The Evolution of Shopping

Shopping has dramatically changed over the past 30 years. Once upon a time we walked to the local shop and could buy just about anything. As we strolled through the door with the chimes of a bell ringing we would be greeted by "John" who would know our name, where we lived and our whole family. "John" would stock a whole range of food and was delighted to inform us of how apples varied in taste, along with how to fit a curtain rail using his nails and screws he had under the shelf. The key difference was the exchange of cash was highly relational and bedded in a closer community life.

The next stage in the evolution of shopping is the supermarket. Remember "Safeway?" In the UK they are no more. The supermarket seemed very exciting as a kid. I would walk down the aisles blown away by the choice, I did not need John telling me what apples I could eat I could immerse my self in individual choice, and the range of cereals now expanded beyond cornflakes and Rice Crispies. In going into the supermarket and moving beyond the cornershop we got to know the name of the teller but they did not know ours. We know knew it was "Sue" serving us at the till as her name badge declared it. If however we choose to say "Hi Sue" she would have probably have freaked out "uh How do you know my name?" The supermarket gives us greater choice but lessens the relationships we might have once had.

The evolution of shopping moved beyond the Supermarket with the introduction of the internet. We can now order our shopping to arrive on our doorstep without even leaving the house. We engage online and put our order in without having to talk to a single human being until he or she arrives at our door. The human often arrives to declare that there are ten things we ordered on the list that are no longer available and they have been substituted. The substitution consists of tomatoes being substituted for courgettes and apples for pears. The introduction of the internet has helped us in our busy lifestyles but does decrease our human contact.

The final stage that we are currently at in the evolution of shopping is the self-service checkout. This enables us to go into the supermarket to walk all the way round gathering our own food in our basket. We Then take our food to the till and serve our selves. We have autonomy. Where did this desire to not have to deal with other humans come from?
Has technology decreased our ability for social interaction?
Are we buying into a culture of self service?
We find life when we serve others. Life is not supposed to be a solo flight. We are made to be in community, we need to connect with others. Are we purely serving ourselves? Are we willing to serve others and be served?