[Mr. Sandman]

I will miss the social aspect that B&Tshops offer. IMO this is as important as the equipment they sell (and advice they offer). Personally I like the ambiance that some shops have and enjoy mingling with the local guys. Each shop has it's own set of characters. Online sites don't offer any kind of personal local attn. Not to mention the local fishing tips you pick up just going to a shop. But in today's "want it cheap and want it fast" (with no tax and free shipping) society, I suppose this is what is to come.

I listen for years about guys telling me ( "I check it out in the stores first, they i buy it online and save a ton") Well, this is now coming back to bite you in the ass. The stores will be gone, and yeah you will be able to get it cheap online but you wiped out a friend and took away an important social aspect in the process. Not to mention it has a cascading effect in society..the bait shop that is gone..well the landlord has to rent that space, and since there is a glut of space, it may be empty for years, making the neighborhood less attractive and desirable to live in, lowering real estate values and making life miserable and driving them into moral decay... But you got it cheap online, that is the most important thing, right?
Life is not all about buying things at the cheapest price.