We really don't 'know' the person behind K-Mart. We can't be assured
K-Mart or any other brick and mortar will be there tomorrow. I have seen
businesses close seemingly overnight. Last week they were there; this
week I drove by and they have a going out of business sign posted. Viola!
Poof! Gone! The End!
Ah, yes, you say. But what about the security issue. When I order online,
how can I be sure my financial information is safe? Well, gee, I can't offer a
guarantee that negative things NEVER happen but stop and think for a minute.
When you offer the twenty year old sales clerk/cashier your credit card or
check with your personal/financial information, how can you be sure it will not
be misused? Does a cashier, clerk or waiter have the opportunity to apprehend
your personal/financial information? Absolutely! Would they have the ability
or opportunity to misuse that information? Certainly! Has it happened? Most
definitely. Credit card fraud and identity theft are rampant. Most often this
type of crime occurs when a thief obtains your information. The establishment
is not to blame. The employee was the culprit. Your risk of fraud/theft will be
much less when you are dealing with the business owner. That is what you
are doing when you shop online. You are dealing directly with the responsible
party. Few, if any, shopkeepers would risk their business to fraud and theft
whether online or not.
There is no absolute when conducting business. We take a risk each time
we hand over a personal check with our address and phone number posted.
A potential burglar could use the information to check for opportune times
to access our residence. But we blindly provide this, without concern, to
merchants daily. When dealing with the online merchant we have an
opportunity to check into the situation prior to a purchase. We can visit
the policy or FAQ pages and print out their return agreements. We can
contact and correspond with them by email and we can see if they are
willing to provide more concrete contact information like an address and
phone number. If so, we can ease our minds by contacting the real person
behind the site. Rarely do we have that privilege with brick and mortar
merchants. Online shopping is not necessarily more risky than your local
shop. The convenience of shopping in your slippers and avoiding traffic
and crowds, not to mention the gasoline prices we face today, may
just outweigh the risk factors.
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Linda Landry is the proprietor of three websites:
http://www.affordablebelowcostads.com http://www.galleryodefense.com and
http://www.galleryogifts.com
She publishes Cybershopnews which can be
viewed at Galleryogifts.
Reprint permission granted with the inclusion of this resource box.
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