What a sad world we now live in.......

The only thing a store can offer over the 'Net is instant gratification - if what music one desires is on the shelf/bin! And of course, the matter of sales tax!

@larry5729: What I don't like about streaming is the "verification" problem - particularly of data sourced from analog tape. What generation was used for the data conversion? The master tape, the second copy, the third copy ... ? Analog tape is certainly prone to degradation by making multiple copies! Digital recording, no! I tend to favor recordings from the pre-digital era (before 1978).

I do all my CD and LP shopping on EBay.   I usually buy used. Thousands of titles available! Most any music one wants can be found via a smartphone! And often with free shipping! No need to travel to a store and look through a limited stock. This is the 21th Century!

The smartphone/’Net has radically changed people’s buying patterns for music/movies. Along with a home computer/cable. New technologies are inevitably disruptive!

@simao : I too miss going to a local record store and looking through the bins for something new and unexpected! I wish Tower was still around! They had most everything - particularly jazz and classical!

Tower also had a great selection of magazines! How a 130 store chain could disappear is ominous!

My smartphone let's me hunt for LPs with ease - no need to leave home! Yes shipping takes a few days to a week and patience is required. And I prefer original pressings, which the Big Box stores don't carry.