> The original example -- DSL service -- and mine -- domestic airlines
> providing A to B transportation -- can have a host of others added to
> it: insurance, cellphones, consumer banking, and to a certain extent
> consumer goods: books, electronics, the low-hanging-fruit of Internet
> shops. It just doesn't pay to hire people in a storefront who are
> knowledgable about their products, and when people go to those stores,
> they complain that the people working there are idiots. Well, what did
> you think would happen when you bought the last 10 books from Amazon,
> and only went to the local store when you had a question?
Maybe I'm not old enough, but I don't think I've ever went to the local book store with a question. I've done that with bike and hardware stores with varying success, and make a practice of buying from whomever gave me the help. But then with those local stores we're kind of back to niche markets, no? Are there any big chains with knowlegable staff?
-- Andy