My view is that if I could find a little shop in my area, staffed with polite, intelligent, knowledgeable staff where you could go and try out various items at your leisure and receive helpful advice, without feeling as though you are being pressured into a sale, then I would be willing to do so. But alas, I feel those sort of shops are few and far between these days, whatever they are selling - all our shopping soon will be done at the large out-of-town shopping malls or via the Internet, and all the stores we use will just be the local outlet for vast chains. It won't be long before you will be able to pick up a Nikon D50 at Asda when you go for your weekly shop, and pay £50 or £80 less for it than at a recognised camera shop, thanks to their huge buying power.
We may not like it, but I think there is an inevitability about it, and whatever our views on it, this is what the future holds for us all when we come to shop for anything, be it a new camera or a simple loaf of bread.
I think the days of all small, specialist independents are numbered ....
