Belk: A Good Place To Get What You Want When You Want Nothing

I doubt I shop online as much as most people out there but I do occasionally like to look around for stuff when I'm really in need of something. Currently, I find myself in constant need of new shoes and spending a bit too much time in stores buying them so I figure why not make the purchase via the all-encompassing Internet. The funny thing is that when I went to Belk's website, they didn't offer shoes. Now I know Belk isn't the biggest retail store out there but I know as well that they do sell shoes. However, after being denied on all fronts to buy anything let alone shoes I gave Belk's customer service a call. Tamra answered my call and was extremely nice when she informed me that Belk does not sell anything on the Internet. Needles to say, I was a bit perplexed that a fairly large retail chain was going out of it's way NOT to sell it's merchandise over the Internet. Still, that wasn't Tamra's problem as I wished her the best, hung up the phone, and immediately began searching for other department store chains taking part in this new trend. After a good half hour of research, this is the list I've come up with:







Belk









There you have it. Every retail chain NOT using the Internet to sell their goods. Interesting. I wonder what it is about the Internet that Belk finds so darn discouraging. Is it the convenience of the customer being able to walk into a room in their house and immediately shop through their store? Is it the idea that you can reduce your inventory since you don't even have to have the product on hand before you can sell it? Maybe it's the pesky way you can inform customers about various sales and product launches which they can take advantage of merely by clicking a button. Maybe those wise Belk managers (all related and all extremely well paid) think this "Internet trend" will blow over what with Google at nearly four hundred dollars a share and Ebay and Amazon making money hand over fist. I guess only time will tell but I'm gonna hold off buying any extended warranties at Belk until it does.